Architecture in a Climate of Change - Softcover

Smith, Peter F.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0750653469 ISBN 13: 9780750653466

Publisher: Architectural Press, 2001

Synopsis

Focusing on the recently introduced compulsory course element on sustainability in architecture, the book outlines all of the arguments and provides a comprehensive source of information. The author's insider knowledge of the curriculum structure provides you with an invaluable companion to the new section of the course work. An outline seminar is included allowing the student to relate the theories of sustainability to the practice of study. The professional will also benefit from its focus on the practical translation of sustainable theory.

He calls for changes in the way we build. For change to be widely accepted there have to be convincing reasons why long established practices should be replaced. In the first part of the book he sets out those reasons by arguing that there is convincing evidence that climate changes now under way are primarily due to human activity in releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Buildings are particularly implicated in this process and so it is appropriate that the design and construction process should be a prime target in the war against catastrophic climate change. The book is designed to promote a creative partnership between the professions to produce buildings which achieve optimum conditions for their inhabitants whilst making minimum demands on fossil based energy.

Peter Smith has written extensively on the subject and is well known in the field. He is responsible for introducing the compulsory sustainable element of the course in the UK. He is Chairman of the RIBA Environment and Energy Committee, the RIBA Sustainable Features Committee and Vice Chairman of the Sustainable Development Committee.
*Learn about the principles of sustainability and the future of its technology.
*Gain a valuable insight into the relationship between the physical and cultural context of architecture.
*Benefit from the inside knowledge and expertise of the author.

About this title

Review:

A book that is essential reading, especially as it considers the 'why' as well as the 'what' of sustainable architecture.
Lord Rogers of Riverside

With ecological sustainability now on the curriculum for all the RIBA recognized courses in architecture this book could become essential reading for students. It would also be very attractive to practitioners who seek a useful, easily digestible, "handbook" to this field.
Paul Hyett, RIBA President

'A book from an authority such as Peter Smith is welcome and deserves to be read for the amount of information packed into its 200 pages.'
The Architectural Review

'This book is really two publications in one. It contains both a well-researched and dispassionate overview of energy and climate, combined with a thorough account of acheiving energy efficiency in buildings. It is also incredibly up to date...If budgets only extend to one book then this book is it.'
Building Services Engineering Research and Technology Journal

About the Author:

Special Professor in Sustainable Energy, University of Nottingham. Emeritus Professor of Architecture, Leeds Metropolitan University. Director of the Pilkington Energy Efficiency Trust. Former Vice President of the RIBA for Sustainable Development and chairman of its Sustainable Futures Committee

About this edition

• Publisher: Architectural Press
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0750653469
• ISBN 13: 9780750653466
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 224