This book is a plea for a sympathetic approach to the conservation and repair of traditional stone buildings. These beautiful buildings are in danger of disappearing from the landscape because they are not yet properly understood. Here is a book about saving them by applying traditional techniques in a sympathetic manner, using materials and methods that are in harmony with their nature. Patrick McAfee, a stone-mason, conservation consultant and author of the bestselling Irish Stone Walls, shows how traditional stone buildings were originally constructed; he outlines the traditional techniques, tells how the stone was worked and details the proper methods of repair and maintenance. As well as dealing with stone, the book also covers lime mortars and other traditional finishes. Includes a survey of stone buildings world-wide. Much of the information is practical, hands-on, and intended for the enthusiastic householder as well as the more experienced builder, with step-by-step instructions from an acknowledged expert.

Self-Compacting Concrete: Materials, Properties and Applications presents the latest research on various aspects of self-compacting concrete, including test methods, rheology, strength and durability properties, SCC properties at elevated temperature, SC manufacturing with the use of SCMs, recycled aggregates and industrial by-products. Written by an international group of contributors who are closely associated with the development of self-compacting concrete, the book explores the main differences between SCC and normal concrete in terms of raw materials, fresh properties and hardened properties. Other topics discussed include the structure and practical applications of fiber reinforced SCC. Researchers and experienced engineers will find this reference to be a systematic source to SCC with its accounting of the latest breakthroughs in the field and discussions of SCC constructability, structural integrity, improved flows into complex forms, and superior strength and durability.

Building Environment looks at the interaction between building materials and systems and their surroundings, and how this may lead to deterioration. It presents ways of assessing remedial treatments, and includes discussions on occupant health, and sustainable retrofitting.

Farm and Rural Building Conversions provides a detailed record of types of rural buildings and advice for conversion , including retention of period features where appropriate. Sympathetic conversion that ensures this record of rural life is not lost forever.

Stone considers the wide variety of historical uses, from simple masonry walling through to elaborate carving and decoration. The book considers why stone decays or fails and how to assess and understand the causes, before concentrating on the practical methods of treatment, repair and maintenance.

Glass and Glazing looks at the conservation of one of the most important building materials, and its use in windows, roofing and walling. It considers the technological evolution of glass and glazing systems, the processes causing deterioration, and the practical application and long-term implications of common conservation materials and methods, as well as of alterations to improve performance.

Quantifying exergy losses in the energy supply system of buildings reveals the potential for energy improvement, which cannot be discovered using conventional energy analysis. Thermoeconomics combines economic and thermodynamic analysis by applying the concept of cost (an economic concept) to exergy, as exergy is a thermodynamic property fit for this purpose, in that it combines the quantity of energy with its quality factor. Exergy Analysis and Thermoeconomics of Buildings applies exergy analysis methods and thermoeconomics to the built environment. The mechanisms of heat transfer throughout the envelope of buildings are analyzed from an exergy perspective and then to the building thermal installations, analyzing the different components, such as condensing boilers, absorption refrigerators, microcogeneration plants, etc., including solar installations and finally the thermal facilities as a whole. A detailed analysis of the cost formation process is presented, which has its physical roots firmly planted in the second law of thermodynamics. The basic principles and the rules of cost allocation, in energy units (exergy cost), in monetary units (exergoeconomic cost), and in CO2 emissions (exergoenvironmental cost), based on the so-called Exergy Cost Theory are presented and applied to thermal installations of buildings. Clear and rigorous in its exposition, Exergy Analysis and Thermoeconomics of Buildings discusses exergy analysis and thermoeconomics and the role they could play in the analysis and design of building components, either the envelope or the thermal facilities, as well as the diagnosis of thermal installations. This book moves progressively from introducing the basic concepts to applying them. Exergy Analysis and Thermoeconomics of Buildings provides examples of specific cases throughout this book. These cases include real data, so that the results obtained are useful to interpret the inefficiencies and losses that truly occur in actual installations; hence, the assessment of their effects encourages the manner to improve efficiency.

Notions of authenticity lie at the heart of many questions about heritage and identity in the built environment. These questions are most pertinent when buildings have been destroyed in disaster or war, and the built fabric is being reconstructed to reinstate traditional or historic appearances in place of what was lost. Authentic Reconstruction examines this idea of reconstruction, using it as a prompt to examine a range of deeper issues on heritage and the built environment. From post-WWII reconstruction programmes through to the rebuilding of historic cultural landscapes lost in natural disasters, this collection of essays by heritage specialists provides a wide range of case-studies and discussions. Each presents responses to crises and lessons learned, in order to extrapolate general guidelines for future actions by politicians, architects and planners in reconstructing buildings. The book also looks beyond disaster and war, noting how authenticity bears on political intentions and image building, exploring how reconstruction is used to tell a political or historical story, so conditioning the ways in which the built environment is perceived and appreciated by its users. This is not just about the buildings as bricks and mortar, but about perceptions of identity and the social and historical values which buildings and spaces embody for a richly diverse population. This book will be valuable to all who are concerned with heritage as practitioners or consumers, particularly those concerned with reconstruction and the creation of authentic places and experiences: architects, architectural historians, town planners, preservationists, conservationists, and those involved in heritage management and material culture.

This book provides the reader with a review of the most relevant research on the structural characterization and seismic retrofitting of adobe construction. It offers a complete review of the latest research developments, and hence the relevance of the field. The book starts with an introductory discussion on adobe construction and its use throughout the world over time, highlighting characteristics and performance of adobe masonry structures as well as different contributions for cultural heritage conservation (Chapter 1). Then, the seismic behaviour of adobe masonry buildings is addressed, including examples of real performance during recent earthquakes (Chapter 2). In the following chapters, key research investigations on seismic response assessment and retrofitting of adobe constructions are reviewed. The review deals with the following issues: mechanical characterization of adobe bricks and adobe masonry (Chapters 3 and 4); quasi-static and shaking table testing of adobe masonry walls and structures (Chapters 5 and 6); non-destructive and minor-destructive testing for characterization of adobe constructions (Chapter 7); seismic strengthening techniques for adobe constructions (Chapter 8); and numerical modelling of adobe structures (Chapter 9). The book ends with Chapter 10, where some general conclusions are drawn and research needs are identified. Each chapter is co-authored by a group of experts from different countries to comprehensively address all issues of adobe constructions from a worldwide perspective. The information covered in this book is fundamental to support civil engineers and architects in the rehabilitation and strengthening of existing adobe constructions and also in the design of new adobe buildings. This information is also of interest to researchers, by providing a summary of existing research and suggesting possible directions for future research efforts.

Situated on the shore of the Lake Zurich, Le Corbusier's exhibition pavilion is his last realised design. Based on his Modulor proportional system and at the scale of a single-family home, it demonstrates the potential of prefabricated elements to form a perfect space for art and design. Commissioned in 1960 by Heidi Weber, Zurich-based gallery owner and patron of Le Corbusier the visual artist, this structure in steel and glass represents pivotal aspects of his architectural philosophy and also points to the future. Architects Silvio Schmed and Arthur Ruegg have carefully restored the Pavillon Le Corbusier to its original state, including the reconstruction of missing pieces of furniture and luminaires. This book documents their research and the restored building, featuring previously unpublished historic photographs and documents alongside newly commissioned images by Georg Aerni.

The book presents the work of the RILEM Technical Committee 249-ISC. Addressing the effective application of new recommendations for non-destructive in situ strength assessment of concrete, it provides information about the different steps of the investigation and processing of test results, until the delivery of strength estimates, and includes tables giving the minimum required number of cores in a variety of situations as well as several examples of how the recommendations can be used in practice. The book explores a topic which is of major importance, i.e. the assessment of concrete compressive strength in existing structures. This property (both mean and standard deviation) is a key input in many cases, such as the reinforcement of structures, the safety checking, the extension of service life. As the new RILEM recommendations imply a deep revision (and improvement) of field practice, the book is intended for managers of structures, structural engineers and specialists of NDT that have to answer these issues. More widely, it will benefit engineers and students who are interested in NDT and in the safety analysis of structures.