Our bodily needs, says the author quite rightly, haven't changed
very much since man first appeared on Earth. We need shelter, we
sleep lying down, and we like to be near each other. To that
extent, there's not much difference between an African mud hut, the
Rover's Return and the Sydney Opera House. In the first of two
superb books, Salvadori writes so knowledgeably, expressing his
sheer delight, about bridges, loads, stress, weather and a host of
other topics, that the general reader is totally captivated by what
he may have expected to be a fairly dusty subject. There are good
jokes, wise observations and, best of all, beautifully drawn
illustrations on just about every page. Fundamental principles such
as the arch and the cantilever are explained with such clarity and
sly wit that they could have been written by Sydney Smith or Woody
Allen. This is chiefly because architect Salvadori's approach is
aesthetic rather than technical. Although he understands the
technology involved from soup to nuts, his love of great and
enduring buildings such as the Pyramids, the Eiffel Tower and the
Brooklyn Bridge shines out in these exemplary studies of
constructions that still stand as testaments to the genius of their
builders. One reservation: in his chapter on the great cathedrals,
Salvadori devotes too much space to the one at Beauvais (it's
probably the one he knew best) at the expense of other important
buildings at Albi or Ely, for example, which is a pity because one
would have valued his insights on those. This book is enthralling,
as is its companion volume Why Buildings Fall Down. There's no
question of having one of them: you need them both, and the way you
look at buildings will never be the same again. (Kirkus UK)
Between a nomad's tent and the Sears Tower lies a revolution in
technology, materials, and structures. Here is a clear and
enthusiastic introduction to buildings methods from ancient times
to the present day, including recent advances in science and
technology that have had important effects on the planning and
construction of buildings: improved materials (steel, concrete,
plastics), progress in antiseismic designs, and the revolutionary
changes in both architectural and structural design made possible
by the computer.
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