For sustainable architecture to become a reality, the way we design buildings needs to change. Many architects are concerned that sustainable technologies may interfere with a building's aesthetic appearance, and so these are often 'added on' once the design process is complete.
Elements of Sustainable Architecture solves this dilemma by helping students to develop the design skills they need to create sustainable buildings - ensuring that ecological considerations are applied throughout the design process. Restoring the primacy of aesthetics and creativity to sustainable design, the book focuses on strategies that have the greatest impact on building design. It also shows the influence of sustainability considerations on choices about aspects such as composition, form, space, tectonics, materials, colour, textures, proportion and position.
Specifically designed to offer a new way of understanding architecture, the book:
- introduces students to the basic principles and methods of sustainable design;
- features current examples and inspiring case studies to support learning step by step;
- presents information in a visually appealing, intuitive, easy-to-understand way;
- includes over 500 high-quality colour diagrams, drawings, sketches and photographs.
A clear, visual introduction to creating aesthetically beautiful and sustainable buildings, this is essential reading for students in sustainable architecture courses.
About the Author: Rosa Urbano Gutiérrez is Senior Lecturer at the Liverpool School of Architecture, where she teaches design studio and environmental sciences. Her research interest is sustainable architectural design through the exploration of emergent materials and technologies. She holds a PhD from the Madrid School of Architecture, a master's degree in design from the Harvard Graduate School of Design and has previously worked as a Research Scholar at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Her latest book, Sustainable Retrofits: Post-War Residential Towers in Britain (with Asterios Agkathidis; 2017), is published by Routledge.
Laura de la Plaza Hidalgo is an architect and urban planner specialising in sustainability. Throughout her professional career, she has participated in the design of master plans and the construction of buildings that have obtained certification of sustainability seals such as LEED or AENOR, and has also taught urban planning and sustainable construction at the School of Architecture of the Pontifical University of Salamanca. She holds a master's degree in urban planning from Carlos III University and another in sustainable cities from the Technical University of Madrid.
