Handmade Houses & Other Buildings: The World of Vernacular Architecture. This item is unavailable.Handmade Houses & Other Buildings: The World of Vernacular Architecture

Vernacular architecture, by its very nature, is built from local materials that are readily to hand and is thus defined by the geology and ecology of the region and by local climatic conditions. Constructed by the community using traditional tools, these structures are highly practical, energy-efficient, and blend with the landscape. They carry many of the attributes that we are now seeking in ‘green architecture’ as we struggle to adapt our built environment to the demands and concerns of the climate-change era. 'Handmade Houses and Other Buildings' looks at everyday structures all over the world, from whatever wood, grass, earth or stone that was to hand, in ways that offered practical solutions to the challenges of climate or terrain. Based on immemorial principles, but highly relevant to our newly found environmental concerns, these buildings show the simple and satisfying ways in which humans have worked out how to live – and live well, in harmony with their surroundings.

Table of Contents

Introduction • Buildings of Europe and Eurasia • Buildings of the Mediterranean and Middle East • Buildings of Asia • Buildings of Sub-Saharan Africa • Buildings of North America • Buildings of Latin America • Buildings of Australasia and Oceania • Modern Vernacular Architecture

John May is the author of sixteen other books, including the official history of Greenpeace. He currently blogs at 'The Generalist'. Anthony Reid, consultant editor, has been teaching and lecturing on international vernacular architecture for almost ten years. His travels have taken him from the houseboats of the East Anglian coast to the gers of Mongolia and the hutongs of Beijing.