Graphic Guide to Interior Details [antikvár]

EAr' tf 1.1',! ' ¦ ' INTRODUCTION he best buildings, whether affordable or expensive, are made by people with a profound understanding of the materials used to make them. In the past, this understanding was common because the people who designed buildings were also intimately involved in constructing them. Today, the process of making buildings has been fragmented by specialization that separates material producers, designers and builders from one another. As a result, most buildings are constructed without an understanding of the materials or details that are used to make them. Even in this specialized industrial society, however, it is possible to make beautiful high-quality buildings if design and construction are integrated so that they reinforce each other. Building materials are the common language that ties together the disciplines of design and construction. These materials, which ultimately form the substance of a building, must be thoughtfully selected and composed (detailed) if the building is to have authentic quality and character. When designing the interior of a building, it is important to consider a variety of materials for the floors, walls, ceilings, cabinets, stairways and trim. Materials must be judged by how they are connected to the structure of the building, how they meet one another and how they may be finished. In addition, the comparative cost, durability, ease of maintenance and many other factors may need to be considered. Whether the primary goal is efficiency or elegance, detailing the interior of a building requires a multitude of complex, interdependent decisions about materials. Graphic Guide to Interior Details compares the spectrum of available materials sufficiently to allow intelligent preliminary choices based on an understanding of the nature of the materials and the various ways of assembling them. Details showing connection to the structure and meeting of other materials are portrayed graphically. Whether the primary concern is durability, affordability or aesthetics, this book leads the reader to the most appropriate materials and details, narrowing the field so that further in-depth inquiry will be informed and meaningful. The book is written from a designer's point of view in that it does not describe the construction process so much as the characteristics of the materials and their relationship to the structure and to each other. The term "designer" is used in its broadest sense to include everyone who selects materials and has a say in how they fit together. This book is intended, therefore, to be a reference and a resource for professional designers, builders, building owners and students. The Scope of the Book The materials and details discussed here are limited to those applied to the structural shell of a building in order to finish the interior spaces. Wall and ceiling paneling, finish flooring, cabinets, trim and stairways are the primary topics covered. Both residential and commercial construction are included because most interior finish materials are common to both types of construction, and many materials that have been traditionally used for one tjqje may be appropriately used for the other. The book's scope has been limited to new construction since the idiosyncrasies of remodeling tend to complicate detailing, and because it is a goal in most remodeling work to achieve conditions similar to new construction. Plumbing fittings, electrical fixtures and specialty hardware are not discussed since there is a wide variety of available choices, and the descriptions of these products are so technical that they cannot be fairly covered in a book of this length. A comprehensive discussion of paints and coatings has been excluded for similar reasons, but a brief overview is presented in Appendix A.