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[CacheLanding]

Background in bio-engineering. Have recently discovered a passion for structural design and engineering. Mainly large residential homes with unique architectural elements, and small commercial.

Have decided to pursue a masters degree, but with a focus on structural engineering. Would like to find a couple great texts on the topics of residential and light commercial. Not that interested in large concrete or steel structures just yet. Does anyone have any good recommendations?

Thanks

 

[ToadJones]

I know you said you have no interest in the heavy duty stuff, but for a very cheap price you can pick up a copy of Omar Blodgett's "Design of Welded Structures".

The title suggests all welding, but it is far from that. It covers a very wide variety of topics in steel design and uses a very practical approach to problem solving.
IMO, it is one of the most practical and well written engineering books of all time.

 

[CacheLanding]

I have recently designed some cantilevered stair structures that require the use of steel to accomplish the design, so that text might be quite useful. I would also like to find a book that covers topics critical in the design of stick built structures, like wooden beam spans, common roof framing, shear walls, etc.

 

[ash060]

If you do alot of wood design, I would recommend "Design of Wood Structures" by Breyer et al.

Also the AFPA website has several good downloads showing typical framing details and shear wall design. You can buy the NDS on the website which is a must have for wood design.

 

[frv]

ash060 is spot on.. Breyer's book es excellent. It will give you a great idea of the broader requirements of structural engineering as well; not just wood framing.

 

[JoshPlumSE]

Breyer will probably be your most common reference. Some other thoughts:

Wood Framed Shear Wall Construction: An Illustrated Guide by Thor Matteson. I like this one because it helps bridge the gap between what is designed and what is constructed. It shows a lot of pictures from the field and explains what is good or bad about what we see in this picture. For those of use without a ton of field experience, it is very helpful.

A book on wood diaphragms would also be useful:
The ICC book, "Guide to the Design of Diaphragms, Chords and Collectors" would be a good place to start. This book doesn't exclusively deal with wood diaphragms, but it is a good place to start.

Also, there are a couple of chapters from the Seismic Design Handbook (edited by F. Naeim) that deal with design of wood structures. There's one chapter on diaphragms (authored by F. Naeim) and another on the seismic design of wood and masonry (authored by J. Shipp and G. Hart).