Woolley Low Impact Building

Housing using Renewable Materials
1. Auflage 2013
ISBN: 978-1-118-52419-0
Verlag: John Wiley & Sons
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, 256 Seiten, E-Book

This guide to the designs, technologies and materials thatreally make green buildings work will help architects, specifiersand clients make informed choices, based on reliable technicalinformation.
Low Impact Building: Housing using Renewable Materials isabout changing the way we build houses to reduce their'carbon' footprint and to minimise environmentaldamage. One of the ways this can be done is by reducing the energyand environmental impact of the materials and resources used toconstruct buildings by choosing alternative products and systems.In particular, we need to recognise the potential for using naturaland renewable construction materials as a way to reduce both carbonemissions but also build in a more benign and healthy way. Thisbook is an account of some attempts to introduce this intomainstream house construction and the problems and obstacles thatneed to be overcome to gain wider acceptance of genuinelyenvironmental construction methods.
The book explores the nature of renewable materials in depth:where do they come from, what are they made of and how do they getinto the construction supply chain? The difference between artisanand self-build materials like earth and straw, and more highlyprocessed and manufactured products such as wood fibre insulationboards is explored.
The author then gives an account of the Renewable HouseProgramme in the UK explaining how it came about and how it wasfunded and managed by Government agencies. He analyses 12 casestudies of projects from the Programme, setting out the design andmethods of construction, buildability, environmental assessmenttools used in the design, performance in terms of energy, airtightness, carbon footprint and post-occupancy issues.
The policy context of energy and sustainability in the UK,Europe and the rest of the world is subjected to acritical examination to show how this affects the use of naturaland renewable materials in the market for insulation and otherconstruction materials. The debate over energy usage and embodiedenergy is discussed, as this is central to the reason why even manyenvironmentally progressive people ignore the case for natural andrenewable materials.
The book offers a discussion of building physics and science,considering energy performance, moisture, durability, health andsimilar issues. A critical evaluation of assessment,accreditation and labelling of materials and green buildings iscentral to this as well as a review of some of the key research inthe field.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Woolley, Tom

Über Autor(innen)

Tom Woolley is an architect and educator and self-builder. He has taught at the Architectural Association, Strathclyde University, Hull School of Architecture, Queens University Belfast, University of Central Lancashire, UiTM in Malaysia, University of Umea, the Centre for Alternative Technology in Wales, University of Bath and University of Gloucestershire. His research work and writing has covered housing policy, sustainable materials and design theory. He is active in the Co-operative party, ARC-PEACE and Scientists for Global Responsibility. He has helped to establish the Alliance for Sustainable Building Products in the UK. Working with Rachel Bevan Architects in County Down in Northern Ireland, he is also involved in organic gardening and sustainable woodland management.