This manual has been conceived as an aid for both students and professionals, who deal with the design and calculation of hydraulic networks in buildings (plumbing, sanitation and heating), as it combines a concise statement of the fundamental theoretical principles with the development of case studies which are commonly found in practice. Thus, this training manual is perfectly organized and it is written in a clear and simple language, showing the essential physical and mathematical content.

The authors, a multidisciplinary team of architects and engineers, have both extensive professional experience and years of teaching in several schools of architecture. This dual condition allows them to know firsthand not only the main problems to be faced by designers in the hydraulic network project, but also the theoretical basis of formulas required for networks calculation and making them comprehensible. In addition, the book provides a lot of useful information in tables, schemes, abacuses, plans and references to current standards.

It is noted that the book is published in both Spanish and English thus; particular care has been taken to use appropriate technical vocabulary in both languages. The mastery of the accurate terminology in the field of hydraulic systems will allow the reader to collaborate with international teams and to integrate into them, fact which is increasing every day.

Investigación, Arte, Universidad is a group established two years ago in the Fine Arts College of the Complutense University of Madrid to think about the problems related to artistic research from the formats proposed by the academy. We are aware of the amount of literature generated by this subject. There is no university worth its salt, museum or scientific magazine that do not do their part in this colossal work. Validation, conflict, exploration, rigour, creation, community, strategies, formats, teaching and learning are some of the concepts on which these reflections revolve.

Modern societies legislate in such a way that risks arising from the construction and use of buildings are reasonably limited. New requirements, including functionality, security, fire protection and respect for the environment, have been progressively added to the traditionally regulated structural safety and habitability aspects. It is, in short, that not-specialized building users would see their individual and collective rights protected by the legislature, lacking enough information and not be able to decide for themselves on the level of risk they want or can accept.

Safety in case of fire is, today, one of the aspects that determines the design of buildings. Compartmentation, the arrangement of stairways and exits, the control of the flow of people or the accessibility of emergency services, force many constraints to be considered from the outset in the architectonic project.

The commitment to safety in the built environment, additionally, must go a step further than the strict compliance with the minimum prescriptive codes which, based on previous experience, impose a series of concrete measures. It is to understand the problem as an interaction of the three agents involved: the physics of fire, building design and user characteristics.

The physical phenomenon of fire, well known, is characterized in buildings by the condition of the spaces, which are mainly closed enclosures. The temperature and smoke, that in outdoor conditions are dissipated, concentrate on them and fire desperately seeks the oxygen needed to survive.

The possibilities available today for building design are greater than ever. Advances in materials science, the efficiency of the machines and the current assessment and calculation models allow the erection of buildings of enormous height, articulate gigantic atriums or make habitable underground spaces. Traditional typologies have given rise to an almost infinite range of building design possibilities that respond to new uses and ways of living.

The user completes this enigmatic puzzle in which the architect must be able to anticipate the possible scenario which can occur before a fire develops in a building. This user is also a person who departs from the traditional prototypes in a multicultural and non-discriminatory society.

This book aims to expose a minimum basis for understanding this complex and fascinating problem.

The growing interest in exploring the relationships between architecture and photography can be approached from different approaches, all them aimed to prioritizing, on the one hand, and critically subject, on the other, the inescapable prominence of image —beyond its documentary and instrumental role— in the defining discourse of architecture and the city. The historiographical and pedagogical context, its media outreach, the professional dimension and the artistic gaze are some of the topics covered and collected in this publication by ten renowned specialists.

Juan Bordes, Carlos Cánovas, Jesús Granada, Duccio Malagamba, Fredy Massad, Jesús Marina - Elena Morón, Llàtzer Moix, Aitor Ortiz, Juan Rodríguez and Adrian Tyler.