The Climatic Dwelling: An Introduction to Climate-Responsive Residential Architecture

by Eoin O. Cofaigh, John A. Olley, and J. Owen Lewis of the Energy Research Group, University College, Dublin. 1996. James & James (Science Publishers) Ltd., on behalf of the European Commission, Directorate General XII for Science Research and Development. Paperback, 160 pages, $50.00.

The Climatic Dwelling begins with a simple presentation of the arguments for reestablishing an awareness of climate in architecture. After touching on the political need to reduce dependence on imported fuels, and the money savings that energy-efficient buildings offer, the authors’ commitment to environmental stewardship and the craft of good architecture emerges as the driving force in the text.

The bulk of the book makes effective use of traditional European building forms to illustrate principles of passive solar design, daylighting, and natural cooling. Both the examples and strategies are well illustrated and inspiring. Unfortunately, the pictures lack captions, using numbered references to the text instead. This layout makes it awkward to find descriptions of the eye-catching photographs and can make browsing through this otherwise attractive book quite frustrating.

The Climatic Dwelling concludes with a series of contemporary case studies from all parts of Europe. While aesthetically less compelling than the examples of traditional architecture, these modern buildings serve to illustrate the challenges and tensions faced by contemporary designers. This book was prepared as part of a teacher’s resource portfolio on climate-responsive design for distribution to schools of architecture in the European Union. It is very well suited to that purpose and has a great deal to offer to students of architecture elsewhere in the world.