Routledge Bioclimatic Housing: Innovative Designs for Warm Climates

In the search for sustainable architecture, there is growing interest in the relationship between nature and design. In this vital new book, the termbioclimatic relating to the dynamic between climate and living organisms, is applied by the authors in focusing on countries where housing requires cooling for a significant part of the year. In this context, Bioclimatic Housing covers creative, vernacular architecture to present both the theory and practice of innovative, low-energy architecture.The book interweaves the themes of social progress, technological fixes and industry transformation within a discussion of global and country trends, climate types, solutions and technologies. Prepared under the auspices of a 5-year International Energy Agency (IEA) project, and with case studies from Iran, Malaysia, Australia, Japan, Sri Lanka and Italy, this is a truly international and authoritative work, providing an essential primer for building designers, builders, developers and advanced students in architecture and engineering. Review 'Well chosen and attractively illustrated example housing projects make the principles readily understandable for the reader ... stimulating reading for architects and clients of buildings.' Robert Hastings, Swiss Association of Engineers and Architects'This book is a great learning tool for architects looking to design comfortable and resilient homes in the lower latitudes. It provides a good range of detailed case study houses, with clear explanations of how they work, and it also provides an excellent foundation of regionally appropriate, passive, low energy, low carbon design principles that will do much to inform the new vernacular buildings of the warm, and warming, climates in the 21st Century.' Professor Susan Roaf, Director of The Low Carbon Cities Initiative'Well chosen and attractively illustrated example housing projects make the principles readily understandable for the reader ... stimulating reading for architects and clients of buildings.' Robert Hastings, Swiss Association of Engineers and Architects'Richard Hyde has edited a good book putting together design criteria to reshape existing housing and generate new forms towards a possible sustainable future in the warm weather changes we are already experiencing.' Hellas Online'A worthy addition to the bookshelf of the practitioner as a starting point of conceptual thinking about a housing project in a particular climate zone. It will help to apply proper principles and guidelines to ensure that one is working with nature and not against it. It is also a useful start to the architectural student learning the viable options for achieving solar design as a mainstream activity for their future world.' Energy News About the Author Richard Hyde is Professor of Architectural Science at The University of Sydney, Australia.