Book excerpt: As building construction is becoming increasingly complex, the field of building technology is becoming more and more important. As an intermediary between all parties involved in a construction project, the architect must be able to understand what is involved and to advise his clients. This volume covers the fields of water supply and disposal, electric installations and the energy-related subjects, i.e. heating, ventilation and lighting. The compendium combines the successful individual volumes Room Conditioning and Water Cycles and supplements these with the two hitherto unpublished volumes Electric Installation and Lighting design. The student and architect are introduced to the basic principles, terms and systems of building technology installations and equipment.