Explore the rich history of Swindon in this guided tour through its most fascinating historic and modern buildings.

Secret Swindon explores the lesser-known history of the Wiltshire town of Swindon through a fascinating selection of stories, unusual facts and attractive photographs.

An illuminating and infectiously enthusiastic guidebook to a town that many imagine is uninteresting and unattractive. Angela Atkinson's popular blog, 'Born Again Swindonian', shows how wrong this impression is, and she has now produced a full colour description and guide to prove it. Her words carry a genuine passion and commitment for her adopted home town, and her book is jam packed with pages explaining why. Her numerous, varied pilgrimages on foot around our town at a time when most people travel anonymously in cars has led her to see things in her own way and to feel drawn to share her thoughts with us all. Her conviction to shine light into sometimes neglected places has revealed surprising facts, helping people to discover more about what had felt like familiar places. Her commitment is exemplary, both to telling stories and for seeking successful outcomes for the places that she cares deeply about. Her observations are timely. From blue plaques to bluebells, computing to copses, sculptures to Swindon secrets, there is something for everyone sandwiched between these pages.

Explores the rich and fascinating history of the city through an examination of some of its greatest architectural treasures.

A comprehensive practical manual for professionals and self-builders, this innovative book explains the many benefits of building with hempcrete. Hempcrete is a building material with excellent, environmentally friendly properties. It's made from lime and hemp shivs (a waste product from hemp fibre growing) and can be used for walks, floor and roof insulation. Hempcrete is breathable, absorbing and emitting moisture; this helps regulate internal humidity, avoiding trapped moisture and mould growth, and creating healthier buildings. It provides excellent acoustic and thermal insulation, and it is lightweight, which reduces construction costs. Whether you're working on a new build or are planning a renovation, The Hempcrete Book tells you everything you need to know to get started with hempcrete. It describes how to source and mix it, and provides a detailed account of construction techniques, highlighting potential pitfalls and how to avoid them. With fully illustrated design notes and examples of completed builds, this book is a powerful tool for any eco-builder.

Building with Hemp has been an inspiration for architects, builders, community activists, students and teachers around the world and as this construction system is gaining in popularity this edition will be even more important in assisting the uptake of this technology internationally.

From the bestselling author of Ecohouse, this fully revised edition of Adapting Buildings and Cities for Climate Change provides unique insights into how we can protect our buildings, cities, infra-structures and lifestyles against risks associated with extreme weather and related social, economic and energy events. Three new chapters present evidence of escalating rates of environmental change. The authors explore the growing urgency for mitigation and adaptation responses that deal with the resulting challenges. Theoretical information sits alongside practical design guidelines, so architects, designers and planners can not only see clearly what problems they face, but also find the solutions they need, in order to respond to power and water supply needs. Considers use of materials, structures, site issues and planning in order to provide design solutions. Examines recent climate events in the US and UK and looks at how architecture was successful or not in preventing building damage. Adapting Buildings and Cities for Climate Change is an essential source, not just for architects, engineers and planners facing the challenges of designing our building for a changing climate, but also for everyone involved in their production and use.

A bestselling modern classic—both poignant and funny—narrated by a fifteen year old autistic savant obsessed with Sherlock Holmes, this dazzling novel weaves together an old-fashioned mystery, a contemporary coming-of-age story, and a fascinating excursion into a mind incapable of processing emotions. Christopher John Francis Boone knows all the countries of the world and their capitals and every prime number up to 7,057. Although gifted with a superbly logical brain, Christopher is autistic. Everyday interactions and admonishments have little meaning for him. At fifteen, Christopher’s carefully constructed world falls apart when he finds his neighbour’s dog Wellington impaled on a garden fork, and he is initially blamed for the killing. Christopher decides that he will track down the real killer, and turns to his favourite fictional character, the impeccably logical Sherlock Holmes, for inspiration. But the investigation leads him down some unexpected paths and ultimately brings him face to face with the dissolution of his parents’ marriage. As Christopher tries to deal with the crisis within his own family, the narrative draws readers into the workings of Christopher’s mind. And herein lies the key to the brilliance of Mark Haddon’s choice of narrator: The most wrenching of emotional moments are chronicled by a boy who cannot fathom emotions. The effect is dazzling, making for one of the freshest debut in years: a comedy, a tearjerker, a mystery story, a novel of exceptional literary merit that is great fun to read.