There will be a lot of time and energy put into developing your design work in future studios, so why waste time at the end phases of a project to try to figure out how buildings come together? Why not start off the top with a general understanding of how buildings work and allow that to easily integrate with your design - no matter how complex or fantastic it may be.
The following are a few books that help students with the aspects of a project that other programs tend to neglect - feasibility. Department of Architectural Science students can design projects that can be buildable and understand that designing things that are removed from feasibility is nothing more than hope. These books and resources are all available in the Ryerson Library and apparently may be circulating among some of the upper years. In either case you will benefit, one method means you get some physical activity while the other means you socialize with others.
Note that there is no real emphasis on Ching (he's so Fall 2014...). If Ching was the seminal author for 1st year 1st term, Ed Allen is pretty much for the rest of your undergraduate career. The only book that might be of value would be Building Construction Illustrated, but as you will read on (and possibly "find") you will realize that some of these resources are more robust.
WHY?: Architects work on a variety of projects and (despite what some faculty may believe) there is no way to know everything. Need to design an accessible washroom? This book outlines the various configurations and standards required to work with wheelchair access. Need to know a turning radius of a firetruck or a maximum ramp incline for underground parking? Again, this book will have the information. The newer student editions are good because they are electronic for quick searches but are thin as they try to cover everything. The OLDER editions of this book (anything hardcopy from 10th edition onwards dumbs things down) are better but because there's so much information, it would be recommended to get the book and spend a bit of time putting Post-It notes for key sections (*ahem*site plans, ramping/vehicular access, proper drawing convention, human proportioned spaces, etc.).
WILL YOU USE IT?: Yes - it is one of the few books that architects (of a certain generation) still turn to when in offices to make quick references. Though the book is not specific to jurisdictions, it gives enough to work with and not wait for responses from profs or contractors to make basic design decisions.
FUNDAMENTALS OF BUILDING CONSTRUCTION by Ed Allen
WHY: It will be incredibly useful (if you have not already referred to it in Jurij's class) to understand the various materials, methods, and approaches you would make your buildings. Unlike other programs that praise their students' abilities to make seductive imagery. Our students design buildings that are represented well and can be assembled. This is a good start.
WILL YOU USE IT?: Yes - it is a foundational textbook that students refer to as a primer for their basic studios (1st & 2nd year... and God forbid higher...), Structures I, Structures II, and Structures III. It can be dry but there are tons of images both paraline and construction photos.
THE ARCHITECT'S STUDIO COMPANION by Ed Allen (Again)
WHY?: Like Allen's Building Construction book, this book is a great guideline for students designing projects that really want to ensure that their buildings are somewhat realistic. Look at some of the weaker 1st year projects and beyond their pathetic designs, the lack of any adherence to fundamental notions of structure, services, life safety, and programmatic/spatial organization reinforces why they deserve such low grades. Like putting makeup on a corpse, this book would not have saved them. This book would have been critical to take projects with decent design intention and make them closer to feasible reality.
WILL YOU USE IT?: Certainly in 2nd year and DEFINITELY in 3rd year studios this book becomes a hot (read: stolen/pirated) item. It helps with other courses including those in the structures and building science curriculum. Questioning whether or not your beam is deep enough to run the huge span you have in your ceiling? The book has very easy charts to follow to determine rough sizing. Don't want to look stupid in front of a prof when he keeps on referring to fan coil units and all you think about are ceiling fans? There are simplified diagrams that explain how components of HVAC (such as fan coil units) work as both individual elements and parts of a system.
MODERN CONSTRUCTION HANDBOOK by Andrew Watts
WHY?: Though not as sleek as what you find in compendiums of DETAIL Magazine (highly, highly recommended but very expensive), this book liberates designers from feeling restricted by their skills, experience, or knowledge. Want to make a cool-looking form but don't know if it's possible, or worse still, your prof can't help you? This compendium offers great insights on precedents and breaks down (literally) how some buildings are made as well as the key principles so that you can make your design work as opposed to simply lifting others' hard work.
WILL YOU USE IT?: Not likely in 1st year but over the summer if you find that you want to get a head start on prepping for 2nd year (both studio and courses) as well as ensuring success and confidence going into (the far too over-hyped) 3rd year, this (as well as Detail Magazine) will really help you out. Even those in the graduate program and practice turn to this to validate that their work is feasible.
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