Basics (englisch)

This volume describes the various tasks that fall to architects in construction supervision in practical and understandable terms. It addresses construction supervision and quality control in general as well as individual subjects such as quantity survey, account settlement, and cost and supplemental services management.

Buildings are not conceived solely with average people in mind; they offer a protective shell for everyone. Basics Barrier-free Planning improves our understanding of the needs of people with disabilities such as limited mobility or impaired vision, children, and the elderly, all of whom have special requirements when using a building. The book presents possibilities for designing buildings and their spaces so they can be used by everyone.

Basics Urban Analysis is a new addition to the module on city planning. Building on the elements of cities as described in the volume Basics Urban Building Blocks, it provides techniques for analyzing cities. As a basis for city planning and architectural design work, a solid understanding of the existing and surrounding urban structures is indispensable. This volume not only explains the possible approaches; it also describes in practical terms how to implement those approaches in the areas analyzed and how to evaluate the data one has collected.

In a world of tight time frames and highly interdependent processes, scheduling is an indispensable prerequisite for successful project implementation. It is the duty of the architect to manage all the project participants in a goal-oriented manner and to call for their results when the time is right. For this reason, a systematic schedule of target dates, adapted to a project’s sequences and workflows, is a necessary tool for the day-to-day management and monitoring of complex construction projects.

Topics:

• Organizing the planning and construction process
• The basics of scheduling
• Goal-oriented presentation formats and levels of detail
• Developing a schedule
• Using schedules in the real world

The integration of building services is an important aspect of architectural planning. The conceptual design of supply systems and cycles within the building demands a solid grasp of the relationships that underpin the supply and disposal of the element water.
The focus here is on relations among the individual elements of the cycle, from the supply of drinking water, consumers inside the building, and the disposal of wastewater to the rehabilitation of wastewater. The subject of water conservation is present throughout as an overarching framework.

Topics:

• Requirements for drinking water
• Supply connections and distribution networks in the building
• Wastewater disposal and use
• Dealing with rainwater
• Resource-friendly approaches

Glass construction is one of the most varied and innovative areas of structural design. Glass connects exterior and interior spaces; at the same time, it protects the interior space from the outside world. Its constructional possibilities go far beyond classical window constructions. Special glasses possess astonishing physical characteristics and can thus be used in varied and creative ways.

Topics:

• Glass as building material
• Processing and finishing
• Applications
• Construction types
• Connections / Mountings

Architecture does not consist of two-dimensional drawings – it is built space. The volume Basics Spatial Design focuses on what underlies the perception and design of space and helps to create a deep understanding of the conscious design of three-dimensional relationships. It presents possibilities for spatial design clearly and in a manner that is easily adaptable for one’s own work.

Topics:

• What is space?
• How do I perceive space?
• Design parameters – elements of space
• Repertoire – using the tools

Architectural photography is an important tool for studying built architecture and documenting students own projects.
Basics Architectural Photography provides a practically based explanation of the key technical aspects of photography, image analysis and photo editing, and includes helpful tips on how to take and process photographs.

Topics:

• Photographic concepts (focal length, image circle, angle of view, depth of focus, exposure time, contrast range, etc.)
• Equipment (camera, lens, tripod, light meter, etc.)
• Photographing architecture (perspectives, architectural models, etc.)
• Stylistic devices in architectural photography
• Exterior shots
• Interior shots
• Image editing, scanning, image correction

The comfort of interior rooms depends on temperature, humidity, and an adequate supply of fresh air. Depending on use and climatic conditions, technical systems of varying complexity are required to achieve it.
Basics Room Conditioning provides a basic understanding of these relationships and uses diagrams to explain the different possible levels of space conditioning – from simple principles of housing construction to totally air-conditioned systems that are fully independent of outside air.

Water is a special design element in open space planning and one that lends a decidedly distinguished touch. But it is not enough merely to insert water basins and fountains at the appropriate spots in architectural drawings. As early as the design stage the planner must begin to think about where the water is going to come from, where it is going to drain, and how it is going to be cleaned.

Unlike concrete or masonry, plants are a living building material that changes in the course of the seasons and the years. Their growth and varying appearance are factors that must be considered when designing and planning.
In addition, plants can also be employed to create different design levels. They can be used as sheathing (green facades, ground cover – lawns) and to generate spaces of various heights (hedges, shrubs, trees).

Topics:

• Basics of using plants
• Plant typologies
• Function and impact of spaces
• Site-specificity
• Design principles
• Planting plan and representation
• Execution

The main task of the classical architect is project planning, from basic evaluation to design all the way to execution planning, the call for bids, construction management, and completion of the building. This volume explains the individual planning steps in context, presents the networking of the various specialists involved in the project, and offers a clear and practical description of the various levels of organization.
Themes are - Planning steps from basic evaluation to handing over the keys, - Project participants (including the authorities, specialized planners, construction firms, etc.), - Organizing the plan (sequence, what’s needed when?, work organization, documentation), - Coordination of the participants.

Facade apertures represent the realm of the exterior wall or facade, which establishes the connection between inside and out and makes it possible to illuminate and ventilate the spaces behind it. This volume deals with the various forms of openings, such as doors, windows, ventilation elements, and fixed glass panes, and their materialization, which also varies according to function; special attention is given to the subject of edges.

Themes:

• Types and positions of openings
• Technical requirements
• Construction types
• Connections/edges

Our cities and neighborhoods are composed of urban building blocks and a knowledge of these elementary components is part of the basic equipment of city planning. It is absolutely essential for urban design that one understands their form and structure, their functional conditions, and the differentiation into private and public spheres, as well as the ways they are networked into their surroundings. Study of these city building blocks represents a first step toward understanding, and successfully developing the built structure of the city as a physical and social habitat.
Themes are - the row, - the block, - the courtyard (the block in reverse), - the passageway, - the line, - the solitaire, - the group, - the "shed".

Design Ideas offers students a variety of different ways to go about finding a design solution. In addition to suggesting fundamental ways to get the creative process moving and develop a design approach, it also proposes various sources of inspiration for design ideas. It focuses on the three elements of place, form, and function, which can sometimes constitute immediate springboards for concrete designs. These elements must eventually be incorporated as the design process.
Subjects: Creativity in the design process; Sources of inspiration and design approaches; Working with place; Working with form; Working with function.

Tendering constitutes the transition from the drawing and planning stage to the construction phase. In addition to its economic and contractual dimension, it is also an essential tool for translating design quality into built quality. This volume presents various ways to put construction works out to tender. In addition, it explains in practical terms how to describe construction work and how to prepare all of the documentation required for a complete invitation to tender.
Subjects: Allocating construction work; Different ways to specify construction work; The structure of a work specification; Quantity determination; Using invitations to tender to realize plan quality.

Computer aided design (CAD) is the rendering of architectural drawings using the computer, which today plays a central role in almost all architectural firms. This volume explains the principles and fundamentals of CAD and provides the student with a simple and easily understandable path to using the computer as a tool and medium.
Subjects: The architectural design in dialogue with the computer; An introduction to working with software and hardware; Practical, user-oriented explanations of CAD functions; Digital visualization; Interfaces and data processing.

Loadbearing systems are the basis of any structure. In order to provide architecture students with an easily understandable introduction to the field of supporting structures, this volume begins with the fundamentals of loads and forces and then moves on to building components and finally to loadbearing systems, together with their characteristic attributes.
Subjects: Loads; Forces; Structural building components; Supporting structures and systems; Presizing.

Site management is an important and interesting field of activity for architects. This volume describes the various tasks that fall to architects in construction supervision in practical and understandable terms. It addresses construction supervision and quality control in general as well as individual subjects such as quantity survey, account settlement, and cost and supplemental services management.
Subjects: General construction supervision, Quality assurance, Progress and cost management, Acceptance and delivery, Quantity survey und account settlement.

Together with masonry construction, timber construction is usually one of the first building exercises encountered by the student in his or her training. This volume begins by presenting the building material timber in all of its facets and explaining the fundamental principles of timber construction. It then goes on to describe the most important building components and their constructive possibilities, specifically as they pertain to building with timber.
Subjects: Timber as building material, Timber preservation, Systems for building with timber, Building components from foundation to roof.

The Materiality of buildings and constructions is an important aspect of architectural design. The approach to and use of materials is a fundamental building block of architectural training.

Themes:

• Subjective effect of materials
• Haptic influences
• Use of materials
• Creative use of classical construction materials

Roof structures are often treated in connection with masonry construction in the student’s first designs. What are the different ways to create a protective canopy for a building, and what are the different forms such a structure may take?

Themes:

• Types and function of roofs
• Frames
• Construction principles
• Coverings
• Building physics of roof construction

Residential Buildings are normally the first design projects encountered by the student in his or her training. The focus at this point is on the different conceptual possibilities that allow one to take the first step toward an actual idea.

Themes:

• Concepts and kinds of cohabitation and dwelling
• Residential functions
• The creation of living space
• Design in housing construction

Masonry construction is usually the first building exercise the student encounters in his or her training. This volume elaborates the fundamental principles of scale, construction, and assembly of building components using simple masonry structures as examples.

Themes:

• Materials and measurements
• Building physics and load-bearing structures
• Typical bonds
• Building components
• Execution of masonry structures