April 2, 2010

Building to Endure

Evidence increases to show that the climate on the earth is changing. At the same time, natural resources such as water, energy-producing fossil fuels, and other resources are decreasing in supply. We must examine what we can do to appropriately limit our demand for these dwindling resources, knowing that the changes that we make will likely have an effect on patterns of human settlement as well as the way that we live our lives. This book looks at the history of the American Southwest and climatically similar areas to propose new--and sometimes very old--solutions to the challenges that we face. Some of these solutions can be found in designs that are used. Other solutions can be found in the way that people interact with the built and natural environment, forming communities, choosing where to build on land, and how to marshal water and energy resources. Among these proposed solutions are practical guidelines for creating affordable, evergy efficient, and environmentally sustainable living spaces.

This book can be found in HECSA Library:

Building to Endure: Design Lessons of Arid Lands
ed by Paul Lusk and Alf Simon
NA 2542 .A73 L87 2009