The Building Systems Integration Handbook

The Building Systems Integration Handbook by American Institute of Architects. hardcover edition. ISBN: 9780471862383.

Design is frequently a team effort with different professionals or consultants contributing their expertise to portions of design. But you may have the total design responsibility for a building. The Building Systems Integration Handbook will help you get a solid handle on all the systems involved, so you have enough knowledge to make the appropriate decisions and coordinate your outside consultants. It is the only book that discusses the full range of design considerations and decisions involved in building design. It takes a building apart, piece by piece, to give you a detailed look at the 2-, 3- and 4-system combinations and the five levels - 11 possible combinations in all - of integration for systems and building components. Readers will find: practical advice from top professionals and a solid framework to help you evaluate the appropriate degree of integration at any design stage; detailed descriptions of designs and performance criteria, forces and physical options; elaborate drawings and photos, keyed to various combinations of systems, augmented by indepth background information; and details on current methods and materials to help you integrate the buildings on which you work. In addition, because this is the only book that actually gives you definitions of integration, it helps you recognize opportunities for integrated design in all building systems, whether they are already systematized or not. That means any size or any type of building, regardless of the materials used.