Green Building Materials, Technologies, Techniques
This book is an excellent guide for anyone wanting to design the house of their dreams. Designing Your Perfect House contains a wealth of information and know-how from an architect who has been working with residential clients for three decades. It s the kind of wisdom that only comes with practice and is of immense value to anyone wanting an inspiring new home. Herein you ll find everything you need to know about the process of working with an architect, as well as what homework to do before you begin.
Reading this book, you will gain insights about how to:
- Gain control of the design and building process
- Choose a perfect site for your house
- Avoid costly mistakes
- Unify an architectural design
- Not just design a house, but how to design a home
- Budget in a realistic manner
This absolutely indispensable and lavishly photographed guide will become a cornerstone work for years to come. It redefines the best way to "go green" and addresses a timely topic in a way designed to appeal to a growing and eager audience. Completely user-friendly and filled with motivational case studies and informative graphics. Every page leads would-be remodellers through the process of understanding their home and surroundings so they'll arrive at the perfect design solution.
"Practical Green Remodeling" offers green remodeling guidance for those who aren't sure where to begin.
For clients who want to green their existing homes but have no idea where to start—or what going green even entails—green building proponent Barry Katz's Practical Green Remodeling: Down-to-Earth Solutions for Everyday Homes provides an easily digestible guide and handy educational tool. Katz starts with the basics and explains industry best practices for achieving energy efficiency, conserving resources, and creating healthy living environments, emphasizing off-the-shelf materials and detailing how different choices impact a home's overall sustainability, as well as the client's bottom line. He encourages clients to establish a sustainable vision for their homes that will guide their choices and the remodeling process.
Going green at home can seem like an all-or-nothing proposition. Do you sell everything (including the house) and start over, building and buying only eco-friendly, renewable goods? Or do you take the advice offered up in this smart and sensible book — and remodel instead? Green building expert Barry Katz makes a compelling argument for remodeling, as he guides readers through what can be a perplexing and daunting process. Too many decisions? No worries. Katz explains how different choices impact a home’s overall green quotient, as well as its bottom line. Emphasizing off-the-shelf materials, the book shows how homeowners of ordinary means can “green up” a remodel, resulting in less waste, more energy-efficient homes, lower maintenance costs, and more comfortable, healthful environments. This is an essential guide for anyone who has ever wanted to go green but wasn’t exactly sure where to begin.
From the most basic solutions to advanced, energy-saving projects, no book covers home insulation and weatherization like this one. With 35 drawings and 350 color photos guiding them, homeowners will learn how best to keep their homes warm in winter, cool in summer, and weather-tight all year long. An engineer who trains builders in energy-efficient construction, Harley offers a wealth of information that will allow readers to improve their home's efficiency, saving both money and natural resources. After an introductory section that explains the underlying principles of heat transfer, insulation, and air quality, Harley demonstrates basics such as weather-stripping and moves forward through advanced projects including insulation and major upgrades. Short "Pro Tips" as well as sections labeled "Trade Secrets," "What Can Go Wrong," and "In Detail" provide a great deal of helpful information. Increasing energy efficiency is one of the easiest ways for homeownes to save money, so this book is sure to be used. Other titles in this series include Windows and Doors, Painting and Finishing, Trim Carpentry and Built-ins, and Building a Deck. They are all good choices for any public library wanting to increase the depth of its home improvement collection.
This excellent hands-on guide to designing environmentally friendly buildings -- those made from materials that preserve the earth's natural legacy for future generations -- is written by two nationally known experts on the subject. You'll find practical information on green product selection, product specification, and construction processes. You'll also learn just what green building materials are, where you can find them, and how you can use them effectively. This edition includes updated information on LEED requirements and how to integrate them into the specifications process and new sections on commissioning and on construction waste management. Other features are guidelines on how to evaluate the "greenness" of building materials, helpful sample forms to aid in selecting and specifying materials, and a brief history of relevant environmental legislation.
To properly select and specify green building materials, successful architects need authoritative, real-world advice on how to select and use nontoxic, recycled, and recyclable products, and how to integrate these products into the design process in order to capitalize on the many practical and economic advantages of "going green."
Interest in sustainable, green building practices is greater than ever. Whether concerned about allergies, energy costs, old-growth forests, or durability and long-term value, homeowners and builders are looking for ways to ensure that their homes are healthy, safe, beautiful, and efficient. Categories of products include:
- Sitework and landscaping
- Outdoor structures
- Decking
- Foundations, footers, and slabs
- Structural systems and components
- Sheathing
- Exterior finish and trim
- Roofing
- Doors and windows
- Insulation
- Flooring and floor coverings
- Interior finish and trim
- Caulks and adhesives
- Paints and coatings
- Mechanical systems/HVAC
- Plumbing, electrical, and lighting
- Appliances
- Furniture and furnishings
- Renewable energy
- Distributors and retailers
ince its launch in 1993 by the nonprofit U.S. Green Building Council, the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program has become the standard measure of sustainability for buildings worldwide. Successfully reaching one of four LEED certification levels—Certified, Silver, Gold, or Platinum—requires specific point totals, which differ among building types. Getting certified, in addition to altruistic benefits, allows building owners to take advantage of a growing number of state and local government incentives. The menu of potential points available for various practices ranges from installing bike racks on-site to documenting the source of the iron ore used in any construction steel. As any architect or developer can attest, navigating this complex system of required prerequisites and credits can be maddening. It may be good to be green, but it's still far from easy.
An architect's knowledge of materials can make or break a building's rating. Though LEED's performance-based criteria exclude individual materials and products from earning points toward certification, their specific use can. Apply a material in the wrong situation and you may not get credit for it. Fortunately, with a little insider knowledge, you can also use one material to get credit in two, three, or even more areas. LEED Materials is packed with critical information on nearly two hundred materials, products, and services. Organized in the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) MasterFormat—industry standard in building contracts—this highly visual guide makes sure your material choices and uses will maximize your LEED credits.
A whole-building approach to sustainability. The integrative design process offers a new path to making better green building decisions and addressing complex issues that threaten living systems. In The Integrative Design Guide to Green Building: Redefining the Practice of Sustainability, 7group's principals and integrative design pioneer Bill Reed introduce design and construction professionals to the concepts of whole building design and whole systems. With integrative thinking that reframes what sustainability means, they provide a how-to guide for architects, designers, engineers, developers, builders, and other professionals on incorporating integrative design into every phase of a project.
This practical manual:
- Explains the philosophy and underpinnings of effective integrative design, addressing systems thinking and building and community design from a whole-living system perspective
- Details how to implement integrative design from the discovery phase to occupancy, supported by process outlines, itemized tasks, practice examples, case studies, and real-world stories illustrating the nature of this work
- Explores the deeper understanding of integration that is required to transform architectural practice and our role on the planet
Want to build responsibly, reduce waste, and help preserve the environment? Green Building & Remodeling For Dummies is your friendly, step-by-step guide to every facet of this Earth-friendly method of construction. Building a home—even a green home—uses plenty of resources and energy. This practical, hands-on book shows you how to build or remodel conscientiously, whether your dream home is a simple remodel or a brand-new multimillion-dollar mansion.
You’ll start by identifying green materials and sizing up potential systems and construction sites. You’ll weigh the pros and cons of popular green building methods and identify opportunities for saving money in the long run. Need to find some green professionals to assist you in your venture? We’ll help you do that, too. This book will also help you discover how to:
- Understand the lifecycle of building materials
- Choose the right system for your green building project
- Put together a green team
- Work within your budget
- Use green building methods and sustainable systems
- Speed construction and reduce energy use and waste
- Refinish old fixtures and materials
- Beware of asbestos and lead-paint hazards
- Avoid costly mistakes
Labelled a Builder's Guide, this book is the next step up from the Dummies tome. It's written for builders and architects, but is a valuable resource for the advanced DIY person or the homeowner who wants to talk turkey with the pros on eco-friendly construction and energy efficiency. Topics range from selecting your building site and landscaping to tankless hot water systems and the insulating value of different window frame materials.
A Zero Energy Home (ZEH) – a home that produces as much energy as it consumes – is an idea whose time has come! Authors David Johnston and Scott Gibson (Green from the Ground Up) explore the design and construction of self-sufficient houses from start to finish. They make the case for a ZEH; cite climate and geographic challenges; describe exactly how to go about building an energy-efficient home; and feature ten houses that were built for zero energy living. With unequaled knowledge and a passion for the subject, the authors walk readers through the process of building and living in a truly green home.
Green building is the fastest-growing trend to hit since the Internet, bringing with it an enormous range of new products, systems, and technologies. Green Building A to Z is an informative, technically accurate, and highly visual guide to green building, for both decision-makers and interested citizens. It begins with an introduction to the importance of green buildings and a brief history of the green building movement, outlines the benefits and costs of green buildings, and shows how you can influence the spread of green buildings. The book touches on key issues, such as enhancing water conservation, reducing energy use, and creating a conservation economy.
The book examines all aspects of green buildings, including:
- Architecture 2030
- Locally sourced materials
- Natural ventilation
- Solar energy
- Zero-net-energy buildings
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