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(New Society Publishers, 2006)
Review by Roxanne Button, AIA, LEED AP
Whenever someone asks me where to find good green building
information, I always refer them to Environmental Building
News and its BuildingGreen Web site (http://www.buildinggreen.com/). It is by
far the most unbiased and thorough resource that I've ever used. So
when I heard that Alex Wilson, founder and president of
BuildingGreen Inc., had written a new book on green home design, I
couldn't wait to read it. His thorough knowledge of green building
is so well-known and well-respected that I can think of few people
better qualified to write this book.
Wilson wrote this book primarily for the new homeowner who isn't
familiar with the terms and processes of construction, especially
those of green construction. But there also is plenty in here for
experienced designers and builders. It doesn't matter how long
you've been practicing green design, you will probably find
something that you didn't know, or had forgotten about, especially
if you haven't been involved in green residential design.
The book is organized into 14 chapters that take the reader from
the first idea of building a green house, right through design and
construction, to what it means to live in a green home. Nothing is
overlooked, and the information is presented in a concise and
intelligently written manner without being too full of technical
jargon. I found that Wilson's ability to clarify sometimes
confusing concepts and his almost-conversational writing style make
this book so enjoyable to read. Hand-drawn sketches are used
instead of photographs to illustrate concepts such as closed-loop
solar water–heating systems and the advantages of using a
front-loading washer.
Starting with the first chapter, Wilson explains what green
building is really about and why it's important to address issues
of energy and environmental impacts in house design. Following
that, the second chapter—entitled "Finding the Help You
Need"—explains who the players are and how to find the right
person to help readers accomplish their goals. The importance of
having professional guidance is emphasized—this is not a
"do-it-yourself" green house book, and Wilson is careful to stress
how important a designer, architect, and/or builder are in
achieving success.
The emphasis on energy conservation pops up in chapters other
than the one on energy-efficient design. In Chapter 2, Wilson talks
about the importance of good energy design, daylighting, and energy
modeling. At the beginning of Chapter 8 (“Materials &
Products for Green Building”), he mentions that while material
selection is very important, "[i]t is generally not as important as
energy performance or where the house is built,…or measures to
ensure a healthy indoor environment." Reducing energy use is a
clear and prominent message in this book, for good reason. With the
volume of homes being built and renovated every year, the potential
audience is very large, and so is the potential environmental
impact.
Accompanying the illustrations are tables and charts comparing
different options, such as the three-page table on insulation
materials in Chapter 6, “Energy-Efficient Design.”
Chapter 13, “Costs of Building Green,” also has a few
charts that show the relative costs of different options, which is
a valuable decision-making tool for anyone involved in designing a
green building. It's the importance of having options that this
book presents really well. Wilson recognizes, as we all do in the
green design world, that sustainability is not black and white, but
is instead many shades of gray. It's all about making the right
decisions for the building and site that you're dealing with, not
finding a universal solution for everyone and every place. Each
chapter presents the essentials of the topic, then goes on to
explore the different directions that one can go in. The idea of
having no definitive single answer could be overwhelming to someone
who is new to the green building field, which is why knowing where
to start is the most important message to get across. Wilson
presents the questions that you need to ask rather than the
specific answers you want. That is a far more effective way to
learn about green building. As John Abrams says in the foreword,
the essential lesson of this book is about how to find the answers:
"This book will not teach you how to make a good house, or a green
house. It will teach you how to learn."
This is a really well-written book, ideal for anyone who wants
to build their own green home. It's also ideal for my contractor
friend who has been building homes for years but hasn't yet built a
green one (I've already recommended it to him). As Abrams says in
the foreword, "the message is that it's not necessary to knock
yourself out to do everything green at once, but that it's better
to do something…than it is to do nothing.” If this book
inspires new homeowners, designers, and builders—and
experienced ones as well—to at least do something, as I
believe it will, then it will be a great success.
Roxanne Button is an architect and sustainable design leader
in Cannon Design's Grand Island, N.Y. office.
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