Interesting Source of Architectural Engineering Information

For about the past 8 years, I have been volunteering at various thrift shops that support non-profit organizations. This happens usually on a Saturday or Sunday for a handful of hours, 4 to 5 times a month.

Some of the primary tasks that I perform are taking in new donations, helping with pickups and deliveries and organizing. Lots of organizing.

The normal items that you come across at thrift shops are household wares, antiques, outdated electronics, furniture, clothes and books. Lots of books. Unfortunately, in this digital age, books are less popular to the modern generation and do not sell for much or at all.

All types of donated books come in. Most are old, most haven’t been opened in decades most belonged to relatives that are no longer with us. Of the books that come in, the least popular are dated technical manuals and textbooks.

As someone who went to architectural engineering school and became an mechanical/plumbing engineer, I can remember sleepless nights pouring through similar texts and books that come in. Within some of the older books that have bindings barely holding on and maybe torn or missing pages, I have found texts of wonderful information that discuss the very beginnings of modern architectural engineering.

Two books that I have recently acquired and enjoy reading are:

• “Architectural Graphic Standards”, 5^th Edition, by Charles Ramsey and Harold Sleeper, Copywrite 1956
• “Audel’s Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Guide for Engineers, Servicemen, Shopmen and Users” by Edwin P. Anderson, Copywrite 1948

These texts illustrate the origins of ideas that have now become standard practice. It is interesting to see where and how modern terminology, disciplines, fields and methodology developed. Context to words, phrases and terms that are regularly used today can be found in these early sources.