"If you're looking for a complicated book that will teach you how to build circular, curved, bracket type or any other type of stairway that would require complicated mathematical formulas, this isn't the book, for you. Simple and easy, not complicated and difficult. Building stairs isn't as difficult as some construction experts make it out to be. Don't fall into the old trap that you can't do it, impress your spouse, friends, neighbors and in-laws...

"In an increasingly demanding construction industry where time is of the essence, the need to plan accurately and concisely is becoming more important. Twenty years ago, large companies pioneered the use of computer software that helped planners and project managers schedule construction projects in half the time. Today, project management software is common place, more sophisticated yet user friendly and used by many disciplines. However, the knowledge...

Hempcrete is a building material with excellent properties. It's made from lime and hemp shivs (a waste product from hemp fiber growing); it can be used for walls, floors, and for roof insulation; it's breathable, absorbing and emitting moisture to regulate internal humidity and avoid trapped moisture and mold growth; it provides excellent acoustic and thermal insulation and thermal mass; it's lightweight and reduces construction costs; and it's environmentally...

One of the greatest adventures in the future of humanity will be to construct, work, and live in space based structures. In this book we look at the history of ideas for living in space, proposed space colony designs, and technology. The details of current life support technology on the International Space Station is reviewed, and what technologies will be required for development of large scale space colonies. What other things in terms of financing...

Filmed in the spring of 2011 at the 4th Columbia conference on materials in architecture and engineering. Plastics have become the most ubiquitous and increasingly permanent materials in construction. The material capabilities of plastics both as a generic material nomenclature and as specific polymers and the processes that underlie them suggest a potential to reshape design and the roles of architects and engineers in construction. While plastics...

"Imagine a house built and tailored to your every need and personal taste. Hugh Howard dreamed of such a house, and when he and his wife, Betsy, learn that they're expecting their second child, he seizes the opportunity to build a home for their growing family. Fifteen months later and just in time for the winter holidays, Howard, exhausted and wildly over his budget, completes their home-a fine 2,500-square-foot Federal-style house. And each piece...

"The author has simplified the process and will even reveal a few" treasured secrets," tile setting professionals have gone to great lengths to protect over the years. We Will Teach You How to Select the Right Tile. How to Lay out One Bedroom or the Entire House.How to Mix the Thin Set Properly.How to Start Your First Row of Tile and Where to Start It.How to Install the Tile Effectively.How to Avoid Working Yourself into a Corner.How to Eliminate...

Learn what a nest is and the various types that are used or built by animals. Large photographs are used to show the different animals that dwell in nests like bald eagles, storks, termites, masked weavers, alligators and more.

In this dramatic first-person narrative, Greg Mortenson picks up where "Three Cups of Tea" left off in 2003, recounting his relentless, ongoing efforts to establish schools for girls in Afghanistan; his extensive work in Azad Kashmir and Pakistan after a massive earthquake hit the region in 2005; and the unique ways he has built relationships with Islamic clerics, militia commanders, and tribal leaders even as he was dodging shootouts with feuding...

Filmed in September/October 2009 at the third Columbia Conference on architecture, engineering and materials. Few concepts are as central in structural engineering as the ability of a material to sustain plastic deformation under tensile stress. The standardization of historically known deformation limits or ductile properties in most materials allows architects and engineers to keep the analysis of structure within known parameters of finite element...