Recommended reading

The following titles relate to building technologies and construction products, and are available to buy from RIBA Bookshops.

The New Structuralism: Design, Engineering and Architectural Technologies

Today the convergence of design, engineering and architectural technologies are breeding a new material practice in experimental architecture. In this pioneering publication, this important shift is fully defined as a highly dynamic synthesis of emerging principles of spatial, structural and material ordering integrated through the application of materialisation and fabrication technologies. Providing the foundations for a new theory of structuring in architecture, The New Structuralism has broad implications for the way we both conceive and undertake architectural design, as its impact starts to emanate not only across education internationally, but also through architectural research and practice.

Construction Materials: Their Nature and Behaviour: 4th edition

So far in the 21st century, there have been many developments in our understanding of materials' behaviour and in their technology and use. This new edition has been expanded to cover recent developments such as the use of glass as a structural material. It also now examines the contribution that material selection makes to sustainable construction practice, considering the availability of raw materials, production, recycling and reuse, which all contribute to the life cycle assessment of structures. As well as being brought up-to-date with current usage and performance standards, each section now also contains an extra chapter on recycling.

Thermally Active Surfaces in Architecture

Departing from the simple question: Why do we heat and cool buildings with air?, this book focuses on the technique of thermally active surfaces. This technique uses water in building surfaces to heat and cool bodies - a method that is at once more efficient, comfortable, and healthy. This technique thus imbues the fabric of the building with a more poignant role: its structure is also its primary heating and cooling system. In doing so, this approach triggers a cascading set of possibilities for how well buildings are built, how well they perform, and how long they will last: pointing the way toward multiple forms of sustainability.
 

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