Integrated Buildings: The Systems Basis of Architecture

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by Leonard R. Bachman; John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, NJ, 2003. Hardcover, 479 pages, $75.

Table 3.1Some Integration Opportunities as Shared Mandates Between the Ten Possible Pairings of Five Major Systems

Integrated Buildings is an amazing book. Author Leonard Bachman is well versed in the concepts and terminology of architectural theory and of building systems, and he has succeeded in illuminating what he calls “the mediating or middle ground between design and technology.” His broad interpretation of “integration” gives him a lot of material to cover, and he doesn’t shy away from the challenge.

Bachman lays out a detailed conceptual framework in the book’s initial chapters, drawing from a wide range of architectural, historical, and philosophical sources. He describes three distinct types of integration in buildings: physical integration (components and systems sharing space); visual integration (multiple discrete elements collectively creating a coherent image); and performance integration (individual components or elements serving multiple functions). This material makes for some heady reading, so some readers might prefer skipping ahead and coming back to it later. In Chapter 3, Bachman organizes building systems into five categories—site, structure, envelope, services, and interior—and discusses various forms of integration among these five systems and their subsystems.

Most of the book is made up of 30 in-depth case studies of widely published buildings. These case studies complement the typical architectural magazine photo-essay—they have few pretty pictures (no color images are included at all), but they contain a remarkable depth of description, explanation, and analysis. The case studies are organized by building type—laboratories, offices, airport terminals, pavilions, residences—with two additional categories for “high tech architecture” and “green architecture.” The projects are all post-World War II buildings, primarily in North America and western Europe. Most are by world-famous architects including Louis Kahn, Richard Rogers, Eero Saarinen, Norman Foster, Helmut Jahn, Renzo Piano, and Glenn Murcutt.

Each case study begins with a full-page table describing the project in a nutshell. A lot of space is devoted to a discussion of the building’s cultural, architectural, and climatic context, often even including a brief biography of the architect. Bachman focuses heavily on precedents for many of the buildings, describing the architectural evolution that led up to their creation. The climate data for each case study includes over two pages of text, tables, and charts, including the “bioclimatic charts”—relating temperature, humidity, passive control strategies, and comfort zones—presented by Victor Olgyay in his 1963 book

Design with Climate. Bachman then describes each of the major building systems and follows with a discussion of the various types of integration the building achieves. Unfortunately, little information is presented on the actual energy performance or other sustainability indicators for most of the projects profiled.

Integrated Buildings is an outstanding text for advanced architecture and engineering courses. While it isn’t light reading,

Integrated Buildings succeeds admirably at bridging the gap between architectural theory and building services. As such, it fills an essential niche and seems likely to become an instant classic.

– NM