The Sourcebook for Sustainable Design

The Sourcebook for Sustainable Design.

Andrew St. John, Editor. Boston Society of Architects, 52 Broad St., Boston, MA 02109; 617/951-1433 x221, 617/951-0845 (fax), $25.

The Sourcebook for Sustainable Design is a true labor of love. It is the first attempt we know of at a comprehensive listing of products and materials that are useful, for one reason or another, in sustainable building construction. The listings were compiled from all available sources, with commentary where it could be had. If the authors continue to update and refine the

Sourcebook as planned, it will quickly become an essential reference, and one of the most affordable in the field.

The

Sourcebook is divided into two parts: The product and material listings, and a resource guide of other information sources. Part I is organized according to the Construction Specification Institute (CSI) 16-division format. Each division is prefaced with an introductory essay explaining the primary issues and opportunities for sustainable choices associated with that division. The listings were chosen based on their fulfillment of one of four criteria. They must 1) be generally accepted as environmentally responsible, 2) have manufacturer’s claims of environmental responsibility that are reasonable and independently verified, 3) be a more benign substitute for a known “bad actor,” or 4) have more than token recycled material content.

The

Sourcebook’s CSI format makes the products relatively easy to find (especially for architects and specifiers familiar with the format), and all listings include addresses and telephone numbers. The sections vary greatly in length. The most comprehensive are Division 6—Wood and Plastics, Division 7—Thermal and Moisture Protection, Division 9—Finishes, and Division 15—Mechanical. Divisions 1, 12, and 14 are omitted entirely. The layout is utilitarian, not far removed from the simple database-dump. The many typos are distracting but not otherwise damaging. The most significant improvement one would hope for is careful verification of the listings, as some are dated or inaccurate. Extensive user feedback from this first edition will help to make such an update—which the author promises will be soon in coming—comprehensive. Offering a free, updated copy to buyers who provide significant feedback on the current version would be a good incentive, if BSA could afford it.

In scrounging information from all available sources, the

Sourcebook has pillaged some existing references, most notably the Center for Resourceful Building Technology’s

Guide to Resource Efficient Building Elements. To their credit, the

Sourcebook’s editors have acknowledged the source of every listing obtained from published material.

The resource listings in Part II are useful, if not exhaustive. Though it isn’t perfect, the

Sourcebook clearly represents an enormous volunteer effort. Anyone who has tried to find and specify environmentally sound materials will recognize its value. At $25, it’s a deal not to be missed.