Construction Materials Manual

Until now, the few existing systematic texts on construction materials have primarily been directed at building engineers. An overview for architects, which also considers the importance of construction materials in the sensory perception of architecture—including tactile qualities, smell, color, and surface structure—has not been available. With the publication of the Construction Materials Manual, all that has changed. As a basic work aimed equally at the questions and perspectives of architects and building engineers, it will bring together all of the above-mentioned viewpoints. It addresses fundamental questions of sustainability, including life-span, environmental impact, and material cycles, while also presenting material innovations. All of the principal conventional and innovative construction materials are comprehensively documented, with attention to their production, manufacture, fabrication, treatment, surfaces, connections, and characteristics. International examples help to illustrate their use in architecture, where a building’s appearance is often defined by a single material. Thus, the Construction Materials Manual will support the daily work of architects and engineers in the choice of construction materials in a comprehensive and at the same time vivid and stimulating manner.