Everyone involved in construction should read this book. The book is written by forensic engineers in very readable style using easy to understand terms. This book has helped me understand what can go wrong and how I can help prevent buildings from falling down. I learned that the smallest mistake can bring down the grandest structure.
The book jacket says “Levy & Salvadori examine building of all kinds, from ancient domes like Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia to the state-of-the-art Hartford Civic Center. There subjects range from the man-caused destruction of the Parthenon to the earthquakes in 1989 …. The stories that make up Why Buildings Fall Down are in the end very human ones, tales of the interaction of people and nature, of architects, engineers, builders, materials, and natural forces all coming together in sometimes dramatic (and always instructive) ways.”