The Idea of Building Thought and Action in the Design and Production of Buildings

This book is unique in its attempt to explore the many ways we have of thinking about buildings. In particular it raises questions about the kinds of knowledge we have and will need in designing, making and enjoying our buildings. At the very least this book provides an overview of the fragmented construction industry, making it a vital purchase for all construction related students. However, the author has written for a wider audience making the book an essential guide for those interested in the form of buildings or the deliberate ways in which people build them.

Preface. Foreword. Preliminaries. Book one: the flight from equilibrium. Buildings as unstable systems in dynamic environments. Flows of matter and energy. Uncertainty in the industrial environment. The decline of technical precedent. The social demand for buildings. Interlude. Some polemical remarks. Book two: building knowledge and building experience. Historical concepts of building science. The analysis of sensations. The analysis of energy. Building engineering. Building pathology and its lessons. Intelligent buildings and intelligent sites. The building process. Systems and conventions. What industry follows function? Representation and regularity. Technology transfer. Who is the builder? The idea of technology, and its critics. Book three: another critical position. The typical detail. Building details in structure and form. The buildings of Alvar Aalto. In conclusion. Index.