Book Review

Hot Dirt, Cool Straw: Nature-Friendly Houses for 21st Century Living

By James Grayson Trulove with Nora Richter Greer
New York: Hearst Books International, 2001.
192 pages; $39.95 paperback.

Reviewed by Eugene Michael Hollandfer

Hot Dirt, Cool Straw by James Grayson Trulove with Nora Richter Greer is remarkable because of both its stunning architecture and  the manner in which the author assembled this collection. What appears at first as another coffee table book on design turns out to be a serious attempt at defining the foremost issues of contemporary architecture.

With a forward by Dennis Wedlick that effectively makes the case for sustainability as the central focus of architectural design today, the stage is set for the 24 selected projects that follow. Three central issues are used as the selection criteria: site consideration; sustainability, and energy efficiency. A helpful color-coded matrix is applied to each house and used as a table of contents. The result is a meaningful collection of residential architecture filled with creative energy and surprise.

Beginning with the Kutcher Residence in Nova Scotia, Canada, we are presented with a design solution that approaches all three criteria. Site dramatically frames the architect’s solution as photo and axonometric clearly demonstrate. A simple, elegant house in Risør, Norway by C.V. Hølmebakk demonstrates clever use of local materials and  carefully thought out construction details. While site characteristics dominate the design, careful material selection and detailing contribute to its success. Of the three selections in the northeast US, the Tennis House by Gray Orgaschi, Architect, is most sensitive to a spectacular landscape. The structure barely protrudes on nature yet provides a refined interior with rich materials and a straightforward plan.

Here, as in most of the selections, more could have been included in the technical area, providing comparison tabular data on energy consumption, heating and cooling loads, building envelope design, ventilation, moisture, and indoor air quality. I particularly enjoyed the conceptual sketches included on the Hansen Residence, Arizona which showed how the architect, Line and Space, approached their design.

The graphics, striking images, and architectural drawings throughout the book make for a fascinating read. Readers will be heartened by the realization that solving architecture’s fundamental concerns can result in stunning, ingenious solutions.

Eugene Michael Hollander, AIA is an architect in the state of Connecticut, in practice for the past 27 years.