Concise reference--excellent book design

This is best for a quick review if you already know the material. It's too concise to learn from if you don't. Best part is the amazing drawings; the text is kept to a minumim.

Just enough to make you dangerous

As an architect I worked for noted, this book gives you just enough information to make you dangerous. Ching provides a beautifully illustrated guide to basic concepts of building construction. It is a great introductory book filled with much useful information, but one can't necessarily build from this book. I use it mostly to explain construction ideas, especially when it comes to wood-frame buildings, than I do as a set of graphic standards. Ching does offer some specific information, such as thermal resistance of building materials and a general span guide for roof and floor trusses, but much of this information is general and should be verified with more precise data books. However, Ching didn't set out to create another "Standard Architectural Graphics" book, but rather an affordable guide to building construction which would provide some useful information to the design student and home builder alike.

Pretty but Light on Detail

While I agree with others that this book is comprehensive in scope, and while it is beautifully illustrated, it is lacking in the details. Our Building Construction class used it as a primary text, and nowhere does it tell you basics. For example, the drawings have few if any dimensions, which are pretty critical to one's understanding of basic construction (e.g., studs spaced 16" on center). Like all of Ching's books, they at first appear chock full of helpful information, but more often than not, I find them beautifully illustrated and light on content.