Ecohouse is an exciting and timely text that tells you how to design low energy, environmentally friendly buildings today. It also provides the foundations for building design in a warming world, and stepping stones towards the zero-carbon emission buildings of tomorrow. Sue Roaf is famed for her approach to design and her awareness of energy efficiency. Here she reveals the concepts, structures and techniques that lie behind the realization of her ideals. By using her own house as a case-study Roaf guides the reader through the ideas for energy efficient design or 'eco design'. This guide to the ecohouse also explores 21 case-studies from around the world, from Norway and Sweden to India and Japan, Argentina and Mexico. Chapters by Christopher Day, Katerine Bohn and Andre Viljoen on ecological building materials and methods and a contribution by Robert and Brenda Vale - all experts in this field Ecohouse has a regularly updated companion web site providing further information on all issues relating to Ecohouse and eco design. Log on to www.bh.com/companions/ecohouse for a direct link.

The key principles of designing a pleasant, comfortable and healthy eco-home, with a foreword written by HRH The Prince of Wales, now King Charles III. Designing an eco-home is much more about working with your house's location and situation than relying on intrusive technology and hi-tech materials. With the soaring energy bills and the climate crisis, it is now more important than ever to invest in a home that is considerate of keeping heat in. In this handbook, architect Christopher Day draws on his extensive experience to explain the key principles of eco-home design, using common-sense methods. Packed full of practical information, it includes several case studies of eco-homes, reviewing (with hindsight) what worked well and what could have been better. There is also guidance on how to generate energy, upgrading old buildings, and site planning. With beautifully hand-drawn illustrations, Christopher explores how to use local topography, combined with landscaping, to improve your home's microclimate and keep your house dry and warm in the winter, and cool in the summer. There are also handy tips on how to minimise hidden environmental impacts, and ideas on ways to make your home a safe and healthy place, both emotionally and physically. The Eco-Home Design Guide is essential for anyone who wants to create a attractive, environmentally friendly home that is in harmony with its location.

Design your own sustainable home Many people dream of building a beautiful, environmentally friendly home. But until now there has been no systematic guide to help potential builders work through the complete process of imagining, planning, designing, and building their ideal, sustainable home. Essential Sustainable Home Design walks potential homebuilders through the process starting with key concepts, principles, and a project vision that will guide the house to completion. Coverage includes: How to clarify your ideas and create a practical pathway to achieving your dream A criteria matrix to guide design, material, and systems decisions Creating a strong, integrated design team and working with professionals and code officials to keep the project on track from start to finish. Key building science concepts that make for a high-performance, durable building Primer on building logistics, material sourcing, and protocols to ensure that the initial vision for the project comes to fruition. One-page summaries and ratings of popular sustainable building materials and system options. Ideal for owner-builders and sustainable building contractors working with clients aiming to design and build a sustainable home. Chris Magwood has designed and built some of the most innovative, sustainable buildings in North America, including the first off-grid, straw bale home in Ontario. He is co-founder and director the Endeavour Centre for Innovative Building and Living and co-editor of the Sustainable Building Essentials series. Chris is the author of Essential Prefab Straw Bale Construction, Essential Hempcrete Construction, Straw Bale Details, More Straw Bale Building , and Making Better Buildings .

The green building movement has produced hundreds of “how-to” books and websites that are filled with tips about green building and what homeowners should do to go green. While helpful and informative, when it comes to making actual purchasing and installation decisions, these books do not make it any easier for a homeowner to prioritize against a budget. Here, Schifman shares her knowledge and experience for others to use in their journey toward a greener way of living. Whether the reader is building a new home or doing a minor remodel, a homeowner needs a framework by which to guide their decisions. These decisions are based on values, and the author posits that there are really only three reasons to go green: For Our Health: By building more sustainably, we reduce our exposure to harmful chemicals and toxins. For Our Wealth: By building a more durable home and being more efficient with resources like water and electricity, we reduce our monthly utility bills and ongoing maintenance expenses. For Our Soul: Collectively doing the right thing for our planet does make a difference—and that is soul-nourishing. Learn the logistics of choosing windows, insulation, appliances, and lighting. Find out about FSC certified wood and about using reclaimed materials. Here is everything you need to make your home sustainable.

"An essential introduction to sustainable domestic design." —Dwell magazine How to Achieve Style and Sustainability Green Interior Design is the most comprehensive guide to sustainable building, designing, and decorating on the market. This beautifully illustrated guide covers every detail of your home—from the drywall to the finial on the curtain rod—and how to find the most environmentally friendly versions of products and décor. This second edition of Green Interior Design is meant as much for the budget DIYer as it is for the luxury homebuilders looking to dip their toes into sustainability. Sprinkled among the chapters, readers will find: Digestible how-tos for quick updates Fun DIY projects Quick tips on repurposing and upcycling Helpful resources and buying guides Inspiring home tours Unconventional advice from designers (e.g., “Don’t buy anything!”) We hope readers carry this reference guide with them as they decorate apartments, furnish their first properties, and build their dream homes from the ground up. The second edition’s interactive structure allows you, the reader, to choose your own adventure: go into the weeds and get granular with purchasing decisions for your home, or take a more generalized approach to your green design project. Whichever path you choose, know that it’s more important than ever before to act sustainably. “Going green” is more than just a trend: It’s a global economic and social necessity.

Laid out in an easy-to-follow format with step-by-step instructions, special tips, and material guides, this reference makes it easier than ever to remodel, renovate, or decorate a home without hurting the planet.

Featuring an extensive collection of full-color photographs, 150 Best Eco House Ideas features eco-friendly house designs created by internationally renowned architects and designers who have achieved practical, innovative, and stunning solutions adapted to the specific needs and tastes of their clients. Included here are the latest innovations in sustainable home design, including solar paneling, wind energy systems, environmentally-friendly heating and cooling solutions, thermal glazing, and trombe walls. 150 Best Eco House Ideas covering the diversity of current trends in sustainable home design, and is both the perfect resource for designers, interior decorators, and architects, as well an inspirational sourcebook for all homeowners interested in creating warm and inviting homes that cause only a fraction of the environmental impact of those created using conventional building methods.

The Whole Building Handbook is a compendium of all the issues and strategies that architects need to understand to design and construct sustainable buildings for a sustainable society. The authors move beyond the current definition of sustainability in architecture, which tends to focus on energy-efficiency, to include guidance for architecture that promotes social cohesion, personal health, renewable energy sources, water and waste recycling systems, permaculture, energy conservation - and crucially, buildings in relation to their place. The authors offer a holistic approach to sustainable architecture and authoritative technical advice, on: * How to design and construct healthy buildings, through choosing suitable materials, healthy service systems, and designing a healthy and comfortable indoor climate, including solutions for avoiding problems with moisture, radon and noise as well as how to facilitate cleaning and maintenance. * How to design and construct buildings that use resources efficiently, where heating and cooling needs and electricity use is minimized and water-saving technologies and garbage recycling technologies are used. * How to 'close' organic waste, sewage, heat and energy cycles. For example, how to design a sewage system that recycles nutrients. * Includes a section on adaptation of buildings to local conditions, looking at how a site must be studied with respect to nature, climate and community structure as well as human activities. The result is a comprehensive, thoroughly illustrated and carefully structured textbook and reference.

Sustainable Home is a stylish, inspirational and practical guidebook to maintaining a more environmentally friendly household. Sustainable lifestyle blogger and professional Christine Liu takes you on a tour through the rooms of your home – the living area, kitchen, bedroom and bathroom – offering tips, tricks and 18 step-by-step projects designed to help you lead a more low-impact lifestyle. Whether its by making your own toothpaste, converting to renewable energy sources, reducing your consumption of plastic, growing your own herb garden or upcycling old pieces of furniture, there are numerous ways – both big and small – to make a difference. With environmental issues at the forefront of global politics, the desire to make small changes on an individual level is on the rise; this book will guide anyone hoping to make a difference, but who perhaps don’t know where to begin.

At last, there's an authoritative guide to help interior designers apply green- building and sustainability applications to their environments. Sustainable Interior Design expertly introduces the principles of environmentally responsible design for interior environments. This useful reference provides beginning designers and experienced professionals alike with a comprehensive survey that coverers everything from theoretical approaches to current practices. It helps designers understand the environmentally responsible approach and make design decisions that are ethical and do not harm the world?s environment.