Architecture Book Description Publication Date: March 1999 The Italian master explains why he always insists on exhaustive research and discusses ecological issues such as roof energy accumulation capacity. His knowledge of the structural strengths of various natural fibres and thermal insulation goes hand in hand with his scheme of avoiding non-renewable energy sources. Intelligent buildings, methods of recycling, understanding of topography all fit into the overall architectural design. The most advanced building systems are also inexpensive in forming ecological spaces.
The concept of sustainable architecture has a high profile at present, as we are become increasingly aware of our responsibilities towards the preservation of our planet.
Nikken Sekkei is an architectural firm known for its consideration of the environmental consequences of its buildings, and this will be the first book to give a comprehensive coverage of this aspect of their work to date.
The relationship between architecture and the environment has historically been and continues to be a complex interaction of site, technology, climate and other natural forces, building materials, and the human presence. In the new century this affinity is gradually assuming a powerful profile as architecture moves away from former design paradigms to a more defined alliance with nature.
The burgeoning Green movement in architecture has its origins in the activism of the sixties, the alternative societies of the seventies and an ever-increasing body of knowledge concerning global warming, the depletion of the earth’s resources, widespread pollution and other environmental hazards. Such environmental issues are now a mounting concern in most industrialized nations, and almost by necessity, have led to a major evolution in world architecture that embraces a whole new design ‘vocabulary’ — the language of sustainability.
Product Details Hardcover: 224 pages Publisher: Academy Press (August 29, 2000) Language: English ISBN-10: 0471864579 ISBN-13: 978-0471864578 Product Dimensions: 12.3 x 10.2 x 0.9 inches
For a number of years, the healthy and environment-friendly building material earth, in common use for thousands of years, has been enjoying increasing popularity, including in industrialized nations. In hot dry and temperate climate zones, earth offers numerous advantages over other materials. Its particular texture and composition also holds great aesthetic appeal. The second and revised edition of this handbook offers a practical systematic overview of the many uses of earth and techniques for processing it. Its properties and physical characteristics are described in informed and knowledgeable detail.The author s presentation reflects the rich and varied experiences gained over thirty years of building earth structures all over the world. Numerous photographs of construction sites and drawings show the concrete execution of earth architecture.
Prof. Dr. Gernot Minke is a professor at University Kassel, where he leads the Forschungslabor Experimentelles Bauen. He has long concerned himself with developments in ecological building, and he has dealt with the building material clay in theory and practice since 1977. His book Building with Straw was also published by Birkhäuser
"Tropical Sustainable Architecture: Social and Environmental Dimensions" Offers design insights into a region experiencing unprecedented growth and development
Review
"an essential source of inspiration for all those involved in designing sustainable buildings and other built developments in the worlds tropical regions, but also as an expose of current research into the design of sustainable built environments in the developing world"
