Why Buildings Fall Down – How Structures Fail: Why Structures Fail

Describes various structural failures from antiquity to present day and their causes.Each chapter treats of a different type/cause of failure and is is well cross referenced and indexed so you can browse and skip around to find what interests you.Of particular interest to me as an engineer were tables like steel Strength vs Temperature in the chapter entitled Terror From The Skies.The diagrams, drawings, and charts are clear and easy to understand.This is a serious albeit entertaining work.

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.

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

Good balance of practical information and story telling.

Best price at the time for my son who is interested in Civil Engineering.

Excellent explanations with clear diagrams.

read it twice

An excellent book and great e-bayer