Sign-In
Cart
The Building Detective: A Journey Into the Hidden Stories of Property, People, and Problem Solving
Paperback
Business GeneralTechnology & EngineeringGeneral Architecture
Publisher Price: $19.99
ISBN13: 9781763895249
Publisher: Craig Jl MacDonald
Published: Apr 1 2025
Pages: 254
Weight: 0.55
Height: 0.53 Width: 5.06 Depth: 7.81
Language: English
What stories do buildings tell? The Building Detective uncovers the secrets from the hidden world of buildings. Dive below the surface to unearth captivating case studies and personal experiences that reveal how buildings reflect ingenuity, expose failures, and shape the lives of those who live and work within them. Journey into the mysteries and lessons of the built environment with this fresh perspective on the spaces we inhabit and change how you see the built world forever.
Buildings are everywhere. We live in them, work in them, shop in them, and walk past them without a second thought. But beneath their surfaces, behind walls, beneath floors, and inside ceilings, buildings carry stories, mysteries, and lessons. Some are tales of brilliance and innovation, while others are cautionary reminders of what happens when things go wrong.
When I began my career as a Chartered Building Surveyor, I didn't expect to be piecing together puzzles like a detective. I thought I'd spend my days inspecting properties, ticking off compliance boxes, and writing reports. What I discovered was something far more compelling: every building holds a narrative, a blend of engineering, architecture, history, and human decisions that shape how it performs, fails, or thrives.
This book is not a textbook. It's a journey. Part memoir, part exploration of the property industry, and part practical guide to understanding the built environment. Although this book finds it home in Australia, and that is its primary context, it contains stories about buildings from around the world. Through the lens of my own experiences, I'll take you behind the scenes of real-world investigations and industry dilemmas, uncovering hidden defects while weaving in the human stories that underpin every structure.
You'll discover how ODEC, a codified approach to the scientific method, helps solve not just building problems but any problem. From high-profile building failures of the 2010s to tales from remote inspections in the Australian outback, you'll see how the decisions we make about our buildings affect not only their performance but also the people who live and work within them.
This book doesn't aim to catalogue every possible building problem (there are detailed textbooks for that). Instead, it's about curiosity. It's an invitation to look beyond surfaces and think critically about the spaces we inhabit and their context for generations to come. Whether you're a property professional, a homeowner, or simply someone who's ever wondered why water is coming into your home when it shouldn't, I hope you'll find insights, a new way of seeing the built world, and a renewed appreciation for inquisitiveness.
Also in
General Architecture
Architectural Classics Notecards: 20 Prints and Envelopes (20 Different Cards on Luxe Paper, 9 X 6, Gold Foil Stamped Box, Great for All Occasions) [W
Princeton Architectural Press
Other
The Universe of Design: Horst Rittel's Theories of Design and Planning
Protzen, Jean-Pierre
Harris, David
Paperback
Rural Utopia and Water Urbanism: The Modern Village in Franco's Spain
LeJeune, Jean-François
Paperback
Progressive Design in the Midwest: The Purcell-Cutts House and the Prairie School Collection at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts
Olivarez, Jennifer Komar
Paperback
The End of Automobile Dependence: How Cities Are Moving Beyond Car-Based Planning
Newman, Peter
Kenworthy, Jeffrey
Paperback
Paint by Sticker (Official): Architecture: Re-Create 12 Historic Structures One Sticker at a Time!
Workman Publishing
Paperback
Our World in Ten Buildings: How Architecture Defines Who We Are and How We Live
Murphy, Michael
Hardcover
Generation Regeneration: Codesigning the Future of Cities Through Regenerative Placemaking
Cho, Tony
Hardcover
A Field Guide to American Houses (Revised): The Definitive Guide to Identifying and Understanding America's Domestic Architecture
McAlester, Virginia Savage
Paperback
The Big Book of Tiny Painting: An Artist's Guide to Tiny Painting Outside in Ink and Watercolour
Stroz, Leslie
Paperback
100 Iconic Buildings to See Before You Die: Explore the World's Most Amazing Architecture
Dk Travel
Hardcover
Walkable City: How Downtown Can Save America, One Step at a Time (Tenth Anniversary Edition)
Speck, Jeff
Paperback
Drawing Lessons with Da Vinci: An Artist's Guide to Geometry, Anatomy and Proportion
Roig, Gabriel Martín
Paperback
Rendering in Pen and Ink: The Classic Book on Pen and Ink Techniques for Artists, Illustrators, Architects, and Designers
Guptill, Arthur L.
Paperback
In a Good Place: How the Spaces Where We Live, Work, and Play Can Help Us Thrive
Klotz, Leidy
Hardcover
Pretty Good House: A Guide to Creating Better Homes
Mottram, Emily
Maines, Michael
Kolbert, Daniel
Hardcover
Massimo Listri. the World's Most Beautiful Libraries. 45th Ed.
Ruppelt, Georg
Sladek, Elisabeth
Hardcover
Engineering in Plain Sight: An Illustrated Field Guide to the Constructed Environment
Hillhouse, Grady
Hardcover
A Natural History of Empty Lots: Field Notes from Urban Edgelands, Back Alleys, and Other Wild Places
Brown, Christopher
Paperback
Los Angeles Central Library Pops: Celebrating a Century of the Light of Learning
Rice, Christina
Hardcover
The Spaces That Make Us: Why Design Is Broken and How We Can Create a Happier, Healthier World
Kurani, Danish
Hardcover
Palaces for the People: How Social Infrastructure Can Help Fight Inequality, Polarization, and the Decline of Civic Life
Klinenberg, Eric
Paperback
The Last Castle: The Epic Story of Love, Loss, and American Royalty in the Nation's Largest Home
Kiernan, Denise
Paperback
Casa Kahlo: Frida Kahlo's Family Home and Sanctuary
Romeo, Frida Hentschel
Romeo Kahlo, Mara
Romeo, Mara de Anda
Hardcover
Mini-Forest Revolution: Using the Miyawaki Method to Rapidly Rewild the World
Lewis, Hannah
Paperback
London, Block by Block: An Illustrated Guide to the Best of England's Capital
Block, Cierra
Hardcover
The Hotel on Place Vendome: Life, Death, and Betrayal at the Hotel Ritz in Paris
Mazzeo, Tilar J.
Paperback
An Architectural Guidebook to Los Angeles: Updated Sixth Edition
Gebhard, David
Winter, Robert
Inman, Robert
Paperback
Lost Raleigh: Exploring the Oak City's Architectural History
Hanbury, Mary Ruffin
Dunn, Ian F. G.
Paperback
Live Your Dreams Coloring Book: 20 Live Your Dreams Mandala Coloring Pages
Crystal Coloring Books
Paperback
Barkitecture: Explore the World of Innovative and Sustainable Pet Architecture
Thomasson, Joshua
Hardcover
Men at Work: The Empire State Building and the Untold Story of the Craftsmen Who Built It
Kurtz, Glenn
Hardcover
California Coastal: Seaside Living from Sea Ranch to San Diego
Ewald, Chase Reynolds
Hebert, Heather Sandy
Hardcover
101 Things I Didn't Learn In Architecture School: And wish I had known before my first job
Lebner, Sarah
Paperback
Measure and Construction of the Japanese House: 250 Plans and Sketches Plus Illustrations of Joinery
Engel, Heino
Hardcover
Life Inside a Cottage: Interior Inspiration from Today's Cottage Dwellers
Card, Nell
Vere, Rachel
Hardcover
Get Your House Right: Architectural Elements to Use & Avoid
Cusato, Marianne
Pentreath, Ben
Sammons, Richard
Paperback
New York's Secret Subway: The Underground Genius of Alfred Beach and the Origins of Mass Transit
Algeo, Matthew
Hardcover
A House Needs to Breathe...Or Does It?: An Introduction to Building Science
Bailes, Allison A., III
Paperback
If You Want to Win, You've Got to Fight: A Guide to Effective Transportation Advocacy
Lavin, Carter
Paperback
Housesketching: Learn to Create Energetic and Expressive Architectural Drawings
Kiefer, Albert
Paperback
Factory Convent Schoolhouse Home: Soulful Transformations of Unusual Spaces
Gardener, Lynda
Hardcover
The Genius in the Design: Bernini, Borromini, and the Rivalry That Transformed Rome
Morrissey, Jake
Paperback
Watercolor Artist's Index of the Urban Landscape: A Field Trip of Features and How to Paint Them
Taylor, Richard
Paperback
LEED Green Associate V5 Exam Prep Complete Study Guide (Fourth Edition) - With Exam Simulator
Koralturk, A. Togay
Paperback
The Design of Childhood: How the Material World Shapes Independent Kids--Featuring the Author's Pulitzer Prize-Winning Essays
Lange, Alexandra
Paperback
Human Transit (Revised Edition): How Clearer Thinking about Public Transit Can Enrich Our Communities and Our Lives
Walker, Jarrett
Paperback
The Builders: Six Master Carpenters Who Shaped Louisiana's Antebellum Lafourche Country
Plater, David
Paperback
Code Check Building 5th Edition: An Illustrated Guide to the Building Codes
Hansen, Douglas
Paperback
Trauma-informed Design: A Framework for Designers, Architects, and Other Practitioners
Erdman, Adrienne
Cowart, Christine A.
Roche, Janet E.
Paperback