AIA Minnesota

Forsyth, Adrian. The Architecture of Animals. Camden East, Ontario: Camden House Publishing, 1989.
A children's science book with beautiful photographs, this guide looks at the ways in which animals create structures in the natural world. The Architecture of Animals could be used as inspiration for designing with nature.

McHenry, Paul Graham Jr. Adobe and Rammed Earth Buildings. New York: John Wiley and Sons, 1984.
Although this book is from 1984, McHenry's history and construction guide to adobe and rammed earth buildings is the most comprehensive I have found. Details, photographs, technical information and diagrams clearly explain earth construction methods including soil selection, brick manufacturing, wall, roof and floor design, and thermal, structural and mechanical information. The code information may be outdated.

Marlin, William, ed. Nature Near: Late Essays of Richard Neutra. Santa Barbara: Capra Press, 1989.
These essays, published after Neutra's death, explain the architect's motivation for his early environmentally friendly buildings. William Marlin, the editor of the collection, describes Neutra as "The first architect of any lasting consequence to think systematically and comprehensively about the intimate relationship of the biological and behavioral sciences to architectural and planning issues." Neutra discusses the importance of good lighting, sensory impact of design, knowledge of materials, and the interconnectedness of the natural world. Since the essays were written late in his life, they have the advantage of hindsight and show how little our approach to design and the environment has changed during the twentieth century. Unfortunately, the book does not provide many images of Neutra's work to analyze alongside his writing.

Meta, Don, ed. New Compact House Designs. Pownal, VT: Storey Communications, 1991.
This book is a collection of award winning plans from the second Compact House Design Competition in the early nineties. The variety of designs for houses under 1300 square feet are evidence that bigger is not always better. Although efficient planning rather than energy efficiency is the theme, because the houses are small they use less land, materials, and fuels for heating and cooling thus making them energy efficient. Plans, information about materials, costs, and construction methods are provided for each design. A very diverse collection of both innovative and conventional designs, this is a good tool for prospective home builders/buyers looking to save money and resources.

Pearson, David. The Natural House Catalog. New York: Simon and Schuster, Inc., 1996.
Pearson writes in the Preface that this catalog was inspired by The Natural House Book, his first book. Like that work, the Catalog provides information for greening all parts of one's home. In addition, case studies, interviews with green experts, and a 100 page directory of environmental friendly products and services with addresses and phone numbers is included. There is limited information about each design idea, but the Catalog is a good starting place and resource guide for the United States and Canada.

Orr, David W. Ecological Literacy: Education and the Transition to a Postmodern World. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, 1992.
Ecological Literacy is focused on the complex issue of sustainability. Orr offers much insight into the difficulties of achieving a sustainable world and proposes ecological education as the solution to the problem. The author also discusses educational theories and provides an enormous bibliography for ecological literacy.

Rocky Mountain Institute. A Primer on Sustainable Building. Snowmass, CO: Rocky Mountain Institute, 1995.
The best introduction to environmental issues facing designers and builders today. 130 pages are packed with ideas about integrating sustainable building principles into design without being overwhelming. The Primer is a must-read. Appendices include a glossary, a list of sources for more information and publications related to efficient design, and technical information.

Schumacher, E. F. Small is Beautiful. New York: Harper and Row, 1973.
A classic.

Van der Ryn, Sim and Stuart Cowan. Ecological Design. Washington, D.C.: Island Press, 1996.
Van der Ryn (the guru of ecological design and head of the Ecological Design Institute)'s newest book is written in collaboration with Cowan, one of his former students who brings a mathematical perspective to this discussion of ecological design. This book provides specific approaches to addressing sustainability in design. The authors emphasize that ecological design tries to find connections between many design disciplines and suggest five design principles that are "inspiration to creativity rather than a definitive set of rules." Although the book covers a broad range of issues, the authors admit lacking representation in fields of renewable energy, transportation, and urban planning. Ecological Design is my favorite book on this list because of its desire to move forward from the discussion of sustainability, its provision of actual ideas to implement, its emphasis on and faith in education, and its range of topics. Includes a resource guide and comprehensive bibliography.

Wann, David. Biologic. Boulder, CO: Johnson Publishing Co., 1990.
Wann, a policy analyst for the Environmental Protection Agency, addresses many of the issues affecting our environment today and shows us how our designs have created the auto-centric world we now live in. He discusses ecology, lifestyles, green products, and waste--all serious subjects but Wann does it in a way that inspires us to action rather than depression. Biologic emphasizes the potential for designing with nature rather than against it. An easy read, Wann packs much useful information into 260 pages. Biologic emphasizes nature's model of recycling as a way of life and design and offers twelve design strategies for achieving a world in harmony with nature. Several brief case studies are included.

Wann, David. Deep Design. Washington, D.C.: Island Press, 1996.
Wann states in the preface, "The goal of this book is to demonstrate how deep designers think, so we can begin to differentiate between designs that enhance our lives and designs that degrade them." Reading Deep Design was enjoyable because of its variety of topics including discussions of wind energy, soy ink, sustainable agriculture, the design of computers and packaging, and case studies of Haymount, Village Homes, and Eco-Mart. Wann endorses an approach that encourages one to consider the way in which everything in our world is designed. Another value of this book is its emphasis on changing the way we determine value. Wann asserts, "The overall goal is more value and less waste per unit of energy or resource."

Wells, Malcolm. Gentle Architecture. New York: McGraw-Hill Company, 1981.
Although published in 1981, Wells' book is not outdated but still essential reading for designers. Wells, a pioneer of environmentally conscious architecture, discusses his commitment to designing with nature and the need for a wilderness-based "gentle" architecture. Through examples of his work, Wells gives us hope for design of the future. The author discusses design, land, energy, resources, light, noise, water, materials, and construction practices all in terms of thoughtful, gentle architecture.

Zelov, Chris and Phil Cousineau. Design Outlaws on the Ecological Frontier. Cape May, NJ: Knossus Publishing, 1997.
Design Outlaws is a collection of responses to questions posed by Zelov and Cousineau during the making of their documentary, Ecological Design: Inventing the Future (1994). The essays come from twenty-one of the most well-known "Design Outlaws" who cite Buckminster Fuller as influential to their work. A very interesting compilation of opinions on design, this book is valuable in that it stresses ecological design and thus includes individuals from a wide range of disciplines, from famous designers and eco-pioneers to inventor Paul MacCready, author Douglas Adams, and systems theorist Hazel Henderson. I enjoyed learning from the perspectives of so many people.



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