2016-05-18 16.31.14Online Reading Room

You have access to a variety of field-related magazines online. Click on the links below to read some of those:

Building Design + Construction

BDC Network

Link: Archive

Building Energy

Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA)

Link: Archive

Construction Executive

CE

Link: Archive

Summer Reading List

We know, during the semester, you have to read about buildings and construction. But what if during the summer (or any other time off) you want to read something interesting and inspiring. There are so many great books out there about this topic and the list below can serve you as a starting point.

These are not textbooks but rather lighter and/or simply interesting reads that we think might be of interest to you.

Careers, Business

  • Construction Management JumpStart: The Best First Step Toward a Career in Construction Management by Jackson. John Wiley & Sons
  • Getting to Yes by Fisher, Ury, Patton

Building History

  • Brunelleschi’s Dome by King. Bloomsbury – Fascinating story about the construction of the largest masonry dome of its time.
  • House by Kidder. Mariner Books – A story not just about house construction but also about doing so in this valley.
  • The Construction of Gothic Cathedrals by Fitchen. University of Chicago Press – Geometry and construction of those amazing vaults is described here in detail.
  • Walden by Thoreau. – You most probably already read this one in school. It’s in here for the local relevance and the fact that a cabin cost mere dollars then.
  • Why Buildings Fall Down by Levy, Salvadori, Woest. Norton, W. W. & Company, Inc –  A very educative collection of building failures.
  • Why Buildings Stand Up by Salvadori. Norton, W. W. & Company, Inc – Stories about structures and what historically made people build.

Graphics, 3D, Digital Fabrication

  • Architectural Design with SketchUp: 3D Modeling, Extensions, BIM, Rendering, Making, and Scripting by Schreyer.  John Wiley & Sons – Need to hone your 3D-modeling skills? Interested in 3D printing? This book by a BCT faculty will help.
  • Architectural Graphics by Ching. John Wiley & Sons – If you would like to hone your hand-sketching skills.
  • Makers: The New Industrial Revolution by Anderson. Crown Business – Now that we can easily use 3D printing, CNC and other techniques, how does that change the world of making?

Building with Wood

  • Identifying Wood: Accurate results with simple tools by Hoadley. Taunton Press – Wood ID is a great skill to have and this book by a BCT professor emeritus will teach you.
  • Solid Wood: Case Studies in Mass Timber Architecture, Technology and Design by Mayo. Routledge – Great examples of contemporary wood architecture.
  • The Complete Japanese Joinery. Hartley and Marks Publishers – Need a complex woodworking project? Try some of these joints.
  • Understanding Wood: A Craftsman’s Guide to Wood Technology by Hoadley. Taunton Press – A must-read for any woodworker, written by a BCT professor emeritus.

Energy, Building Science & Sustainability

  • Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things by Braungart, McDonough. North Point Press
  • Design for Ecological Democracy by Hester. MIT Press
  • Design-Tech: Building Science for Architects by Alread, Leslie, Whitehead. Routledge
  • Net Zero Energy Design: A Guide for Commercial Architecture by Hootman. John Wiley & Sons
  • Stewardship of the Built Environment: Sustainability, Preservation and Reuse by Young. Island Press
  • Sustainable Facades: Design Methods for High-Performance Building Envelopes by Aksamija. John Wiley & Sons – Written by a BCT adjunct faculty member.

(Did we forget a book? This list is a work in progress, so let us know)