Harmonisation between Architecture and Nature

Book Description

Unlike the mechanistic buildings it replaces, Eco-Architecture is in harmony with nature, including its immediate environs. Decisions have to be taken on ecological grounds concerning locations, siting and orientation, as well as the well-informed choice of materials.

Eco-Architecture is by definition inter-disciplinary; it requires the collaboration of engineers, planners, physicists, sociologists, economists, and other specialists, in addition to architects. The papers contained in this book were written by different specialists and attempt to focus on the interdisciplinary character of eco-architecture.

Featuring papers from the First International Conference on Harmonisation between Architecture and Nature , Featured topics include: Ecological & cultural sensitivity; Historical & philosophical aspects; Design with nature; Assessment & selection of materials; Natural technologies; Design by passive systems; Building operation & maintenance; Water conservation.

Book Contents

Cultural responses to primitive needs
N. Baker;

Ecological propriety and architecture
V. A. Metallinou;

Architecture and nature at the end of the 20th century: towards a dialogical approach for sustainable design in architecture
F. J. Soria López;

The keyword is quality not ecology
A. van Hal;

In-between architecture and landscape, from theory to practice
B. Ott;

Ecological, modular and affordable housing
J. Quale;

Flexi-Living: adaptable property, adaptable housing, transforming lives
I. MacBurnie;

The study of restoring an eco-habitat of the traditional Paiwan tribe in Taiwan
C.-J. Chen;

Urban planning and the quality of life in Putrajaya, Malaysia
D. Bt Omar;

Evaluating the sophistication of vernacular architecture to adjust to the climate
E. Tsianaka;

Examining line as a heuristic device in the design ethos of Alvar Aalto
P. Harwood;

Historical influences of wind and water in selecting settlement sites
P. Kilby;

Unity, simplicity and balance: sustainable management of cultural historic environments of mountain summer farming
G. Swensen;

A tale of two city halls: icons for sustainability in London and Seattle
D. Armpriest; B. Haglund;

Poetic water images in architecture
U. Kirschner;

The 2005 Solar D house
M. Garrison;

Fractal geometry and architecture: some interesting connections
N. Sala;

Symbols, metaphors, analogues: seeding, modelling and achieving sustainable design
R. J. Koester;

A methodology for sustainable design analysis of large scale buildings
R. Richarde; R. Ibrahim;

Developing designs in balance with nature
A. J. Anselm;

Outdoor residential landscape design in an arid natural conservation area: Bahía de Los Ángeles, México
R. Rojas-Caldelas; G. Bojórquez-Morales; A. Luna-León; E. Corona-Zambrano; J. Ochoa-Corrales;

The house by the lake
C. A. Brebbia; J. Gorst;

Indicators for the ecological planning of buildings
C. Seyler; C. Stoy; I. Lützelschwab; S. Kytzia;

Sustainable building design in Australia
C. McCabe;

Design and construction: changing the role
P. Rossi;

Natural materiality – the people’s choice
F. Stevenson;

Environmental impact of materials used in technical equipments: an overview on different methods
L. Marletta; G. Evola; F. Sicurella;

Designing for longevity
V. Straka;

Natural building systems: experiments in urban ecology
K. Connors;

Promoting sustainability of earth constructed private and public buildings in South Africa
G. Bosman;

Heteronomy and (un)sustainability of essential technical infrastructures
A. van Timmeren;

Eco-design of technological systems in buildings
L. Marletta; G. Evola; F. Sicurella;

Sound barriers to enable open windows and integration in landscape
G. Rosenhouse;

Practicing what we preach
M. Lawton;

Guidelines for sizing roof windows
S. Robertson; M. Thompson;

Building defects: survey and impact over sustainability
E. Costanzo;

Cob seismic rehabilitation
G. Scudo; A. Drei;

Rainwater harvesting in Brazil: investigating the viability of rainwater harvesting for a household in Brasília
D. Sant’Ana;

Reliability of rainwater harvesting
J. W. Male; M. S. Kennedy;

User experiences with decentralised water systems in an ecological residential area
A. A. E. Luising;

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