Architecture and the Environment: Bioclimatic Building Design

Architecture and the Environment

by David Lloyd Jones. The Overlook Press, Woodstock, N.Y., 1998 (distributed by Penguin Putnam, Inc.). Hardcover, 250 pages, $65. Note: Sometimes listed with the sub-title “Contemporary Green Buildings”

Several books published in the past decade have claimed to provide an overview of ecologically informed architecture, but all have disappointed—until now. This coffee-table-style book is both attractive and substantial, offering a rare combination of beautiful photographs and informative text. The book is international in scope (Jones is from the U.K.), so even well-informed North American readers will find new material in it.

In Chapter 1 Jones puts green architecture in the context of architectural history. After tracing its roots through vernacular buildings and various architectural movements, Jones finds the ecological threads within Modernism, in certain portions of the legacies of Le Corbusier, Alvar Aalto, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Buckminster Fuller. Chapter 2 outlines the principles of bioclimatic architecture, with attention to the dual trends of natural construction with minimally processed materials and high-tech solutions that minimize operating energy. Chapter 3 traces the emergence of bioclimatic architecture as a growing trend (if not a “movement”) over the past two decades. These introductory essays set the stage for the meat of the book: the case studies.

The 44 case studies are examples that, in Jones’ words, “assimilate good environmental practice with real creativity and flare.” The projects are organized into six sections by building type. Most are from Western Europe, Japan, and the U.S., so both very hot and very cold climates are underrepresented. Given the predominance of photos, the four pages allocated to most projects are only enough to present one or two aspects of the technical workings of each building. Although efforts were made to provide certain technical information in a consistent format, the results are not always clear. For example, energy data is presented as annual energy use in some cases and peak hourly loads in others, with the distinctions not clearly labeled.

These complaints aside, the projects are enjoyable to view, and there is something to be learned from each one. The depth of Jones’ analysis is evident throughout. In introducing the case studies, for example, he notes:

“The photographs of the buildings are, without exception, carefully composed abstractions showing them in their pristine, newly finished (and occasionally pre-finished) state…. Successive generations repaint, alter, extend and demolish to suit their needs and, often, the needs of fashion. The way buildings are reinvented over time is very much a concern of bioclimatic architecture. What we are witnessing here is their birth. Perhaps, in time, their adolescence, their maturity and their old age will also be witnessed and an assessment made of their qualities of endurance.”

Architecture and the Environment is a landmark book for the green building movement. While one can argue with some of the specifics, on the whole this book is an enormous achievement.