Seismic design, as detailed in this text, is the bringing together of Earthquake Engineering and Engineering Seismology. Earthquake Engineering for Structural Design focuses on the seismological aspects of design—analyzing various types of earthquakes and how they affect structures differently. Understanding the distinction between these earthquake types and their different impacts on buildings can make the difference between whether a building stands or falls—or, at least to how much it costs to repair.
]]>Rebuilding After Disasters emphasizes the role of the built environment in the re-establishment of lives and sustainable livelihoods after disasters. In this text, expert contributors explain the principle challenges facing professionals and practitioners in the building industry.
]]>With contributions from many renowned experts and upcoming researchers in the fields concerned, it comprehensively assesses the wide range of issues faced by practitioners. Whether you're studying construction management, researching hazard resilience issues or working on construction projects in hazardous regions, this book is for you.
]]>This title takes a seismological approach to earthquake engineering—analyzing the potential impacts of several different kinds of earthquakes and relating each type to its appropriate geographical context. It is not enough to understand the anatomy of the structure, you must also appreciate the nature of the likely earthquake.
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Spon's Asia Pacific Construction Costs Handbook includes construction cost data for twenty countries. This new edition has been extended to include Pakistan and Cambodia. Australia, UK and America are also included, to facilitate comparison with construction costs elsewhere.
Information is presented for each country in the same way, as follows:
•key data on the main economic and construction indicators.
•an outline of the national construction industry, covering structure, tendering and contract procedures, materials cost data, regulations and standards
•labour and materials cost data
•measured rates for a range of standard construction work items
•approximate estimating costs per unit area for a range of building types
•price index data and exchange rate movements against £ sterling, $US and Japanese Yen.
The book also includes a Comparative Data section to facilitate country-to-country comparisons. Figures from the national sections are grouped in tables according to national indicators, construction output, input costs and costs per square metre for factories, offices, warehouses, hospitals, schools, theatres, sports halls, hotels and housing.
This unique handbook will be an essential reference for all construction professionals involved in work outside their own country and for all developers or multinational companies assessing comparative development costs.
"Comprehensive and entirely appropriate for our students. Recommended reading." – A lecturer in Architectural Technology, London Southbank University
"A broad-based, yet sufficiently deep materials book to cover most undergraduate materials needs." – A lecturer in Construction Materials, Kingston University
Covers the following materials:So far in the twenty first 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.
This new edition maintains our familiar and accessible format, starting with fundamental principles and continuing with a section on each of the major groups of materials. It gives you a clear and comprehensive perspective on the whole range of materials used in modern construction. A must have for Civil and Structural engineering students, and for students of architecture, surveying or construction on courses which require an understanding of materials.
The material in chapter 7 on the transition between British Standards and Eurocodes was interesting to research. There has been much talk on implementation of the Eurocodes since the early nineties. But here we are approaching the end of the noughties and it is still far from clear when the changeover will actually occur. The severe financial crisis we are facing will undoubtedly further delay this process. Most practitioners I have spoken to over recent months are more concerned about their jobs rather than Eurocodes. Conversations with recent graduates and students on summer placements suggest that the vast majority of design work is still carried out to British Standards, which makes it difficult to know quite what to teach students in order enhance their chances of obtaining work. Perhaps the answer is to teach both sets of standards.
When you are out and about try to work out how structures such as football stadiums, bridges, buildings, etc., work. Think about the nature of the loading that the structure will experience during its design life. Also how load is transferred from a point on the structure to the ground. Use hand drawings to help in that process. How the structure resists horizontal loads from wind for instance. Why the designer has chosen to use a particular material and if there is a link between the material and the shape of the structure. When looking at a building site pay attention to the sequence of construction as this can also provide valuable clues as to how some structures work. Remember not all structures are built from the bottom up. Make a mental note of the sizes of key members such as the thicknesses of floor slabs, width and depth of beams, cross-section of columns, etc. as this information will be invaluable for the development of preliminary designs
I suppose it must be concrete, as it is probably the material I know most about having studied it for twenty years. Various forms of concrete have been around for several millennia. Yet, research on both the properties of fresh and hardened concrete continues apace. My work has focused on deterioration mechanisms, in particular corrosion of steel reinforcement due to the use of de-icing salt in winter. Detection, repair and evolution of preventative strategies are some of the aspects I have considered. A particularly interesting piece of work which is relevant to structural design relates to the relevance of cracking in concrete to the risk of reinforcement corrosion. Currently there are two schools of thought. One suggests that there is a relationship between crack width and amount of corrosion whereas the other suggests the reverse. Research evidence suggests that the latter theory is more plausible yet it is the former which continues to dominate the advice in codes of practice on reinforced concrete design. Work on concrete has also allowed me to develop an understanding of a number of other areas new to civil engineering such as risk analysis, sustainable development and nanotechnology.
The Taj Mahal in Agra is a stunning structure. I saw it about 20 years ago during my one and only visit to India and it was truly awesome. It was dusk but the white domed marble structure was clearly visible under the moonlit sky. It was a hypnotic experience and one I have not forgotten. I was similarly impressed when I saw the Colosseum on a recent visit to Rome. This is partly to do with the age and scale of the structure but also its design. What impressed me most was the repetitive use of I guess what must then have been considered to be at the cutting edge technology, the arch/vault. The whole structure seems to consist of a multitude of arches to form the tiered seating areas and the connecting passage ways beneath and the effect is quite stunning. The structure is remarkably light and efficient given its massive size. Nearer to home there are so many landmark structures such as Swiss Re, the British Museum Great Court and the Globe that it is so difficult to chose. But I think the building I most often look forward to seeing is the BT tower in Birmingham. Having grown up in West Bromwich, which is home to the soon to be relegated Albion, whenever I see it I know I am close to home and family and friends. Some years ago a school friend of mine decided to climb the tower without seeking permission. He succeeded but was promptly arrested when he finally reached the top.
People who are good at their craft. I suppose the person who I’ve been most impressed with in recently months is Barack Obama. His speeches and Q&A sessions on his recent visit to Europe were enlightening and uplifting. I even stood outside Buckingham Palace to catch a glimpse of him, which is not the sort of thing I normally do. Unlike the City, the crowds and the policemen and women on duty outside the palace on that day were extremely friendly. It was a very pleasant atmosphere. Unfortunately, because of the heavily tinted windows on the “beast” I only managed to catch a glimpse of the back of President Obama’s head as the car made its way from the palace towards Downing Street.
Anybody who knows me will vouch for the fact that I’m not much of a foodie. I am a vegetarian but apart from
that I eat pretty much whatever is put in front of me. The only thing I sometimes have a craving for is stuffed paratas. But the ones they sell at Indian restaurants are not a patch
on the ones my mother used to make. They were great to eat cold, with pickle and hot tea, alfresco. Unfortunately, my mother passed away shortly before the first edition was
published. In fact the present edition is dedicated to her memory.
Well that’s fairly easy, I used to say this to my students, “You’re a civil engineer, not an aeronautical engineer and consequently every single thing you build sits on the ground. Therefore, you need to know something about the ground, to make sure your building’s going to stay up or your structure’s going to stay where you think it should.” It’s as simple as that really isn’t it. The geology underpins it all - there are so many puns we could use here!
Because it was accessible. It started off as a series of lecture notes and the lecture notes were one or two pages; they were condensed into that, and then one lecture became a spread, and that’s it. And then the idea. Actually let’s give credit here to where it should be, to the publishers Mitchell Beazley and Hugh Johnson who wrote the Atlas of Wine. It was a huge seller; they had a winner with it. And it was because, instead of being a great stream of text, eight chapters all on European wines or whatever it might be, it was all done in blocks and pieces and bite-size chunks. So I suppose really the idea came from that, beyond that I just developed it into the format you’ve got here. And it seemed to work.
Well, how much has changed? Funnily enough you know, engineering geology doesn’t change a lot, the rocks are still the same as they were ten years ago! I suppose the one place where there’s been significant change is in the whole bit on site investigation and how an engineer approaches the problems of what there is in the ground. The biggest change has been the sources of information, with our wonderful friend the web And of course we’ve got new data in places and we’ve got new examples in, a few new case studies, and things which have happened more recently which are more fun.
Well I got into engineering geology by default, because I started off in mining. Then the decline of the mining industry, in Britain in particular (we’re talking now about some years ago), meant that there was less demand for mining geologists and at the same time the demand for civil engineering geologists was increasing considerably. So I shifted disciplines within the university and got more into this side. I’ve always been into the applied side. I’ve never been a theoretical man. I like the practical bit, the nuts and bolts. It’s either where is the mineral deposit, why is it there. Or where is the hole in the ground and why is it there - if you’re building on top of it.
Tony Waltham’s favourite section of the book to write was … Well that has to be, number 29, the bit on limestone, for a totally trivial reason - that is limestone has got caves in it (and) I’ve been a caver for many years.
So, as a geologist, I have seen more of the inside of the ground than quite a lot of other geologiststhrough the UK.
When was Davis Langdon founded, and what did it start out doing?
The modern origins of Davis Langdon LLP lie in the merger of Langdon & Avery with David Belfield & Everest in 1988. Both firms operated in the UK and the Middle East and this was the first step into ‘going global’. In 1999 engineering services specialists Mott Green Wall, who edit Spons M&E price book, were merged. We now have some 5000 staff in 100 offices worldwide working on some of the most challenging and complex projects being built.
Until recently the firm was called “Davis Langdon Everest”. Who was Everest and what was he famous for?
Bobby Everest was a founding member of Davis Belfield & Everest. He was related to George Everest, Surveyor General of India from 1830 to 1843 and the man who, with William Lambton, undertook the ‘great trigonometrical survey’ of India, which included measuring the height of Mount Everest, and subsequently had the world’s highest mountain named after him.
Davis Langdon has won a number of awards. Which is or are the firm most proud of, and which were hardest to get?
Our most recent success in being named “Best Construction Consultant/Surveyor of the Year 2009” for the fourth year running is considered the industry benchmark for recognising leading-edge, innovative and best-practice organisations operating within the construction industry. We have also received accolade for our training and development programmes and have been named one of the Sunday Times ‘Best 100 Companies to Work For’ in the UK for several years. All awards are hard to win, and I believe we are all incredibly proud of our reputation in the construction industry which is a reflection of breadth and diversity of our work, as well as that of everybody who works here.
What is the firm’s core business and what skills does a good member of the team really need?
Core business is Cost Consultancy, a development from the more traditional Quantity Surveyor role, and represents approximately 50% of our total fee income. Other key areas include Project Management, Engineering Services (Mechanical & Electrical Services) and Banking, Tax & Finance.
A good team member needs a great number of skills to be really effective, plus the ability to know when and when not to use them.
Be a good listener! To properly understand a task you need to listen & properly understand exactly what you and the rest of the team are supposed to be doing. Understanding the task is the first step to completing the task!
Be a good speaker. Not necessarily to stand up in front of an audience, but to be able to clearly explain your ideas, ask the right questions and interact across all levels within the team is incredibly important and helps to bring the team together.
Being a good team member does not mean that you have to be able to do everything, but being able to fit your skills to the task in hand is a basic requirement.
What irritating questions do quantity surveyors get asked and wish they weren’t?
How much will it cost?
It is why we are here after all. Trying to second guess how much a contractor will charge can be challenging, so any back up data we can make use of is always useful and Spon’s Price Books provide good solid data and can be very useful in a variety of ways, not only looking up the rate for bricks!
What will the construction industry be like in 25 (or 50?) years time?
There will still be an industry and I don’t think we will be using many site robots to erect buildings. There would be much more off site manufacturing (OSM) techniques used and some of that assembly work would be carried out by robots!
Every construction project is unique, be it a small kitchen extension at home or a 300m high city centre office development, and construction will always rely on skilled craftsmen on a building site assembling a structure at the end of whatever the design/production processes are in place at the time.
How we actually get to that end will change - roles & responsibilities of designers and consultants will be re-written more than once. There will always be a need for good design and similarly someone will want to know how much it’s all going to cost.
We would be building in a truly sustainable way, probably less new buildings and more re-cycling of existing – particularly substructures and frames which are very carbon intensive to produce initially. We cannot keep demolishing our old buildings as we do too often today.
DID YOU KNOW? - Tell us one unknown fact about yourself …
From September through to April I like to spend Saturday afternoons at Franklin Gardens watching Northampton Rugby Football Club with Tracy, my wife next to me cheering on the Saints – I’m quite vocal in my support!
Following this year's disaster in Haiti, the world is asking itself how such vast devastation could occur, and how best to rebuild the affected areas. For answers to these questions, we need look no further than recent SPON publication Rebuilding After Disasters: From Emergency to Sustainability. An international team of expert editors and contributors examine aspects of the Built Environment that can exacerbate disaster situations, and explore successful ways of rebuilding in a range of challenging conditions.
Not only is this a justified book of the month on the basis of the quality of research it contains, but also in the example it provides of the relevance and importance of academic research to crucial real-world issues.
Editors Lizarralde, Johnson and Davidson recognise that when rebuilding after disasters, professionals need to understand the complex relations between social, cultural, technical, economic and political factors, and organize their work in consequence. As a result, their book is essential reading for architects, engineers, urban planners, designers, humanitarian and social workers, and others whose work is so vital in the aftermath of major crises.