A Shelter Sketchbook

Fülszöveg

ARCHITECTURE DESIGN / BUILDING U.S. 18.95 / CAN 25.95 / UK L14.95
"Hundreds of expert sketches with captions show us how clever folks can be designing their buildings. Many of the ideas, all taken from real construction, are so smart that you wonder what all the talk these days is concerning energy efficiency and other problems that seem to have been well solved centuries ago. Embarrassing and humbling and a real mind-stirrer. "
— j. Baldwin, Whole Earth Review
Through enthralling pen-and-ink sketches John Taylor depicts and explains more than 600 elegantly simple and practical structures created by centuries of anonymous builders. Examples include:
• Thousand-year-old earth-sheltered houses in China
• Hay-bale-walled barns from turn-of-the-century Nebraska
• Middle Eastern air conditioning systems from the 13th century
• Modular building techniques used in Japan five hundred years ago
The traditions of indigenous folk architecture are distinguished by wise use of... Tovább

Fülszöveg

ARCHITECTURE DESIGN / BUILDING U.S. 18.95 / CAN 25.95 / UK L14.95
"Hundreds of expert sketches with captions show us how clever folks can be designing their buildings. Many of the ideas, all taken from real construction, are so smart that you wonder what all the talk these days is concerning energy efficiency and other problems that seem to have been well solved centuries ago. Embarrassing and humbling and a real mind-stirrer. "
— j. Baldwin, Whole Earth Review
Through enthralling pen-and-ink sketches John Taylor depicts and explains more than 600 elegantly simple and practical structures created by centuries of anonymous builders. Examples include:
• Thousand-year-old earth-sheltered houses in China
• Hay-bale-walled barns from turn-of-the-century Nebraska
• Middle Eastern air conditioning systems from the 13th century
• Modular building techniques used in Japan five hundred years ago
The traditions of indigenous folk architecture are distinguished by wise use of resources, responsiveness to environmental forces, and a very economical accommodation of human needs. Fortunately, in recent years there has been—for ecological, ethical, and simply pragmatic reasons—a resurgence of interest in buildings that are more respectful of these factors.
A Shelter Sketchbook is a book for builders, students, and anyone seeking stimulation for the imagination. The author's exacting drawings take us on a tour through the world of human shelter, and are reminders that observation, even more than technology, can be the best source of innovation.
¦ John S. Taylor is an architectural designer living in Wilmot Flat, New Hampshire. His work incorporates passive solar ideas and many of the other practical concepts illustrated in this book. He is also founder and director of Children's Design Project, a design-related interdisciplinary educational program for K-12 stu- Vissza