Publisher's Synopsis
This book provides structural designers with a practical guide to choosing the most appropriate structures for building purposes. The author has had thirty years of experience in this field during which he has designed some 400 buildings. In this book he brings that wealth of experience together for the benefit not only of structural designers, but also architects and building contractors. The author begins by introducing the reader to various structural systems, and describing in detail the various requirements the structures must fulfil. The method for choosing the appropriate structure is then described, together with the subsequent effects of the decision, the materials to be used, the details to be designed, the effect on the subsoil and site conditions, the ways in which the structure affects architectural and mechanical engineering decisions, and the way these in turn react on the structural system itself. The process by which the structural designer, together with other designers, finally produces a structure which suits all the requirements and is practical for construction purposes is also described.