EDWARD ALLEN, FAIA, has been a faculty member at Yale University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and has frequently lectured and taught at other institutions across the United States over the past thirty years. He is the bestselling author of The Architect's Studio Companion, Shaping Structures: Statics, Fundamentals of Residential Construction, and Fundamentals of Building Construction, all published by Wiley.PATRICK RAND, AIA, is Distinguished Professor of Architecture at North Carolina State University. He maintains an active practice and conducts research regarding construction materials.