The nature of concrete is rapidly changing, and with it, there are rising concerns. Thoroughly revised and updated, this fourth edition of Concrete Mix Design, Quality Control and Specification addresses current industry practices that provide inadequate durability and fail to eliminate problems with underperforming new concrete and defective testing. Many specifications now require additional criteria in an attempt to improve durability or other properties. This book discusses the trend towards adding performance requirements to existing prescriptive specifications. It also explores the matter of prescription versus performance specification and especially the specification of non-strength-related performance such as durability. What's new in the Fourth Edition: Examines water-to-cement ratio as a declining criterion of quality and durability Discusses the diminishing availability of suitable natural sands and growing industry concerns regarding the environmental impact of their use Considers advances in concrete admixtures and their ever-increasing use Advocates reliability of testing as a vital feature of the shift from prescriptive to performance specifications Addresses cement replacement materials as they relate to greenhouse gas and sustainability Concrete Mix Design, Quality Control and Specification explores producing, designing, controlling, or specifying concrete, and addresses issues related with sustainability and the impact of new concrete materials such as ready mixed geopolymers, magnesium oxide, and calcium carbonate. The text is an ideal resource for concrete technologists, producers and specifiers, and contractors on large projects

Created in collaboration with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, this exquisite book explores one majestic oak tree in the forest, from roots to canopy.... with a huge fold-out surprise at the end.

Under the Starlit Sky takes readers to the heart of the Bialowieza forest in Poland and Belarus, where owls hoot, wolves howl, fireflies glow and dormice scurry. With artwork as rich and dense as the forest itself, there is much to explore at every level, and readers can scour the forest floor, understory and canopy for the world's most secretive woodland creatures. Finally reaching the top of the tree, they are rewarded with the most magical sight - the final page of the book folds out to reveal a huge illustration of the oak tree and its many animal inhabitants, perfect for spreading out on the floor and poring over for hours.

WINNER OF THE WAINWRIGHT PRIZE FOR NATURE WRITING 2022 ‘A beautiful inspirational tale set in an extraordinary time.’ Ray Mears ‘Wonderful … they don’t come much more expert than James Aldred’ Lauren Laverne   What happens to nature when we are no longer there?   In early 2020, wildlife cameraman James Aldred was commissioned to film the lives of a family of goshawks in the New Forest. Then lockdown. No more cars, no more aeroplanes, no one in the woods – except James – in a place empty of people but filled with birdsong and new life. In these silver nights and golden days, there were tumbling fox cubs, calling curlew and, of course, the soaring goshawks – shining like fire through one of our darkest times. A goshawk summer unlike any other; an extraordinary season in the forest. ‘Magical and transporting… a beautiful and deeply evocative hymn to love, hope and connection.’ HELEN MACDONALD, author of H is for Hawk   ‘[An] entrancing, acutely observed, beautifully paced diary of the secretive raptor’s breeding season… Fascinating.’ BBC Wildlife

A charming bedtime treasury filled with teddy bear tales from Jane Hissey's BAFTA award-winning Old Bear and Friends series!

This beautifully illustrated, intricate compendium of bedtime tales features a collection of short stories, rhymes and poems from the beloved author-illustrator, Jane Hissey. Join Old Bear and friends in a variety of charming and enchanting adventures, from winter picnics to theatrical performances of The Three Little Bears.

Perfect for bedtime reading and Christmas gifting, nostalgia and heartfelt humor beam from each page in this brand new hardback edition, featuring a beautifully foiled gold cover. Intricate, photo-realistic artwork combines with funny, reassuring text, making this a timeless teddy bear treasury you can cuddle up to for years to come.

The nature of concrete is rapidly changing, and with it, there are rising concerns. Thoroughly revised and updated, this fourth edition of Concrete Mix Design, Quality Control and Specification addresses current industry practices that provide inadequate durability and fail to eliminate problems with underperforming new concrete and defective testing. Many specifications now require additional criteria in an attempt to improve durability or other properties. This book discusses the trend towards adding performance requirements to existing prescriptive specifications. It also explores the matter of prescription versus performance specification and especially the specification of non-strength-related performance such as durability. What's new in the Fourth Edition: Examines water-to-cement ratio as a declining criterion of quality and durability Discusses the diminishing availability of suitable natural sands and growing industry concerns regarding the environmental impact of their use Considers advances in concrete admixtures and their ever-increasing use Advocates reliability of testing as a vital feature of the shift from prescriptive to performance specifications Addresses cement replacement materials as they relate to greenhouse gas and sustainability Concrete Mix Design, Quality Control and Specification explores producing, designing, controlling, or specifying concrete, and addresses issues related with sustainability and the impact of new concrete materials such as ready mixed geopolymers, magnesium oxide, and calcium carbonate. The text is an ideal resource for concrete technologists, producers and specifiers, and contractors on large projects

'A book of heart-stopping bravery and endurance' -- Helen Macdonald 'A great read - incredible adventures and a dramatic new perspective' -- Chris Packham '[A] delightful, endlessly fascinating book' -- Daily Mail BOOK OF THE WEEK This is the story of a professional British tree climber, cameraman and adventurer, who has made a career out of travelling the world, filming wildlife for the BBC and climbing trees with people like David Attenborough, Chris Packham and Helen Macdonald. James's climbs take him to breathtaking locations as he scales the most incredible and majestic trees on the planet. On the way he meets native tribes, gets attacked by African bees, climbs alongside gorillas, chased by elephants, and spends his nights in a hammock pitched high in the branches with only the stars above him. This book blends incredible stories of scrapes and bruises in the branches with a new way of looking at life high above the daily grind, up into the canopy of the forest.