BOOKS AND MAGAZINES_DOCUMENTATION

Books_Beth Hawkins

1. Jonathan Chapman and Nick Gant 2007, Designers, Visionaries + Other Stories: A collection of sustainable design essays, Earthscan, London.

The concept of sustainable design and sustainable perception are introduced and defined in this book. In addition, the authors discuss current reservations; an awakening consumer consciousness; and the potential for sustainable design to move from just theory into practice. The following paragraphs will summarize the authors’ definition of these concepts and ideas.
Sustainable design seems to invite criticism and attacks on any claim of environmental improvement. This assault does not help to encourage designers to engage in more sustainable practice; therefore, there is a tendency to imitate trends to avoid this criticism. Designers must view sustainable design as a vibrant, dynamic and forward-looking discipline that questions why things are the way they are, and proposes how they could, and should be. Seeing the interrelation between things, the cause and effect and the linkages that connect seemingly disconnected elements are all part of a sustainable perception.

Sustainable design is usually considered an approach that is a conscious, extra set of issues to be considered when developing, planning and producing. “It may be proposed that the term sustainable design suggests that it is a ‘thing’, an ‘other’ that must be acquired and learnt in order for it to occur; an ethically enlightened destiny that must be aspired to by those practitioners and researchers who have reached that place in their career.

Conventionally, sustainable design is understood as a collection of strategies. Although there are many strategic approaches to sustainable design, it is certainly not all figured out. This book questions current approaches and facilitates the introduction of new strategies. Sustainability is not actually a state that can be achieved because everything has an impact of some sort, whether through “resource extraction, production, shipping, retailing, use, disposal, recycling and so on. The term sustainability is an ‘absolute’, which has the implication of total accomplishment. The idea of 100% sustainability is the ultimate ambition; although, a more realistic way of framing this is to consider degrees of sustainability. Clearly, new ways of measuring sustainability are needed so as to be more effective in embracing the diversity of creative approaches that might be developed. As a discipline, sustainable design requires a level of engagement that must go beyond the “right here, right now” solutions.

In addition, sustainable design needs to branch out of the small-scale and often elite genres of objects and move up into the mass-consumer context. Sustainable design is essentially about reducing impact; therefore, the larger the scale, the bigger the impact. Sustainable design cannot continue to be a marginal activity that is exclusive to a niche of like-minded “tree-huggers”.
Fortunately, today’s demands are being driven by consumers that are becoming more aware of the dangers of excess as well as looking for products that are marketing themselves as eco-friendly. However, this is not enough. Consumer’s awakened consciousness has caused multinational corporations to perk up, although legislation is what is required to force a higher level of cooperation from these corporations.

This book presented pertinent new understandings of sustainable design as well as presenting a collection of essays by some world renowned sustainable designers. The topics covered in the essays and their authors’ are as follows:”Redefining the Purpose of Sustainable Design” by Alastair Fuad-Luke; “Design Redux” by Stuart Walker; “The Scenario of a Multi-local Society: Creative Communities, Active Networks and Enabling Solutions” by Ezio Manzini; “Relative Abundance: Fuller’s Discovery that the Glass Is Always Half Full” by John Wood; and “Clothes That Connect” by Kate Fletcher. It seems that the premise of this book is to fuel sustainable design discourse with a critical eye; thereby encouraging effective theory and practice within industries.



2. Williams, Daniel E. 2007, Sustainable Design: Ecology, Architecture, and Planning, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, N.J.

Ecological design is the use and reuse of only the energy and resources available on site and within the bioregion. This book addresses the positive contributions that designers can make to improve environmental quality through the ecological design of architecture, community design and regional planning. In addition, it outlines design principles by which to formulate projects and plans. Examples of the implementation of these principles are given in case studies and the American Institute of Architects Committee on the Environment (AIA/COTE) top ten green projects. This book discusses the necessity to design “unplugged”, which is defined as, “a life that functions well without exploitation of nonrenewable resources and increases renewable capacities for present and future generations”.

According to the author, ecological design is based on “the bioclimate of a region: solar energy, soil, water, humidity, wind, topography, altitude, and natural energies”. Among the guiding principles of ecological design is to design for connectivity and avoid fragmentation. In ecology, fragmentation of land, waterways, and forests decreases the chances for species survival. “In design, connectivity of natural systems such as watershed streams and open spaces creates logical places for pedestrian walkways, bikeways and recreation, alongside protected corridors for wildlife and plant habitat”.

Another guiding principle of ecological design is considering rainfall as a precious and limited resource. Because the demand for water has increased exponentially and so much of it is polluted, water-resource agencies are wondering how to provide safe water for communities that exist now as well as in the future. A region that is solely reliant on the precipitation that falls on its land area is self-sufficient. Depending on the rainfall conditions of a specific site, the water goals of a project can be established so that the roofs and landscape can serve to store, clean, recycle and reuse water.

Design principles that use the available site energies, regional design, are approaching sustainability; these designs connect everything and are considered ecological models. Resources sustain communities and when they dry up, so do the communities. Presently, community design focuses solely on the form. There are objectives that are stressed, such as: walkable neighborhoods; small-scale streets; the design and location of town centers; transportation; and community gathering places. However, sustainability is not achievable if the communities rely almost entirely on non-renewable resources. They must tie its long-term development and use to the sustainable energies and resources that are on-site.

Architecture up until 100 years ago had to be ingenious to provide comfort by utilizing elements of the natural place. “Passive elements included warm air rising, prevailing breezes, ventilation chimneys, floor plans proportioned and oriented to provide daylight and fresh air to all users, unique methods of construction, virtual elimination of waste, a symbiotic relationship between the structure and materials needed to build it, and the reuse or return to the earth of the materials after their use.” These elements were the foundation of architecture, grounded in sustainable principles, and we now have moved away from these principles.
Even though regional and community design is the scale that will have the greatest impact on sustainability, it is the architecture, the daily experience, which will provide the best direct opportunity for the public to learn and embrace sustainability.


3. 10. Walker, Stuart 2006, Sustainable by Design: Explorations in Theory and Practice , Earthscan, Sterling, VA.

-Offers a design-centered approach that explores the meaning and practice of sustainable design. Challenges conventional methods of defining, producing, and designing sustainable functional objects and products. Introduces concepts that provide a basis for understanding the complexity and potential of sustainable design.


4. Thomas, Randall (ed.) 2003, Sustainable Urban Design: An Environmental Approach, Spon Press, London.

-Focuses on environmental issues of urban development and regeneration, including: landscaping, transport systems, energy, water and wastes, and the buildings (their engineering systems). Includes case studies from the UK and European cities and discusses how these ideas could be put into practice.

5. McLennan, Jason 2004, The Philosophy of Sustainable Design: The Future of Architecture, Ecoton, Kansas City, Missouri.

-Focuses on the philosophy, evolution and principles of sustainable design. The author establishes six principles of sustainable design in respect to: natural systems, people, place, cycle of life, natural resources, and process.

6. United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Denver Service Center 1993, Guiding Principles of Sustainable Design.

-A document that is intended to provide a basis for achieving sustainability in facility planning and design of areas related to ecotourism. Emphasizes the importance of biodiversity and encourages responsible development decisions in parks and other conservation areas.

7. LPA(Firm) 2005, Mainstream Green: Sustainable Design, The Images Publishing Group, Australia.

-An impressive 126 page "brochure" for the LPA architectural firm. In addition, defines green building, the benefits of going green and the "green cost more" myth. Included are six impressive projects with photographs and information regarding the process of development.

8. St. John, Andrew (ed.) 1992, The Sourcebook for Sustainable Design: A Guide to Environmentally Responsible Building Materials and Processes, Boston Society of Architects, Boston, MA.

-A catalog of sustainable products used in the construction industry. Addresses specific issues within the introductions to each construction division. The divisions are: sitework, concrete, masonry, metals, woods and plastics, thermal and moisture protection, doors and windows, finishes, specialties, equipment, special construction, mechanical. and electrical. Each division provides one or more product names with the manufacturer/distributor, trade name, and a description of how the product is sustainable.

9. Crosbie, Michael J. 1994, Green Architecture: A Guide to Sustainable Design, Rockport Publishers Inc., Rockport, MA

-A collection of photographs of architectural designs that create greater energy efficiency and restore biodiversity. Included are brief essays from each architect discussing their goals to and methods of restoring the quality and sustainability of the environment.



Magazines_Chris Chandler and Zeke Cooper


1. Adams, C. 9/30/2008. Green Architect Michelle Kaufmann Calls for Sustainability ?Nutrition? labels. Green Source Magazine. [Online] Available at: http://greensource.construction.com/news/080930Sustainability.asp. Retrieved on October 2, 2008.

Summary:

In this article, the author is describing the proposal of an Architect by the name of Michelle Kaufmann. Kaufmann is proposing a comprehensive labeling system to boost consumer awareness of green residences. These labels are meant to be similar to the nutrition labels applied to food products. Nutrition labels have changed the way people buy food, so she is trying to do the same with Green homes. These labels would display information such as electricity use, carbon emissions, and insulation efficiency of homes. The labels would also help consumers to compare the long-term cost benefits and environmental improvements of green residences. She also notes that sustainability labeling would enhance LEED’s value by brand awareness, if it is a certified home.






2. O’Brien, M. 9/26/2008. Going Green after groundbreaking. Environmental Design and construction Magazine. [Online] Available at: http://www.edcmag.com/CDA/Articles/Feature_Article/BNP_GUID_9-5-2006_A_10000000000000430977. Retrieved on October 2, 2008.

Summary:
This article is about a high rise building built in downtown San Francisco that goes through crucial changes to become more sustainable. Seven months after the start of the project, the developer decided to go back and modify the building by incorporating a multitude of green techniques and standards focused on energy efficiency and minimal environmental impact. As a result, the project became eligible to seek LEED certification. According to the article, the project still remained within budget. Also, adding green to the building did not affect the construction schedule, and amounted to less than a one percent increase to the projects value. Some of the green modifications included a recycled water distribution system, water efficient landscaping, use of recycled construction materials, and recycling of the waste from the overall building construction. At the completion of the building, it became San Francisco’s first LEED Silver-certified speculative high-rise development.



3. Baratta, K. September 2008. Sky Vegetables. Eco-Structure Magazine. P.24.


Summary:
This article introduces a new type of green roof concept. Sky vegetables is an urban-agriculture firm that uses a sustainable model to farm produce on grocery store rooftops. This includes fruits, vegetables, herbs, and flowers year around using commercial Aquaponics greenhouses. The rooftops converted to this concept harvest rainwater and insulate the building, which in turn reduces energy costs and water consumption. Sky Vegetables’ business plan requires a grocery store to sell the fruits, herbs, and vegetables grown on its roof. All of the produce features the Sky Vegetables label, which provides the consumer with facts including environmental significance, safety, taste, freshness, nutritional content, and when it was brought to the market.S




4. King, S. September 2008. Come Rain or Shine. Eco-Structure Magazine. P.56-61.

Summary:

This article focuses on the buildings of Emory University, and their integration of green building into newly renovated areas. Emory University currently has the most square feet of LEED certified buildings than any other campus in the U.S. They are using a rain water collection system in the new dorms, which will collect runoff from the roof by directing it down through downspouts. This then is directed to brick runnels that are part of the exposed landscape design, then to a bioswale where it will flow to a below grade cistern. This cistern is able to hold enough water to flush all toilets on a daily basis, even when Atlanta experiences no rainfall for several weeks. Also condensation from the buildings Air condition system will be collected for reuse throughout the site.



5. Prokopy, J. September2008 . Pervious pavement spreads as Solution. Environmental Design and Construction Magazine. [Online] Available at: http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/bnp/edc_200809/. P. s14-s15. Retrieved on October 4, 2008.

Summary:

This Article talks about areas in large cities, such as Chicago, being converted to pervious pavement that will help meet new storm water management requirements. Pervious concrete mixes contain limited or no fine aggregates, which produces concrete with approximately 20 percent voids. This is what allows for the water to percolate through into the soil, thus reducing runoff. This pavement also cleans storm water by developing a microbial system in the voids that attacks and consumes pollutants. The cost of pervious concrete is more up front, but it proves to be more efficient in the extended service life as compared to asphalt. Chicago has a green alley system, in which they replace the existing asphalt with pervious concrete, which has reduced the storm water runoff dramatically.


6. Prokopy, J. September 2008. Recycled Resources. Environmental Design and construction Magazine. [Online] Available at: http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/bnp/edc_200809/ P. s12-s13. Retrieved on October 4, 2008.

Summary:

This article presents the idea of recycling concrete from old runways and other sites that have been through demolition. The concrete is used in a variety of ways such as wall construction and foundations for new buildings. This makes use of concrete that would otherwise be put into landfills. This in turn, leads to less waste having to be disposed of, and being efficient with the resources that we have at hand.


7. Grove, K. August 2008. Getting it Right. Environmental Design and construction Magazine. [Online] Available at: http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/bnp/edc_200808/ . P.89-90. Retrieved on October 5, 2008.

Summary:

This article deals with the new construction of New Orleans, Louisiana. The project’s mission is to be a catalyst for the redevelopment by building a neighborhood compromised of safe and healthy homes inspired by in depth thinking, with an emphasis on high quality design, while preserving the spirit of the community’s culture. The key is to deliver high performing eco-effective homes on a budget.


8. Environmental Design and construction Magazine. August 2008. Of the Earth. Environmental Design and construction Magazine. [Online] Available at: http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/bnp/edc_200808/ P. 106. Retrieved on October 5, 2008.

Summary:

This article talks about a private game reserve lodge built totally of sustainable materials from its local environment and surroundings. The lodge is sustainably constructed with sand, cement and grasses cut from the surrounding hillside, and is thoughtfully designed to be safe from local wildlife. It is located in South Africa, and still has luxury with the use of sustainable principles. The lodge features an unadorned finish that has been achieved by blending natural such as straw, stone, and pigment into the cement plaster. Everything in the lodge was inspired by nature.



9. Viani, L. October 2007. Stormwater. Landscape Architecture Magazine. P100-111.

Summary:
This article follows the idea of creating bioswales in existing neighborhoods in Seattle, Washington. The area had several problems with stormwater runoff, including muddy streets, and other flooding problems. The city decided to get a petition signed by all the people in specific neighborhoods to allow the implementation of vegetated swales throughout the community. The petition worked, and the idea was approved. Each resident was allowed to sit down and pick plants from a specific pallet, which included drought tolerant and hardy plants. After the swales were constructed, most of the residents took over the maintenance of the swales after three years. They also added plants appealing to them to the swales in front of their residences. This allowed for the residents to interact with their landscapes in a different way, and expose them to a sustainable approach. The swales were an excellent project and decreased a very high amount of stormwater runoff, and left the streets clean with no mud or other pollutants.



10. McIntyre, L. December 2007. Ecology. Landscape Architecture Magazine. P 60-65.

Summary:

This article describes the process of installing a green roof on a Virginia community called Yorktowne Square. Jeanette Stewart, the owner of the community, goes through an ordeal to apply for grants to get green roofs on her condominium buildings. She is successful with a lot of hard work and educating the residents of the community on green roofs and the benefits. At first it was a very tough task to convince the community, but after many reassuring presentations on the proper installation and benefits of green roofing, the community was set on the idea. With some minor structural changes to the existing roofs, the plantings of Sedums was successful and led to a more sustainable approach for the community. The green roofs were installed in 2003 with two cisterns for reuse of stormwater collected from the roof systems. To this day, the system installed has been very successful and still remains well maintained to insure a long lasting sustainable approach.






11. Mays, V. January 2007. Making Hydrology Visible. Landscape Architecture Magazine. P 24-31.

Summary:
This article is about stormwater management techniques used on a 70 acre site in building a 330,000 square foot building along with 10 acres of parking lots. The site is located on a hilltop, and is surrounded by creeks on both sides in Canton, Georgia. This made the runoff situation a big concern when designing the overall plan. Matt Urbanski, the person in charge for the landscape design, acknowledged the precedent set by Frederick Law Olmstead in the late 1870s on one of his projects. Olmstead worked on Boston’s Muddy River’s chronic sanitation problems. He made the hydrologic system visible and redirected the river’s flow and restored the area’s original salt marshes. Urbanski followed this precedent and applied it to his site design. The site was graded to 5% to help water sheet off, and terraces were constructed that had wetlands. He also separated parking areas with wetlands, so that a buffer would be in place, encouraging more percolation into the ground. This led to a very successful site, even though the factory is now out of business, and kept the surrounding environment undisturbed. It actually made the site more versatile and encouraged a functioning wildlife habitat.



12. McIntyre, L. January 2007. At Home with Stormwater. Landscape Architecture Magazine. P 52-62.


Summary:

This article is about stormwater management in a Subdivision called Heritage Park in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The subdivision appears to be built around a series of ponds and creeks, but these are all part of its rainwater management program. The site was designed to have attractive rain gardens that serve as an educational tool, as well as functional in a sustainable sense. The management areas are planted with native plants that are suitable for the area, and have the ability to survive drought and floods. They help create a filtration system to further clean runoff. They also hold existing slopes with their root systems. The plants used were also picked to have appealing features to the eye, which strengthens the ability to sell homes in the area. Several local residents have added to the management system, by putting rain gardens and green roofs on their property. As long as the site is maintained as described through the manual created by the installers, it will stay a functional system for management of stormwater.


13. McIntyre, L. Januray 2007. Plants. Landscape Architecture Magazine. P 64-71.

Summary:

This article is about green roof plants, with Ed Snodgrass as a nurseryman for these plant types. Ed is very familiar with green roof plants, as he owns and runs a nursery called Emory Knoll Farm, just north of Baltimore, Maryland. He has been an innovator in the design and implementation of green roofing. He grows top of the line plants, which are meant for green roof use. Sedums are among some his very popular plants, as well as delosperma and Talinum. Ed has created a regional map used to show which plants do better where, and he has done this through past experience. He has also written a book called Green Roof Plants: A Resource and Planting guide. Green roofs are still and emerging technology, but the book includes discussion of green roof engineering along with plant photos and cultural information. Ed has been very successful in creating a plant palette for green roofing and he continues to refine his strategy to the subject.


14. Hines, S. March 2007. Applying Ecological Design. Landscape Architecture Magazine. P 62-71.

Summary:

This article is about a Design firm called Biohabitats, which deals with environmental restoration and management. It was founded originally by Keith Bowers and his partner as a design build company, and was turned around when Bowers bought out his partner. It was changed more towards restoration projects, and turned down projects that did not have sustainable plans or were not involved in ecological restoration. They mostly do regenerative design, conservation planning, and ecological restoration within its five different branch offices. The firm has worked with municipalities within the Chesapeake Bay area to develop local land use programs.


15. McIntyre, L. March 2007. Porous Pavement Man. Landscape Architecture Magazine. P 110-115.

Summary:

This article is about a teacher and professional Landscape Architect, Bruce Ferguson, from the University of Georgia. Ferguson has devoted a lot of his research to stormwater management in the context of porous pavement. He has written three books, all have which deal with stormwater infiltration and porous pavement. Ferguson is known for taking groups on tours of porous pavements sites and always carrying a bottle of water to demonstrate the capability of the pavement when exposed to water. He stresses that porous pavement is very easy to install, but it just has to be done by someone properly educated. The maintenance, however, is substantially lower than that of traditional concrete and asphalt. In some parts of the country, where sandier soils are present, the sediments must sometimes be vacuumed from the pavers. This must be done so that the joints are not clogged, thus hindering the percolation of water through the surface. However, this is lees common is the southeastern United States, since the soils are less sandy and are made more of thick clay. Other porous surfaces mentioned are grass pave, and geocells placed under the sod of a site. These have proved to be less successful when combined with traffic, just because they do not support the weight like concrete pavers.

16. Hines, S. April 2007. Road Warrior. Landscape Architecture Magazine. P92-101.

Summary:

In this article a man by the name of Dan Burden, the founder of the Florida based Walkable Communities Incorporated, shows his tools and reasons behind the design of pedestrian friendly roads. He spends most of his time on the road, flying from town to town charretting, and giving tours around the towns showing how roads can be improved upon. He stresses that trees provide tremendous aesthetic and environmental value, and are effective traffic calming mechanisms. He cites research showing that tree-lined, pedestrian-friendly streets are safer than streets designed with wider lanes and fewer trees. Hi uses his knowledge and experience to recommend safer routes for towns that could for example be a safer walk to school or to the store. He also stresses that the greater connectivity between home, school, work, and the market, the more efficiently land will be used.


Magazines_Chris Chandler and Zeke Cooper