The 1932 first edition of Architectural Graphic Standards contained 233 pages; the tenth, published in 2000, is 1,100 pages. Yet even with this expansion, numerous pages were selected out over the decades to make space in each new edition for new standards. This collection makes available a selection of those cast out pages, chosen for their relevance to the restoration and maintenance of existing buildings, and for their particularly compelling visual presentation of classic architectural data and standards. The selection is also useful in showing, in side-by-side pages, the evolution over 70 years of specific design and practice details pertaining to particular topics. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
This book offers a wealth of valuable, hard-to-find technical information on mid-twentieth-century building materials and systems, all carefully selected from the Fourth (1951) through Seventh (1981) editions of Ramsey/Sleeper's acclaimed Architectural Graphic Standards. A key reference for architects, builders, and educators whose work involves building maintenance and restoration, it brings back into print hundreds of pages that no longer appear in the current edition of Architectural Graphic Standards but which have real value and relevance for today's architectural practice.
Chapters include data and details for residential design, sitework and landscaping, stairs, fireplaces, energy-related issues such as sun shading and solar control, and more. Of particular interest is the information-on topics such as stonework and terra cotta, plank and beam framing, roofing systems, mill construction, and pneumatic tube conveyors-concerning systems and techniques no longer used in contemporary design but still found in buildings subject to remodeling and adaptive reuse.
Throughout, the book is made easy to use with the help of useful guidance on the interpretation of the older pages and annotations placing the material in a CSI MasterFormat(TM) context.
Filled with well-presented visual examples that offer important practical insights into the evolution of twentieth-century design and practice, this unique volume is an important working tool and a valuable addition to every architectural library.
