Chinese Explored Asia Long Before the Europeans: An Ancient World Map Tells All is the fruit of the author's research into the history of exploration prior to the European Age of Discovery. This book analyses thoroughly the Asian regions of an important ancient world map: Kunyu Wanguo Quantu (KWQ) (坤舆万国全图), translated as 'Complete Geographical Map of All the Kingdoms of the World'. The map was published in 1602 by Italian Jesuit priest Matteo Ricci in China. For over 400 years, the map has...

Giving you a combination of general principles, applied practice and information on the state-of-the-art, this book will give you the information you need to incorporate the latest systems and technologies into your building projects. It focuses on a number of important issues, such as:Network communication protocols and standards, including the application of the internet.The integration and interfacing of building automation subsystems and mult...

Newnes Building Services Pocket Book is a unique compendium of essential data, techniques and procedures, best practice, and underpinning knowledge. This makes it an essential tool for engineers involved in the design and day-to-day running of mechanical services in buildings, and a valuable reference for managers, students and engineers in related fields. This pocket reference gives the reader access to the knowledge and knowhow of the team of professional engineers who wrote the sixteen ...

Building Systems in Interior Design takes an entirely new approach to teaching this essential topic for Architects, Designers and Building Engineers. Written to prepare students for the real world and packed with practical examples, the book will foster an understanding of specific issues that are critical to those features of technical systems that most directly affect design. The book stresses the ever-present nature of these systems: they are everywhere, all the time.Ta...

This book presents a method which simplifies and unifies the design of reinforced concrete (RC) structures and is applicable to any structural element under both normal and seismic loading conditions. The proposed method has a sound theoretical basis and is expressed in a unified form applicable to all structural members, as well as their connections. It is applied in practice through the use of simple failure criteria derived from first principles without the need for calibration through ...

Students setting out for a career in plumbing need a clear, concise and comprehensive textbook to help them study for their Technical Certificate and Level 2 NVQ – and this book meets all those needs. Steve Muscroft expertly guides you through each of the key areas and processes in plumbing, from the basics through cold and hot water systems to health and safety and best practice on site. The best way to learn something is to do it for yourself – so along with the theory this book is full ...

This book provides a comprehensive discussion of nonlinear multi-modal structural vibration problems, and shows how vibration suppression can be applied to such systems by considering a sample set of relevant control techniques. It covers the basic principles of nonlinear vibrations that occur in flexible and/or adaptive structures, with an emphasis on engineering analysis and relevant control techniques.Understanding nonlinear vibrations is becoming increasingly important in a ran...

This book provides a synthesis of recent developments in Axiomatic Design theory and its application in large complex systems. Introductory chapters provide concise tutorial materials for graduate students and new practitioners, presenting the fundamentals of Axiomatic Design and relating its key concepts to those of model-based systems engineering. A mathematical exposition of design axioms is also provided.The main body of the book, which represents a concentrated treatment of se...

Soil reinforcement is a very useful technique to construct several cost-effective soil structures in an environmentally friendly and sustainable manner. The most commonly used reinforcement materials are galvanised steel strips, geosynthetics in the form of woven geotextiles, geogrids and geocomposites, and fibres from natural and waste products. In recent years, there have been advances in the area of soil reinforcement, especially in the utilization of the technique in field projects. Th...

This volume presents innovative work on innovative methods, tools and practices aimed at supporting the transition of Asian and Middle Eastern cities and regions towards a more smart and sustainable dimension. The role of the built and urban environment are becoming more pronounced in Asia and Middle East as the regions continues to experience rapid increase in population and urbanisation, which have only led to an increase in environmental degradation but also rise in energy consumption a...

This book presents three projects that demonstrate the fundamental problems of architectural design and urban composition – the layout design, evaluation and optimization. Part I describes the functional layout design of a residential building, and an evaluation of the quality of a town square (plaza).The algorithm for the functional layout design is based on backtracking using a constraint satisfaction approach combined with coarse grid discretization. The algorithm for the town s...

This book is at once a supplement to traditional foundation engineering textbooks and an independent problem-solving learning tool. The book is written primarily for university students majoring in civil or construction engineering taking foundation analysis and design courses to encourage them to solve design problems. Its main aim is to stimulate problem solving capability and foster self-directed learning. It also explains the use of the foundationPro software, available at no cost, and...