Ten Shades of Green

We have just finished having a read through the book Ten Shades Of Green. The book is the documentation of an exhibition of the same name by the Architectural League in New York in 2000.
The book shows you real project examples of green design and building as well as the strategies used in each project. The are some great sketches of various design strategies for creating good green passive design.

The local interest in the book is the Cotton Tree Pilot Housing project in Queensland by Clare Design. This is a fantastic project bringing back lost elements of vernacular Queensland architecture and re-interpreting them for modern living. The project hits the holy grail of being both green and affordable.

cradle to cradle design

We have both just finished reading Architect William McDonoughs & Chemist Michael Braungarts fantastic book, cradle to cradle.

The book has been internationally released for a few years but it only JUST starting to get noticed in design circles in Australia.

Where to start...this book should be a must read for all students of design and architecture, it should become a course book.

The basis of McDonoughs and Braungarts argument is that we require a new industrial revolution, one that gives back to nature, not just takes, one that does not design products with a 'cradle to grave' mentality but a 'cradle to cradle' attitude. All products and materials should be able to either be recycled or upcycled forever, and if we have waste, it should give back to nature as a nutrient not as a pollutant.

And it is not just talk, McDonough and Braungart have created a company called McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry (MBDC) who are working with clients such as Ford, BP and Herman Miller, whose Celle chair is a direct result of their partnership. The Celle chair has 33% recycled content and is 99% recyclable.

Bring on the revolution we say!

The Green Studio Handbook

We have just finished reading The Green Studio Handbook. This is a great reference book for Architects, Designers and Builders as well as providing good information for anyone wanting a knowledge of green building strategies.

The book is focused on good green design strategies that should be integrated into projects very early on and breaks them down into:

• Envelope
• Lighting
• Heating
• Cooling
• Energy Production
• Water and waste

Included at the back of the book are some great case studies showing how various strategies can be used and how they perform.

Highly recommended reading.

New 'green' magazine launched

A new quarterly magazine on sustainable architecture and landscape design has just been released. The magazine aptly titled 'green', targets the growing number of homeowners demanding information and inspiration on sustainable architecture and landscape design.

First edition is on sale from June 8. Their website is also worth a look, although it doesn't have much content at this stage it has the making of a good resource.

Sustainable living - 25 International examples

Exactly as the title says, this book is about 25 international examples of the best in modern sustainable architecture and design. The houses in the book are from 18 different countries, on five continents and come from both rural regions and urban areas.

All of the houses are designed with a keen eye to what makes a great house sit comfortably within it's given environment as well as addressing the ever increasing need for houses to consume less of everything, water, energy, space, resources.

The cover shot, Peter Stutchbury's recent design in the Kangaroo Valley South of Sydney, is a fantastic example of a very Australian response to the site and sustainability.

Eco source book

Eco design - the source book is a showcase of some of the most innovative and environmentally friendly products available. There is over 700 products covered ranging from furniture to fashion, energy options to electronics. Compiled by Alastair Faud-Luke, a Professor of ecological design at Falmouth college of arts in Britain, the book is bound to become on of those constantly referenced by anyone interested in the newest of the "green".

New book - Modernism & Australia

Modernism and Australia - Documents on Art, Design and Architecture 1917-1967 is a new book released by Miegunyah Press and edited by Ann Stephen, Andrew McNamara and Philip Goad.

The book reveals the issues that modernism and it's arrival in Australia exposed. Including more than two hundred documents from the main members of the movement and conveys in their own words the tensions, aspirations and paradoxes that greeted the arrival of modernism.

It also chronicles the dogged institutional resistance that greeted modernism, particularly in the fine arts.

Fans of the modern movement in Australia, well worth a look

NEW BOOKS : GLENN MURCUTT AND GREEN HOUSE

Two new books recently published took our interest:

Glenn Murcutt : Architect

This is a Glenn Murcutt opus comprising the impressive book of 7kg and 8 folders on specific projects. Only 1000 have been issued, it is printed on archive quality paper and spans his career to date. This is bound to be the ultimate Glenn Murcutt collectable.


The Green House
New Directions in Sustainable Architecture

The Green House has a mixture of Architects from Australia and around the world. The main thrust of the book is in recognising that different climates exist and that green design needs to take this into account. The book is broken down into waterfront, forest and mountain, tropical, desert, suburban, and urban; there is also a section on mobile dwellings. A book aside from the usual coffee table lot who pass themselves of as being "green".