85 of 87 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Ideas for Sustainable Housing, Aug 16 2005
By John Matlock "Gunny" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Green House: New Directions in Sustainable Architecture (Hardcover)
The design goals of a green house are:
1. Harmonize with the site.
2. Build as small as possible.
3. Use natural heating and cooling
4. Be beautiful as well as ecological.
5. Located close to there the dwellers have to go (work, school, shopping).
6. Refurbish older buildings where possible.
The thirty or so houses described in this book fit these criteria as best as possible. Some of these are in remote locations so fail in that criteria (unless you work at home and do not have children in school). But a surprising number of these dwellings are in cities: New York, Vienna, Stuttgart, Melbourne, San Antonio, Phoenix.
The houses are striking in appearance, inexpensive to build, totally functional. As with other books of home plans, these houses serve as idea books for architects and potential owners to use in their new designs.
57 of 59 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Green home design meets high-end modern architecture, Dec 8 2006
By James Johnson - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Green House: New Directions in Sustainable Architecture (Hardcover)
As a coffee table book of high-style architecture with a 'green' focus, this is an excellent book. Everything is well documented, and there are beautiful pictures of a diverse set of very creatively designed structures. I would argue that many of the single-family homes break the principal of building only as large as necessary, but that's pretty typical of high-end 'aesthetic' architecture anyway. There are also a number of green apartment buildings, and even one low-income complex.
Unfortunately, I wanted a book on green homes built by average people, not multi-million dollar projects. Thus, I returned the book and ordered "Good Green Homes" instead.
26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent incubator for ideas and more, Mar 24 2006
By MrGreenGenes - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Green House: New Directions in Sustainable Architecture (Hardcover)
The book is more than a good addition to a coffee table to tempt your unsuspecting guest. The book begins with a short philosophical journey on the definitions of sustainability. I was surprised to find how the word has eveolved as well as its application to architecture. Following the introduction is an excellent breakdown of a wide range of houses and buildings created in diverse environments. The creative ways in which "greenness" was incorporated into the construction of the buildings was fascinating. My wife and I want to build a "green" house, but I realized as I read this book that I really didn't know what that meant. The book is not a how-to manual for direct applications, but offers important perspectives that will likely apply to whatever project one may consider. The book serves as an excellent incubator to reflect on how you create a "green" house. We have a folder of ideas for our "green" house. This book dhowed us how we can make it happen - but without the final blue prints. The book also provided names and examples that provide key references to realizing "green" architecture. For example, we have names and ideas that we can incorporate into our collaboration with an architect for our house design. Overall, I highly recommmend it.