Constructing Architecture: Materials, Processes, Structures : a Handbook

I have reviewed many attempts at a comprehensive description of the complex subject of architecture, and this is the best. This book is far better than the exhaustively recommended Francis Ching (all due respect), and even better than Unwin's Architectural Notebook, which is also excellent. This is the very first book I would recommend for any serious architecture student. It covers tectonics and construction in elegant detail but, even more importantly, this book delves into the conceptual intentions behind the tectonics, at every scale. Telling examples, well chosen, illuminate the ideas, and the case studies feature some of the finest contemporary architecture in the world today. Simply the best.

The English title might be misleading--this book is not about 'construction', but rather about what the Germans call Baukunst, the art of construction, or the art of 'putting buildings together' (com-posing buildings), considering the spatial and cultural orders as inseparable parts of that putting things together.The book provides a structured approach to the basics of contemporary architectural composition, several essays introducing fundamental concepts and giving you the bibliography to go into them in detail (the key part is making them all fit into an overall framework, and pointing at the sources that normally take years to discover), and illustrate several remarkable buildings in remarkable detail, with excellent descriptions reaching a depth and quality of analysis unfortunately missing in typical architectural publications.Andrea Deplazes, the editor and author or co-author of many of the articles, teaches at the Zurich ETH (and I would guess the same must be true for the authors of most of the other articles), which for well over a hundred years has been one of the few true schools of architecture in the world. The book glows with the power of this accumulated knowledge developed in a true academic environment since the times of Semper. It also gives a glimpse at how the ETH consistently produces first class ordinary architecture, and for that matter first class extraordinary architecture too.This book will be of huge value to every architecture student, teacher, and architectural designer. I bought it by a fortunate mistake --I thought a construction book from the ETH was sure to be an excellent reference book on technology, and the mail delivered a treasure trove of architectural knowledge instead.

As someone already mentioned, it is a good book but, the print quality is bad. In a book store in Spain, I saw the same book. It was a lot better in quality of paper and print resolution. The version I received through Amazon in the US is printed in the US and, unfortunately, a lot of details are lost because of low resolution of printing. Whatever the reason is, it is bad. The book is very well written. The publisher should print better using better quality of paper. It is a shame.

"Constructing architecture" is excellent for architects and students. It presents a broad and contemporary review of materials, technologies and processes and provides information and opinion essays about the cultural and historic aspects of technology. Moreover, some projects and interesting built examples are documented with focus on each material (masonry, concrete, timber and steel). The structure is logical: materials, elements, structures, buildings, and components. However, the last chapter could be slightly improved with additional information about standards and quality systems. With this book in hands, the architect and the student are confronted with an idea sometimes forgotten: "Good architecture is good construction". To sum up: It should be on the shelves of every architecture library.

I purchased this book for a construction class and as an architecture student, I find it very helpful. The book is not a construction how-to and the images are not very detailed nor are any of the images in color, but it is a compilation of a variety of architectural examples that use different or innovative construction methods. A great supplement to a studio course for inspiration and incorporating interesting structure into projects.

an amazing resource of a critical leg of design.

Bad printing, many figures are not in well resolution. For an architectural handbook, the clearly readable reference drawings are so essential and must be printed in high quality.

I wish I had this book during my architectural degree. Best architectural book I've ever found. Amazing range of details, perfect expalantions, clear, inspiring, perfect. A must for any architect. Buy this now. A degree in a book.

A must read book for those studying architecture. A large book but the information is critical for studying architecture.

I've bought this book as a reference for my college projects (Architecture BSc) and I'm totally happy with it.It covers a lot of topics and is incredibly useful while doing any precedent study projects. It contains many useful examples and details at 1:10, 1:20 together with photographs from construction sites that makes the book even more valuable when searching for information that will actually help to understand the project.The book is really "solid" not only in it's contents, but also in it's appearance. Not something to carry on in your bag, but to have on your desk at home or in the studio.

Does what it's meant to.

Book poorly preserved, visible signs of wear. The book certainly belonged to a library, there is on the coast the identification badge.Long delay in handing over.I will turn ever more to Better World Books, definitely one of the worst sellers, in my experience

a nice book and detailed. A good reference for those studying architecture.