Making Better Buildings: A Comparative Guide to Sustainable Construction for Homeowners and Contractors - Softcover

Magwood, Chris

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0865717060 ISBN 13: 9780865717060

Publisher: New Society Publishers, 2014

Synopsis

Sustainable building from the ground up - the pros and cons of the latest green and natural materials and technologies

From foundation to finish, a wealth of information is available on sustainable construction methods-entire volumes have been published on individual green and natural building techniques. But with so many different ideas to choose from, there is no single resource that allows an owner or builder to quickly and objectively compare the merits of each system for their particular project.

Making Better Buildings cuts through the hype and provides the unvarnished facts about the upsides and downsides of the most widely discussed materials and technologies. Drawing on the real-world experiences of designer/builders, this comparative guide systematically and comprehensively examines each approach in terms of:

• Cost, sourcing, labor intensity, and ease of construction
• Energy efficiency, embodied energy, and environmental impacts
• Availability/accessibility
• Viable applications and future potential.

Each chapter is rounded out by a chart which summarizes the material in a quick and accessible manner.

Whether you are an owner preparing to build a green or natural home, or a conventional contractor determined to integrate sustainable alternatives into your existing construction practices, this up-to-the minute resource will help you make the best decisions for your project, while meeting your energy, efficiency, budgetary, and site-specific needs.

About this title

About the Author

Chris Magwood has designed and built some of the most innovative buildings in North America, including the first off-grid, straw bale home in Ontario which became a fifteen-year research project into the implementation of sustainable building materials and technologies. Chris Magwood lives in Peterborough, Ontario.

From the Back Cover

SUSTAINABLE BUILDING FROM THE GROUND UP ― THE PROS AND CONS OF THE LATEST GREEN AND NATURAL BUILDING MATERIALS AND TECHNOLOGIES

" …Chris Magwood's delight and mastery of the subject hums in every page. Whether you just want a broad overview, or access to high quality practical information on specific subjects, this is the book for you."
― BRUCE KING, Director, Ecological Building Network

"… an objective source of information on all aspects of home building from the foundation to the roof, to the energy to the wastewater systems. It's the ultimate guide to building energy-efficient, environmentally friendly and healthy green homes―quite possibly the most valuable book ever published on green building!"
― DAN CHIRAS, Ph.D., Director, The Evergreen Institute (www.evergreeninstitute.org) and author, The Natural House , The New Ecological Home and The Solar House

FROM FOUNDATION TO FINISH , Making Better Buildings provides the unbiased facts about the upsides and downsides of the most widely discussed materials and technologies. Drawing on the realworld experiences of professional designers and builders, this comparative guide systematically and comprehensively examines green and natural building approaches in terms of:

• Cost, sourcing, labor intensity and ease of construction
• Energy efficiency, embodied energy and environmental impacts
• Availability/accessibility and code compliance
• Viable applications and future potential.

Whether you are an owner preparing to build a green or natural home, or a conventional contractor determined to integrate sustainable alternatives into your existing construction practices, this up-to-the minute resource will help you to quickly and objectively compare the merits of each system for your particular project, allowing you to make the best decisions while meeting your energy, efficiency, budgetary and sitespecific needs.

"Chris Magwood has saved us all thousands and thousands of research hours with Making Better Buildings . This book is not only a tool for the builders of today, but is a marvelous textbook for the young, emerging building professionals of tomorrow."
― EMILY NIEHAUS, Founding Director, Community Rebuilds

CHRIS MAGWOOD is a sustainable builder and designer specializing in green and natural building techniques, and the founder and director of the Endeavour Centre for Innovative Building, Learning and Living. He is the author of three previous books on sustainable building including Straw Bale Details and More Straw Bale Building .

To help bring you the very best inspiration and information about greener, more sustainable lifestyles, Mother Earth News is recommending select New Society Publishers books to its readers. This book is one of them.

Edition details

• Publisher: New Society Publishers
• Publication date: 2014
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0865717060
• ISBN 13: 9780865717060
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 464