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PREFACE:

First published  a quarter-century  ago,  Fundamentals  of  Building  Construction:  Materials  and Methods,  now  in  its  sixth  edition,  has  wrought  a  revolution  in  construction  education.  It has  been  instrumental  in  making  a  previously  unpopular  area  of  study  not  merely  palatable but  vibrant  and  well  liked.  It  has  taken  a  body  of  knowledge  once  characterized  as antithetical to design excellence and made it widely recognized as being centrally relevant to good building design. 

It has replaced dry, unattractive books with a well-designed, readable volume  that  students  value  and  keep  as  a  reference work.  It was  the  first book  in  its  field  to be  even-handed  in  its  coverage  and  profusely  and  effectively  illustrated  throughout.  It  was the  first  to  release  the  teacher  from  the  burden  of  explaining  everything  in  the  subject, thereby freeing class time for discussions, case studies, field trips, and other enrichments. Gaining  a  useful  knowledge  of  the  materials  and  methods  of  building  construction  is crucial  and  a  necessity  for  the  student  of  architecture,  engineering,  or  construction,  but  it can  be  a  daunting  task. 

 The  field  is  huge,  diverse,  and  complex,  and  it  changes  at  such  a rate that it seems impossible ever to master it. This book has gained its preeminent status as an  academic  text  in  this  field  because  of  its  logical  organization,  outstanding  illustrations, clear writing, pleasing page layouts, and distinctive philosophy.

 It  is  integrative,  presenting  a  single  narrative  that  interweaves  issues  of  building  science, materials  science,  legal  constraints,  and  building  craft  so  that  the  reader  does  not  have  to refer  to  separate  parts  of  the  book  to  make  the  connections  among  these  issues.  Building techniques are presented as whole working systems rather than component parts. It is selective rather than comprehensive. This makes it easy and pleasant for the reader to gain a basic working knowledge that can later be expanded, without piling on so many facts and  figures  that  the  reader  becomes  confused  or  frightened  away  from  wanting  to  learn about  construction.

  Reading  other  texts  was  once  like  trying  to  drink  from  a  fire  hose; reading this one is like enjoying a carefully prepared meal. It  is  empowering  because  it  is  structured  around  the  process  of  designing  and constructing  buildings. 

 The  student  of  architecture  will  find  that  it  features  the  design possibilities  of  the  various  materials  and  systems.  Students  interested  in  building  or managing the construction process will find its organization around construction sequences to be invaluable. The  book  is  necessarily  complex  without  being  complicated.  

It  avoids  the  dilemma  of having to expand ad infinitum over time by presenting the basic construction systems, each in sufficient detail that the student is brought to an operational level of knowledge. It deals, as its subtitle indicates, with fundamentals.

In  this  latest  edition,  we  have  updated  and  revised  many  portions  of  the  text.  To  name  a few,  in  Chapter  1,  an  expanded  discussion  of  buildings  and  the  environment  reflects  the continuing  evolution  and  maturation  of  sustainable  building  practice.  Attention  to  the  role of  the  constructor  and  to  considerations  of  construction  management  continues  to  receive more  in-depth  consideration.  Many  facets  of  foundations  and  sitework  have  been  updated in  Chapter  2.  

Chapters  3  through  7,  covering  wood  materials  and  construction  systems, have  been  extensively  updated:  An  entirely  new  construction  system,  cross-laminated timber,  is  introduced;  a  greater  emphasis  is  given  to  manufactured  wood  products, reflecting  this  trend  within  the  industry;  and  the  influence  of  the  most  recent  energy  codes and sustainability standards on the enclosure of these building systems is reflected in revised text  and  updated  illustrations. 

 Throughout  the  remaining  portions  of  the  text,  new developments  in  materials  and  methods,  sustainable  practices,  and  building  regulations have  been  incorporated.  Finally,  a  special  effort  was  made  to  update  illustrations  and photographs,  both  to  ensure  currency  of  information  and  to  provide  the  greatest  possible visual interest for the reader .