Why Buildings Fall Down: How Structures Fail,   ISBN:9780393311525

Customer Rating: 

This is one of the best books I've read on the engineering behind structural failures. The authors teach by example, exploring fallen apartment buildings, stadiums, bridges and other structure, and using each to illustrate an important engineering principle. The illustrations are also an invaluable aid to understanding the problems in each structure (particularly for readers who, like me, may find it difficult to follow verbiage on the orientation of strutts, the direction of braces, etc.).

I only had two gripes: a glossary provided the only introduction to many basic concepts; and political/historical/personal context would have made for a livelier account. The glossary was a very helpful resource for understanding basic things like, what "load" is, and how it effects structures. It might have been better to also work those descriptions into the text as the concepts arose - this would have made it easier for me to assimilate them. Also, I enjoyed it when the authors gave context for many of the engineering decisions made - for instance, that a stadium rooftop was designed, in part, because flaws in the city sewer system prevented the efficient disposition of significant rainfall. However, more of this kind of context - particularly historical and personal facts that had bearing on design decisions - would have made each example into a better story, and improved the reading experience for me.

Overall, a highly recommended book.

Customer Rating: 

Wonderful building engineering text. Good for experts or beginners, this book opens up the hidden world of forensic building failure analysis. Humorous and informative

Customer Rating: 

I receipt the book very quikly and in excelent conditios of use, as a new book.

Customer Rating: 

THE BOOKS GIVES A LAYMAN A GENERAL IDEA ABOUT STRUCTURES, ELASTICITY, STRESS AND STRAIN WITHOUT TOO MUCH MATH. IT IS WELL WRITTEN AND THE CONCEPTS ARE CLEAR AND CONCISE. THE BOOK IS EASY TO READ AND VERY ENJOYABLE.

Customer Rating: 

I am not an architect or engineer, but I found this book really fascinating. The authors explain things so that those not in the field could understand, but sometimes get too technical. The illustrations were great, but there should have been more, and some color photos would have been nice.

One thing the authors did not point out, is that hindsight is 20/20. It is almost as though they believe they would never make any errors like those they describe (though some designs they discuss really do sound irresponsible), that buildings they designed would stand forever regardless of environmental factors like earthquakes, floods, etc.