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Green Building, Materials & Design

Books cover sustainable architecture, including green design and building for homes as well as for commercial, industrial, educational, and public structures and developments, renovation, remodeling, interior design, infrastructure, and landscaping. They cover building methods and materials, LEED standards, certification of lumber and forest products, energy and water efficiency, use of natural light and renewable energy, use of recycled materials, prevention of offgassing and indoor air pollution, regenerative design, and unconventional techniques such as straw bale, cordwood, adobe, and rammed earth construction.

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Featured Books

Greed to Green: the Transformation of an Industry and a Life. By David Gottfried. In this inspirational and personal memoir, David Gottfried tells the story of how he created the U.S. Green Building Council and the World Green Building Council while at the same time transforming himself from a greedy real estate developer to a founder of the global green building movement. According to author Paul Hawken, the Green Building Councils have transformed the world more than any other environmental organizations. Gottfried has also served as a sustainable development consultant for many of the leading sustainable building organizations in the United States. More... | David Gottfried EcoSpeakers Info >>

Green Building A to Z: Understanding the Language of Green Building. By Jerry Yudelson. Green building is one of the fastest-growing business trends to hit since the Internet, and it is bringing with it an enormous range of new products, systems, and technologies. An informative and highly visual guide, this book outlines the benefits and costs of green buildings. More than just a reference, it makes very clear the importance of green buildings and green developments for a sustainable future. It will be an invaluable resource for businesspeople, homeowners, product manufacturers, developers, building industry professionals and government officials. More… | Jerry Yudelson EcoSpeakers Info >>

The Green Building Revolution. By Jerry Yudelson and S. Richard Fedrizzi. Introduces the basics of green building and the projects and people that are advancing it. Shows both why and how to start thinking about designing, building, and operating high performance, environmentally aware buildings on conventional budgets. Outlines the broader "journey to sustainability" influenced by the green building revolution and provides a solid business case for accelerating this trend. Illustrated with more than 50 photos, tables, and charts, and filled with timely information, it is the definitive description of a major movement that's poised to transform our world. More… | Jerry Yudelson EcoSpeakers Info >>

The New Ecological Home: Complete Guide to Green Building Options. By Dan Chiras. As homeowners become more environmentally savvy and demand ecological choices, a new generation of architects and builders is emerging. In this comprehensive volume, Chiras includes chapters on green building materials, earth-sheltered architecture, passive solar heating and cooling, sustainable approaches to water and waste, energy efficiency, and environmental landscaping. He sets the record strait on the vast potential for passive heating and cooling, and provides a resource guide, recommendations, and a green-building checklist. More… | Dan Chiras EcoSpeakers Info >>

The Natural House: A Complete Guide to Healthy, Energy-Efficient, Environmental Homes. By Dan Chiras. An overview of the pros and cons of fourteen natural building methods. Includes straw bale, rammed earth, cob, cordwood, adobe, earthbags, papercrete, and more. The common goal is to create a house that is economical, energy efficient, nontoxic, and pleasing. This comprehensive sourcebook offers in-depth information that will guide your choice of the materials and methods for building a sustainable natural home. An unabashed advocate of natural building techniques, Chiras takes care not to romanticize, and he alerts readers to avoidable pitfalls. More… | Dan Chiras EcoSpeakers Info >>

Greening Existing Buildings. By Jerry Yudelson. Explains how to transform existing buildings into more energy-efficient, resource-conserving green buildings. It provides a clear, step-by-step process to help transition building operations and maintenance toward the goal of a green-certified building. Shows building owners and facility managers how to green buildings in a cost-effective way. Includes more than 25 case studies of successful implementation and 35 insightful interviews with industry experts and building owners and managers. More... | Jerry Yudelson EcoSpeakers Info >>

Green Home Improvement: 65 Projects That Will Cut Utility Bills, Protect Your Health & Help the Environment. By Dan Chiras. The projects described range from quick, easy, low-cost tasks like insulating a water heater, sealing foundation cracks, or painting with insulating paint, to bigger-ticket items like installing an energy-efficient heating system, energy-conserving windows, or green flooring. For each project, it outlines the steps required, the material and installation options, the cost, the payback, as well as the health, comfort, and environmental benefits. More... | Dan Chiras EcoSpeakers Info >>

More Books

Agora Borealis: Engaging in Sustainable Architecture. By Vivian Manasc and Cheryl Mahaffy. A look at the world of sustainable architecture. Includes case studies and also stories of a team, its challenges and triumphs, as it works to create sustainable buildings. Color images, black and white photography, sketches and quotes. More... | Vivian Manasc EcoSpeakers Info >>

The Art of Natural Building. By Joseph E. Kennedy, Michael Smith, and Catherine Wanek. A user-friendly introduction to natural building for non-professionals as well as architects and designers. Packed with resources, it is an encyclopedia of natural building. More... | Joseph E. Kennedy EcoSpeakers Info >>

Building Without Borders: Sustainable Construction for the Global Village. By Joseph E. Kennedy. Describes pioneering efforts to create sustainable shelter for the billions currently under-housed. It surveys projects around the world that are housing the homeless (without destroying natural habitats to do so) by drawing upon local traditions such as bamboo, straw bale and earthen construction. More... | Joseph E. Kennedy EcoSpeakers Info >>

Choosing Green: The Homebuyer's Guide to Good Green Homes. By Jerry Yudelson. Energy-efficient, non-toxic, healthy homes are the hottest trend in the building industry. How does a home buyer who wants a green home know what to look for, what questions to ask a builder, which green home rating systems to trust, and what homes are on the market? Nationally recognized green-building expert Jerry Yudelson provides answers. Easy-to-use tables, charts, maps, score sheets, and checklists. More… | Jerry Yudelson EcoSpeakers Info >>

Cordwood Building. By Rob Roy. Cordwood building is an ancient technique where walls are constructed from "log ends" laid transversely in the wall. It is easy, economical, esthetically striking, energy-efficient, and environmentally sound. More... | Rob Roy EcoSpeakers Info >>

Deep Design. By David Wann. Explores a new way of thinking about design, one that asks "What is our ultimate goal?" before the first step has been taken. "Deep designs" meet the criteria of renewability, recyclability, and nontoxicity. More... | David Wann EcoSpeakers Info >>

Developing Green: Strategies for Success. By Jerry Yudelson. Green building and development is a major industry trend. This book helps in understanding how to build a business case and take advantage of tenants' and owners' interest in green development. It includes insider tips to approaching the LEED rating system strategically. More... | Jerry Yudelson EcoSpeakers Info >>

The Dumb Architect's Guide to Glazing Selection. By Jason F. McLennan. An introduction for architects wanting to make intelligent decisions on glazing in their building designs, decisions that lower environmental impact, save money, and increase comfort. More... | Jason F. McLennan EcoSpeakers Info >>

Earth-Sheltered Houses: How to Build an Affordable Underground Home. By Rob Roy. A practical guide for those who want to build their own underground home at moderate cost. It describes the benefits of sheltering a home with earth, including the added comfort and energy efficiency from the moderating influence of the earth on the home's temperature, low maintenance, and protection against fire, sound, earthquake and storm. More… | Rob Roy EcoSpeakers Info >>

The Ecological Engineer. By Jason F. McLennan and David R. Macaulay. Showcases the most innovative engineers in North America and the practices and principles they use to produce functionally outstanding structures, systems and technologies that embrace the emerging philosophy of sustainable design. Organized into three critical sections – Practice, Principles and Projects – the book provides a valuable resource and touchstone for engineers, architects and other design professionals who want to embrace an ethic that is responsible to both people and the environment. More... | Jason F. McLennan EcoSpeakers Info >>

Forest Certification in Sustainable Development: Healing the Landscape. By Chris Maser and Walter Smith. Highlights the history, importance, and rewards of forest certification. Discusses the issues involved in mainstream forestry as it is currently practiced, and what can be done to create sustainable forestry. More… | Chris Maser EcoSpeakers Info >>

Green Building & Remodeling For Dummies. By Eric Corey Freed. Explains how to build or remodel conscientiously, whether a simple remodel or a brand-new multimillion-dollar mansion. Provides information on all aspects of green building and remodeling, from identifying green materials and sizing up potential systems and construction sites, to the pros and cons of popular green building methods and identifying opportunities for saving money. More... | Eric Corey Freed EcoSpeakers Info >>

Green Building Through Integrated Design. By Jerry Yudelson. This comprehensive guide covers the entire process of building a certified green building. You'll get expert insight into tackling various projects, from concept and design, to unifying members of the team, to constructing high-performance buildings on time and within standard budgets. More… | Jerry Yudelson EcoSpeakers Info >>

Green Building Trends: Europe. By Jerry Yudelson. The green building revolution is a worldwide movement for energy-efficient, environmentally aware architecture and design. Europe has been in the forefront of green building technology, and this book provides a primer on new technologies, systems, and regulatory approaches in Western Europe that can be adopted in North America. More… | Jerry Yudelson EcoSpeakers Info >>

The Homeowner's Guide to Renewable Energy. By Dan Chiras. This guide starts by outlining the likely impacts of fossil fuel shortages and some basic facts about energy. It then discusses energy conservation to slash energy bills and prepare for renewable energy options. Focusing on specific strategies needed to replace specific fuels, the book examines each option available to homeowners. More… | Dan Chiras EcoSpeakers Info >>

House Transformed: Getting the Home You Want with the House You Have. By Linda Mason Hunter, Matthew Schoenherr et al. Describes 20 projects that offer homeowners workable ideas, from connecting new and old parts of a house to gaining needed space through clever storage solutions. Shows how remodeling can enliven the spaces in a home, removing flaws, enhancing interior livability, increasing curb appeal, and making best use of the site. More... | Linda Mason Hunter EcoSpeakers Info >>

Marketing Green Building Services: Strategies for Success. By Jerry Yudelson. Presents the information key decision-makers need to respond to the fast-growing market for green buildings, design and construction services and products. The book systematically examines the important market segments for green buildings. It also presents key business case justifications for green buildings that help architects, engineers and builders to understand client motivations and respond to them with appropriate marketing tactics and communications strategies. Includes information that will help manufacturers and product sales teams to craft appropriate marketing strategies. More… | Jerry Yudelson EcoSpeakers Info >>

Marketing Green Buildings. By Jerry Yudelson. Covers tools and techniques from conventional marketing that can be used effectively in marketing green buildings, the size and potential of the green buildings market, and how a firm should position itself to succeed. Includes clear descriptions of successful strategies and approaches to marketing and selling green building-related services, as well as up-to-date information on the role of LEED in green building projects. More... | Jerry Yudelson EcoSpeakers Info >>

The Natural Plaster Book. By Dan Chiras, Cedar Rose Guelberth, and Deanne Bednar. For builders of natural homes (straw bale, cob, adobe, rammed earth, and other natural materials), this unique step-by-step guide takes the confusion out of choosing, mixing, and applying natural plasters. More... | Dan Chiras EcoSpeakers Info >>

The Philosophy of Sustainable Design. By Jason F. McLennan. Outlines the major issues and ideas that have emerged over the last thirty years from the growing movement of green architecture and sustainable design. This book is intended as a starting point for anyone involved in the building industry to learn how to build more responsibly. It prompts individuals to understand how the philosophy of sustainable design can affect their own work, and it presents a framework for people to understand why it will become the future of architecture and design. More... | Jason F. McLennan EcoSpeakers Info >>

PreFab Green. By Michelle Kaufmann and Cathy Remick. Michelle Kaufmann shares her vision of creating thoughtful, sustainable design for everyone by describing how her design firm blends sustainable home layouts, eco-friendly materials, and low-energy options to create a "prepackaged" green solution to home design. Describes five eco-principles that are present in every design her firm creates (smart design, eco-materials, energy efficiency, water conservation, and healthy environment), and how they work together to create homes that make a difference. More... | Michelle Kaufmann EcoSpeakers Info >>

The Solar House: Passive Heating and Cooling. By Dan Chiras. Explains in detail how today's homebuilders can succeed with solar designs. Now that energy efficiency measures including higher levels of insulation and multi-layered glazing have become standard, it is easier than ever before to create a comfortable and affordable passive solar house that will provide year-round comfort in any climate. More… | Dan Chiras EcoSpeakers Info >>

Southwest Style: A Home-Lover's Guide to Architecture and Design. By Linda Mason Hunter and Peter Vitale. From adobe casitas to log cabins to straw bale homes, this book includes honest, ingenious, and easily adaptable ideas from the heart of the Southwest. More... | Linda Mason Hunter EcoSpeakers Info >>

Stoneview: How to Build an Eco-friendly Little Guesthouse. By Rob Roy. Over 130 clear line drawings and step-by-step images provide the reader with all the information needed to build an octagonal cordwood masonry timber-framed guesthouse with a living roof from start to finish. A full-color section shows off the beautiful design features of this charming "green" cabin. More… | Rob Roy EcoSpeakers Info >>

Sustainable Retail Development: New Success Strategies. By Jerry Yudelson. Addresses the issue of green retail buildings and retail development that will grow significantly in importance over the next half-decade, a trend seen throughout the developed world. A practical and comprehensive guide to greening retail real estate, including green building and marketing strategies, corporate sustainability programs, and a 10-point “action program” for greening any retail real estate portfolio. More... | Jerry Yudelson EcoSpeakers Info >>

Timber Framing for the Rest of Us: A Guide to Contemporary Post and Beam Construction. By Rob Roy. Describes the timber framing methods used by most contractors, farmers, and owner-builders, methods that use modern metal fasteners, special screws, and common sense building principles. Includes everything an owner-builder needs to know about building strong and beautiful structural frames from heavy timbers. More… | Rob Roy EcoSpeakers Info >>

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