Identifying non-traditional houses in the UK 1918-75
BRE (Building Research Establishment) is an independent, research-based consultancy, testing and training organisation, operating in the built environment and associated industries.
Non-traditional houses: Identifying non-traditional houses in the UK 1918-75 - DIGITAL EDITION (AP 294) was written by Harry Harrison, Stephen Mullin, Barry Reeves and Alan Stevens and was published by BRE on 14 December 2012.
AP 294 was first published in 2004. The 2012 edition introduced a fully-searchable pdf format on CD ROM, giving housing professionals, building surveyors, engineers and architects access to a 1000-page reference library detailing 450 non-traditional house types.
House types are classified in AP 294 as:
- Metal framed.
- Precast concrete.
- In-situ concrete.
- Timber framed.
The comprehensive and highly-illustrated resource, brings together a wealth of information and advice from the leading experts. Each house type is accompanied by an isometric drawing giving a clear explanation of construction details. Additional notes are provided for surveyors for those housing systems investigated by BRE, and more detailed information is given for some house types in structural condition reports available at http://www.brebookshop.com/details.jsp?id=327968
Extensive background information is included on the CD ROM, as well as a search tool that identifies houses by; type, local authority area, construction class, and identifying characteristics. It also includes six government reports on prefabrication and system building from the Burt Committee in the 1940s, the Moir Committee in 1920, corrosion of steel in steel houses (1951), and prefabrication (1965).
The contents include:
- Foreword.
- The Editors.
- Preface.
- Introduction.
- Acronyms.
- How to use this book.
- Designated defective houses.
- References.
- Further reading.
- List of house types.
- Appendices.
The CD ROM includes:
- Non-traditional houses: Identifying non-traditional houses in the UK 1918-75 (digital edition).
- Search engine.
- BRE and government reports (pdf files).
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