Subsurface Conditions

"Not everything can be overcome by good design, but many difficult sites have been successfully dealt with, permitting construction in daunting circumstances."
—from the monograph

Conventional wisdom aside, architecture is more than the structures that greet the eye. Subsurface Conditions serves as a primer for architects on the principles of geotechnical engineering science and the effects of subsurface conditions on building design and construction.

Order Form

Features

• Soil types (including terminology and characteristics), special problems with ground materials and their effect on foundation systems, and site development are described throughout.
• The monograph also explores functions ordinarily provided by other professionals including geotechnical specialists and civil and structural engineers.
• A basic premise of the monograph: A general understanding of typical surface and near-surface materials, as well as the methods to gather the necessary information about them, is needed in order to accurately judge the scope and completeness of a project.

Author
James Ambrose is a Los Angeles-based consulting architect, structural engineer, and author who also wrote the Seismic Mitigation monograph. He recently retired as professor of architecture from the University of Southern California.

Contributors
Dov Kaminetzky is president of Feld Kaminetzky Cohen, a New York-based consulting engineer firm. Luther Boudra is a geotechnical engineer based in Birmingham, AL.

Continuing Education and Cost Information
$250 ($150 for current NCARB Record holders)

60 pages
10 PDUs and 10 AIA LUs (in health, safety, and welfare)