By Sue Roaf et al. Oxford, UK: Architectural Press, 2001. 346 pages; $39.95; paperback.
Reviewed by David Ruggiero
I’ve long held the belief that sustainable buildings are a unique combination of technology and philosophy. I was therefore pleased to find Sue Roaf’s latest publication, Ecohouse: A Design Guide, which lends credence to that belief. Roaf, an architect and an Oxford Brookes University professor , achieves a very agreeable balance between factual building science and an eco-philosophy that is well grounded and historically detailed. From the OPEC oil embargos of the 1970’s to the global warming issues of the1980’s, Roaf brings together the modern day history of sustainable design, the deleterious effects of a fossil fuel-based economy and the shortcomings of conventional architecture in addressing the design requirements of these concerns. In summarizing these issues she presents a solution, a new vernacular of zero fossil fuel energy homes, and outlines how and why we must change our building styles and life styles.
Building envelopes, ventilation, solar design, and water conservation are basic subjects that must be addressed in a book of this genre. Excellent chapters on these subjects, with detailed black and white drawings and colored photographs, fill a majority of its pages. It is, however, the treatment of embodied energy and life cycle analysis that is the technical high point of the volume. Two contributors to the book, Andre Viljoen and Katrin Bohn, effectively present detailed explanations and a compelling case study that place the selection of building materials at the center of the eco-design process. Another high point of the book is a series of 21 case studies of sustainable houses around the world. The specific issues of climate, key design features, materials, and most importantly, and the lessons learned from each project leave the reader believing that sustainability can be achieved anywhere in the world.
"The sooner we start to change architecture, from an appearance-driven process to a performance-driven art," Roaf points out, "the better prepared we will be to lay the building foundations of the post-fossil-fuel age." This is the essence of her message. In an effort to further that message, a companion Web site www.bh.com/companions/ecohouse provides further information on all issues related to the book and eco-design.
David Ruggiero is a residential carpenter/designer and studies sustainable design at the Boston Architectural Center.
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