XS: Small Structures, Green Architecture

by Phyllis Richardson

A follow-up to the highly successful Big Ideas, Small Buildings , this book features contemporary solutions to two of today's most challenging problems-how to conserve space and help save the environment. The design goals of the 40 houses included here are to build as small as possible, to harmonize with the site, to use natural heating and cooling techniques, and, above all, to combine aesthetic beauty with ecological sensitivity. The houses are striking in appearance, inexpensive to build, and totally functional, and will serve as inspiration for architects and potential owners.Designed by a variety of young international architects (among them Patkau, ShoP, Sean Godsel, and Klein Dytham) the projects featured here reveal an extraordinary degree of ingenuity within a tight, creative context or budget. As homeowners become more environmentally savvy and demand environmentally sound choices, a new generation of architects and builders is creating warm, inviting homes that cause only a fraction of the ecological impact of conventional building methods. The book is also a compelling manifesto that illustrates how ecological responsibility can reinvigorate contemporary architecture. Sustainability is not just good for the environment-it also propels architects toward new innovations and greater creativity.

Genres: Architecture

224 pages, Hardcover

Published March 13, 2007

Reviews

[Sara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Small Structures, Green Architecture seems to be one in a series of books focusing on small structures with this book exploring "green" architecture. However, their idea of "green" architecture simply seems to be that the structure somehow attempts to possibly engage with nature. Some of the structures they showcase seem to be quite the opposite, being nothing more than a one use pleasure bubble that doesn't consider embodied energy or the origins of materials. Some do but their picking & choosing seems to focus on the artistic aspects of the projects rather than the green aspects.

If you're really interested in sustainable design this book is not worth more than a glance for some possible artistic inspiration.

[Linds_e · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some of the structures were cute/beautiful/interesting. But I had a hard time feeling like this book was about green architecture.

[Solivagant Orphic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very helpful in terms of inspiration for proyects that are, small or for students.