Louis I. Kahn: Beyond Time and Style - A Life in Architecture
By Carter Wiseman, W.W. Norton & Co. 2007, 288 pages

Fewer than 70 of the more than 200 buildings designed by Louis I. Kahn between the time he received his degree in architecture in 1924 to his death in 1974 were ever built. But his unique blend of formal restraint with expressiveness remains a touchstone for modernist architecture and its contemporary offshoots. Yale Professor Carter Wiseman draws on more than 100 interviews with Kahn's colleagues, clients and family to draft a haunting, compelling portrait of a consummate artist. It covers the rise of a poor immigrant born in Russia-controlled Estonia in 1901, his childhood in Depression-era America to his success on the international architectural scene. These include buildings like the Jonas Salk Institute in southern California, the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas, and the Capital Complex in Dhaka, Bangladesh. There are also numerous photos of Kahn's life and work, most of them previously unpublished, adding an amazing visual aspect to this most visual and visionary of architects.

Modeling Complex Engineering Structure
By Robert Melchers and Richard Hough, American Society of Civil Engineers, 2007, 384 pages

Numerical methods and higher-speed computing are providing rapid advances in the analysis and design of complex structures. These developments have been so rapid that it's difficult for engineers to keep abreast of this expanding knowledge. The editors provide an overview of cutting-edge developments in computational theory and techniques now applied in various fields of structural analysis, mostly through case studies.

Paving the Way: Asphalt in America
By Dan McNichol, National Asphalt Pavement Association, 2006, 304 pages

The history of hot-mix asphalt, beginning with the first extensive network of hard-surfaced roads built by the Roman Empire 2000 years ago, through early pavements in the capitals of Europe, to today’s Interstate Highway System, is detailed in this book. It takes the reader on trips down Route 66, through the National Parks, and along Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C. Along the way, the reader meets colorful characters including McAdam in the 18th century, Ami Lorenzo Barber at the end of the 19th century, and the Warren family at the beginning of the 20th century. With more than 250 historic and color pictures, this book is a great read and a valuable reference that belongs on the coffee table of everyone with an interest in transportation.

Design-Build in Water-Wastewater
By Robert Melchers and Richard Hough, American Society of Civil Engineers, 2007, 384 pages

This new guide to managing design-build projects in the water and wastewater sector aims to provide municipal owners and industry participants with a concise reference to using this alternative project delivery approach in a booming public works sector.

The handbook is based on interviews with more than 35 public- and private-sector experts, including 20 officials of municipal water or waste - water agencies across the U.S. The guide is provided as a free download on the Website of the Water Design-Build Council, a not-for-profit industry group (www.designbuildwaterww.com).

The handbook is a best-practices guide for those entering into and managing water and wastewater design-build projects, says the council. It draws on the experience of both municipalities and design-builders to provide a step-by-step guide to achieve benefits of design-build and avoid pitfalls. It addresses the full range of design and construction considerations unique to water and wastewater treatment projects that municipalities must weigh when evaluating the advantages of design-build.

Employing a four-color, magazine-style format, the handbook is supported throughout by illustrative photographs and diagrams. “This handbook is a must-have for any municipal official considering a design-build project for the first time,” says council President Joe Adams, who also is president of MWH Constructors, Broomfield, Colo. Those wishing to obtain the print version of the handbook should contact Marisha Hopson at WDBC at 202-833-1950.