Hot Dirt Cool Straw: Nature Friendly Houses for the 21st Century - Softcover

Hot Dirt Cool Straw features 25 case studies of recently built houses by architects who are marrying good design and minimal environmental impact. The parameters of ecological design have expanded greatly since the 60's when the focus was largely on energy efficiency. Today ecologically minded architects (and there are a surprisingly large number) consider everything from the way the house is sited to indoor air quality while using materials that are recycled, salvaged or harvested without ruining forests or ecosystems. Many of theses houses have walls built with straw or earth, materials that are sturdy, easily available and renewable. Straw bale and rammed or sprayed earth houses naturally cool and heat themselves. Eco-friendly houses are built of wood that is salvaged from previous uses or comes from lumberyards where the wood has been removed with an environmentally sensitive touch. Each case study presented in this book will first and foremost reflect outstanding design by some of today's top architects. The ecologically friendly components of each house will be carefully detailed, complete with photography, plans, drawings and schematics where appropriate.