Why Buildings Fall Down: How Structures Fail

"WBFD" explains engineering with clarity, architectural philosophy with simplicity, and structural events with a sharp, incisive wit. Line drawings are frequent and presented in situ with text. This does not rise to the technical level of a textbook, but the divisions between chapters are a little disorienting for a popular book and occasionally seem arbitrary. For example, the authors discuss the Tacoma Narrows suspension bridge failure in one chapter, then cover another suspension bridge failure alongside airplane failures in a subsequent chapter. Of course technically this is a sensible layout- one chapter is on torsion failures and the other covers metal fatigue- but it also makes for a jumpy narrative between seemingly dissimilar objects.Jumpiness aside, this is a fantastic piece of nonfiction. The "court transcripts" included are comically real- I have heard similar things from other expert witnesses with degrees from European institutions older than the USA being "called out" on the witness stand for having the temerity to lack an American doctorate.

This is one of the best books I've read on the engineering behind structural failures. The authors teach by example, exploring fallen apartment buildings, stadiums, bridges and other structure, and using each to illustrate an important engineering principle. The illustrations are also an invaluable aid to understanding the problems in each structure (particularly for readers who, like me, may find it difficult to follow verbiage on the orientation of strutts, the direction of braces, etc.).I only had two gripes: a glossary provided the only introduction to many basic concepts; and political/historical/personal context would have made for a livelier account. The glossary was a very helpful resource for understanding basic things like, what "load" is, and how it effects structures. It might have been better to also work those descriptions into the text as the concepts arose - this would have made it easier for me to assimilate them. Also, I enjoyed it when the authors gave context for many of the engineering decisions made - for instance, that a stadium rooftop was designed, in part, because flaws in the city sewer system prevented the efficient disposition of significant rainfall. However, more of this kind of context - particularly historical and personal facts that had bearing on design decisions - would have made each example into a better story, and improved the reading experience for me.Overall, a highly recommended book.

Quick review: two architectural engineers write about building failures. Why? Because on their aunts' response to their earlier work about why building stand up was that this would make for a much more interesting book.She was right.

I am not an architect or engineer, but I found this book really fascinating. The authors explain things so that those not in the field could understand, but sometimes get too technical. The illustrations were great, but there should have been more, and some color photos would have been nice.One thing the authors did not point out, is that hindsight is 20/20. It is almost as though they believe they would never make any errors like those they describe (though some designs they discuss really do sound irresponsible), that buildings they designed would stand forever regardless of environmental factors like earthquakes, floods, etc.

This was a required book for a Construction degree. It gave a lot of insight to structure of buildings, things to remember and consider.

The companion to this book (Why Buildings Stand Up) was a textbook for one of my classes when I was in architecture school in the 80s. I still have my old, dog-eared copy on my bookshelf in my office. I purchased this book, along with a new edition of Why Buildings Stand Up, to give to an 11-year-old (super intelligent) friend who would like to be an architect. I was worried that it might be too complex for him, but his mom assured me that it would not be.

Arrived fast. Exactly as pictured

This companion volume to Why Buildings Stand Up is enlightening - the cause of a building's failure is not always a simple one. With the country's infrastructure suffering, particularly bridges, the information in this book may make you nervous. Unfortunately, it was published before 9/11/2001, so there is only a slight reference to the World Trade Center in both books.

Like my review of the other book, Why Buildings Stand Up, this was a very interesting, informative, and engaging read. It was recommended by one of my Civil Engineering lecturers, and was not disappointed. If anyone's sick of Engineering books sucking the fun out of the subject, I strongly suggest you give reading this book a try.

Good balance of practical information and story telling.

one of my favourite books I often buy it for friends, explains common complex issues and their consequences simply - a must for the aspiring engineer

I was struck by the title of this book.I bought it for my son as one of his Christmas presents. He was pleased to receive it.

read it twice