Masonry construction is usually the first building exercise the student encounters in his or her training. This volume elaborates the fundamental principles of scale, construction, and assembly of building components using simple masonry structures as examples. Topics: materials and measurements building physics and load-bearing structures typical bonds building components execution of masonry structures The present volume aims to introduce students systematically to the subject of masonry. Bricks and mortar, the elemental basic components, are used to devise rules for building a wall. The emphasis is on the overall systems and material-dependent properties. The interplay of bricks, the forms of masonry bonds, and the aesthetic of masonry with wall apertures, projections and recesses are explained soundly and methodically so that students can understand the essence of masonry and apply their insights directly to their designs and projects.

Each type of construction has its special characteristics which cannot be compared with those of other building materials. The first building construction designs in the architectural curriculum are planned as masonry or timber buildings. On the basis of these two traditional and elementary building materials, students familiarize themselves with construction details and structural principles, which are also the basis of construction with "modern" materials such as steel, concrete and glass. Basics Building Construction is clearly structured and focused, and explains the characteristics of these important construction materials. The book familiarizes the reader with the most common construction systems, their rules and applications, and enables architectural students to contemplate creative solutions that may also be outside the standardized solutions offered by the construction industry. This compendium combines the successful individual volumes Timber Construction, Masonry Construction and Glass Construction of the BASICS series in one book, which has been expanded by the two new, hitherto unpublished, Steel Construction and Concrete Construction volumes.