METRIC HANDBOOK Planning and Design Data

Abstract

It is remarkable that, since the Metric Handbook first appeared in 1979, it has been revised just twice – in 1998 and, with this 3rd edition, in 2008. This is a testament to both its enduring popularity and the fact that compiling and updating a volume of this size is a vast undertaking. Building regulations and standards of good practice are almost constantly being updated, tightened and rewritten. Agendas also change and awareness of issues such as environmental performance and access for people with disabilities have not only changed the way architects detail buildings – they have changed the way architects think. The Metric Handbook attempts to provide some steady ground on which to lay some fundamental principles. It is a sourcebook which aims to provide architects, and students of architecture, with the essential data and principles required to undertake their work professionally. It seeks to explain and present the principles and protocols of architectural design based on proven best practice and legal requirement. The Metric Handbook is a sourcebook to be relied on as good first place to look for data – a volume to be reached for, annotated, written on and book-marked by design teams getting a project off the ground. It is a book of many hundreds of pages but, in spite of the thousands of pieces of data it contains, it represents only a small percentage of the technical/procedural/statutory obligations that architects are expected to meet. This is a book that tells not the whole story (no book ever could) but one which acts as a companion to the wealth of documentation heavy enough to make any library shelf sag. For the practice moving into new territory, for the student, or for the architect merely needing confirmation of a hunch, this book can be regarded as a trusty friend. There are countless specialist booklets and websites which purport to provide up-to-the-minute data on regulations, laws, products and techniques, and a book of this immensity cannot possibly attempt to compete with other resources. But it does, in a sense, bring all these resources together into a consistent and accessible format. And at every step of the way the many people who have contributed to this new edition have asked themselves the question: ‘‘is this useful for the practising architect?’’ Of course, the Metric Handbook does not seek to guide architects in terms of aesthetics and poetics; rather it seeks to provide them with the essentials from which to undertake a design. It is a foundation only. Users of this book, who can expect it to get them off the starting blocks, would be unwise to rely on it to detail an entire building. Even if building codes don’t change (and they have been changing regularly) protocols and standards of good practice are constantly evolving, and users of this book should regard it as one important resource among many. This 3rd edition represents a major revision of the book. There are brand new chapters, covering masterplanning, whole life costing and inclusive design, while the book also recognises that computers and CAD are now part of normal life. Many chapters have been completely rewritten (such as the chapters on healthcare, laboratories and libraries); others have been significantly updated (schools, student housing and factories); others have been mildly adjusted while some have been left alone. The completed book therefore represents a balance between the time required to update the detail and the need to actually publish. It is like painting the proverbial bridge. We ask readers to forgive any omission or inaccuracy.