To: BPG <bloomingtonpermacultureguild@lists.riseup.net>, Permaculture ibiblio <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
Subject: [permaculture] The Barefoot Architect
Date: Thu, 15 Jul 2010 10:03:50 -0400
Just added to the Permaculture Activist book catalog
<http://permacultureactivist.net/booksvid/NaturalBuilding.htm>
*NEW! The Barefoot Architect: A Handbook for Green Building
by Johan van Lengen
720 pp, 2008 *
*The first English translation of the international bestseller dripping
with easy-to-understand drawings.*
A former UN worker and prominent architect, Johan van Lengen has seen
firsthand the desperate need for a "greener" approach to housing in
impoverished tropical climates. This comprehensive book clearly explains
every aspect of this endeavor, including design (siting, orientation,
climate consideration), materials (sisal, cactus, bamboo, earth), and
implementation. The author emphasizes throughout the book what is
inexpensive and sustainable. Included are sections discussing urban
planning, small-scale energy production, cleaning and storing drinking
water, and dealing with septic
waste, and all information is applied to three distinct tropical
regions: humid areas, temporate areas, and desert climates. Hundreds of
explanatory drawings by van Lengen allow even novice builders to get
started.
Basic design, climate, and site planning for humid and dry climates.
Includes info on Adobe, rammed earth, bamboo, plaster, wood, concrete
and ferro-cement; Foundations, roofs, floors, walls, doors, windows, and
eco-techniques; Solar heating, water-powered electricity, natural
cooling and ventilation; Water purification, pumps, cisterns, septic
tanks, composting toilets
This book is for people who dream of building a simple home. It is also
for those in the building trades: carpenters, masons, plumbers, and
artisans, as well as for urban planners, rural technicians, and small
community designers.
It covers basic design, use of a great variety of natural materials,
construction details, natural heating and cooling, and water and
sanitation techniques. Although many of the methods shown are
traditional, more modern techniques are shown as well.