books

This book deals with the aesthetic potentials of sustainable archit ecture and its practice. In contrast to the mechanistic model, the book attempts to open a new area of scholarship and debate on sustainability in the design and production of architecture. In many instances, the key principles behind environmental concerns and sustainability in architecture are often misunderstood and misrepresented. Many often consider sustainability within a limited set of choices or still regard it as yet another inconvenience that hinders development. Certainly technical improvements help alleviate the problems at hand. But fundamental questions remain in regard to architecture: What are the structural issues behind the consciousness on sustainability and how do we address them in design? And what kind of opportunities can we find in its aesthetics for the revision of our industrial model? The book traces and underscores how the consideration of environment and sustainability is directly connected to aesthetic propositions in architecture. http://www.010.nl/catalogue

Designed by Piet Gerards Ontwerpers
English 320 pp / 240 x 170 mm / paperback 
price € 29.50 ISBN 978 90 6450 752 6
to be published November 2011, forthcoming

Minimum Impact House - Developing a sustainable prototype

The project Minimum Impact House is a prototype for sustainable housing development in the city. Sustainability and ecology requires a holistic optimization of the building. At the mini house manufacturing of the building, operation and location factors such as urbanity and mobility were considered together. It turned out to be an inner-city densification has a number of environmental advantages. Prevent urban sprawl, traffic, reduces the intensified use of existing infrastructure and strengthen the social fabric of the city. For developing inner-city African developing new building types and building structures for the creation of sustainable housing in the city is required.

The demand for passive houses has risen substantially in recent years. To meet the ever increasing cost of oil and electricity prices, many owners opt for an energy-efficient construction and save up to 90% on energy costs.

The new planning guide passive houses residential planning prepares you for this task well before, because selected project examples and detailed technical information to help you implement your own building project.

Take advantage of the design manual passive houses of residential buildings

Expertise for client consulting: The selected projects provide ideas for your own design. Concept variants and construction data to support the decisions.
Safety in design: designs, details and concepts of the building can be incorporated into your own planning.

This minibook summarizes the results of the three-year research project and the developement of the prototype house.

The Miniboook is published by Müller + Busmann, Wupperthal.

188 pages (English and German) 14,80 Euro

Order:

minibook@dgj.eu

Dealing with the issue of sustainability always implies the hope of improving the present conditions and of actively contributing to sustainable developement. An awareness of the complex relations involved the search for new possible solutions, and education, and training concerning the mutual interdependence of the various systems.

The Materiality of buildings and constructions is an important aspect of architectural design. The approach to and use of materials is a fundamental building block of architectural training. The themes featured include: subjective effect of materials; haptic influences; use of materials; and creative use of classical construction materials.

Jesse Reisser and Naneko Umemoto of RUR Architects are investigating the relationsship of uses, material, and the structure of space.