Principles & Practices of Commercial Construction - Hardcover

Andres, Cameron K.; Smith, Ronald C.

9780130261625: Principles & Practices of Commercial Construction

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0130261629 ISBN 13: 9780130261625

Publisher: Prentice Hall, 2000

Covers the principles, methods, and materials used in commercial building construction. Uses English units with metric equivalents in parentheses. Includes illustrations to show new equipment and methods and examples in the area of heavy equipment. Previous edition not cited. DLC: Building.

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From the Inside Flap:

PREFACE

Commercial construction can be defined as the combined effort of designers, project managers, fabricators, and construction personnel to build large structures with the aid of heavy equipment. The whole process must be done within a predetermined length of time, by using the best possible combination of materials and construction methods, meeting all relevant building code and environmental concerns, and maintaining budget constraints.

From the above definition it becomes clear that the subject matter dealing with commercial construction includes a wide and varied range of topics. ;Each project must be thoroughly analyzed from beginning to end by the project management team. Each stage of the project, such as site evaluation and excavation, structural design, fabrication, and the actual construction must be broken down into manageable quantities since each area of the construction process has its own requirements. Based on the precedent set in the first five editions, the sixth edition of Principles and Practices of Commercial Construction concentrates on the practical aspects of the construction process, primarily the basic construction methods, equipment, and materials used in the instruction of a large structure. To provide additional insight into these areas, formulas, tables, and sample calculations are provided. Chapters dealing with topics in formwork, concrete, steel, and timber frames deal with material application, fabrication, and erection—all guided by applied engineering fundamentals.

Any text dealing with technical topics involving measurements must address the issue of units. With much of the world using metric measurement, more and more structures are being planned and designed using this method of measure. In the construction industry, the manipulation and understanding of units of measure is crucial. However, not all manufacturing processes are totally metric and products are still being manufactured in standard units of measure (also known as imperial or customary units). Added to this, many people are more comfortable using the customary units than the metric system of measure.

A prime objective in the writing of the sixth edition was to provide tables and charts in both standard and metric units. As an example, Chapter 6, which deals with the topic of concrete formwork, has updated formwork tables as well as worked examples in both sets of units. Chapter 3, which deals with heavy equipment production capacities, has tables and worked examples in both standard and metric units.

Since each system has its own idiosyncrasies, the approach taken in this sixth edition is to provide the standard units first and the equivalent metric unit in parentheses. This approach has been adopted in the dimensioning of material section sizes in the illustrations as well as in the text. In keeping with the practical aspects of the construction process, conversion from one set of units to another is based on typical construction applications. This is most noticeable in the chapters dealing with wood products, where sizes in standard units are based on nominal dimensions while sizes given in metric are based on actual dimensions.

Students enrolled in programs such as construction technology, architectural technology, and civil engineering technology at the college level as well as individuals in the construction trades will find the sixth edition of Principles and Practices of Commercial Construction a valuable source of practical information when learning about construction topics. To further enhance the learning process, where possible, photographs and detail drawings have been provided to help illustrate the concepts being discussed. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The writing and publishing of any text requires the combined talents of many people. In a text dealing with broad subject matter such as commercial construction, material is drawn from many sources as well as from personal experience. Industry-related organizations are always most gracious in providing information on current practices, facts, and figures. In dealing with the revisions for the sixth edition of Principles and Practices o f Commercial Construction, I wish to thank the professionals at the American Concrete Institute, the American Institute of Steel Construction, and the Canadian Institute of Steel Construction for their invaluable contributions. As in past editions, their willingness to contribute tables and details for the sixth edition has allowed the author to provide relevant and current material for the reader.

At this time, I wish to thank the editors and production staff at Prentice Hall. Their dedication, foresight, expertise, and guidance over the years has been a source of inspiration to the authors. Last but not least, I wish to thank the reviewers who have given their valuable time in reviewing the manuscript: David L. Barie, East Carolina University; Constantine A. Ciesielski, East Carolina University; Burl George, Bradley University, and Chris Ray, Purdue University. Their comments and suggestions have been relevant, thought provoking, and constructive.

Cameron K. Andres, P. Eng.
Calgary, Alberta
Canada

From the Back Cover:

Some of the features and benefits of this new edition include: * Illustrations have been updated to show new equipment and methods.
* A.C.I. formwork tables have been updated.
* New examples have been added in the heavy equipment area.

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