The Designer's Atlas of Sustainability: Charting the Conceptual Landscape through Economy, Ecology, and Culture [Paperback]

Ann Thorpe (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1597261009 | ISBN-13: 978-1597261005 | Publication Date: June 20, 2007

Designing for sustainability is an innovation shaping both the design industry and design education today.Yet architects, product designers, and other key professionals in this new field have so far lacked a resource that addresses their sensibilities and concerns. The Designer's Atlas of Sustainability now explores the basic principles, concepts, and practice of sustainable design in a visually sophisticated and engaging style. The book tackles not only the ecological aspects of sustainable design-designers' choice of materials and manufacturing processes have a tremendous impact on the natural world-but also the economic and cultural elements involved.

The Atlas is neither a how-to manual nor collection of recipes for sustainable design, but a compendium of fresh approaches to sustainability that designers can incorporate into daily thinking and practice. Illuminating many facets of this exciting field, the book offers ideas on how to harmonize human and natural systems, and then explores practical options for making the business of design more supportive of long-term sustainability. An examination of the ethical dimensions of sustainable development in our public and private lives is the theme present throughout. Like other kinds of atlases, The Designer's Atlas of Sustainability illustrates its subject, but it goes far beyond its visual appeal, stimulating design solutions for "development that cultivates environmental and social conditions that will support human well-being indefinitely."

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Ann Thorpe teaches sustainable design at several universities in and around London, England. She was the founding editor and publisher of On the Ground: Multimedia Journal on Community, Design and Environment and has lectured widely on sustainable design.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Island Press (June 20, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1597261009
• ISBN-13: 978-1597261005
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 7.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #83,860 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Intelligent, introspective and beautiful, August 5, 2007

By 

Alan Lekan (Boulder, CO) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: The Designer's Atlas of Sustainability: Charting the Conceptual Landscape through Economy, Ecology, and Culture (Paperback)

There are many books now on sustainability with most being page-after-page of lengthy, often-dry academic dissertation. Some of these books will not likely appeal to the design professional who demands more visual inspiration and smart, graphic layout in a book. Well, this book meets those needs and is a fine contribution to the topic.

This book is not a "how-to" book with lists or formulas for making products more sustainable in their design and use. Rather, it explores the many dimensions of sustainability (ecological, social, economic) and lets the reader glean inspiration for core concepts and many brief but interesting examples.

Ms. Thorpe approaches the problems of unsustainable industrialization with a keen perceptivity that intices the reader to think broadly and creatively about the world we live in and how to reimage it. In addition to traditional design priorities of function, form and cost, Ann Thorpe illustrates how all effective designs must now go through the additional "lens" of sustainability thinking to anticipate its impact now and though the product's life.

Every page is colorful with pictures, creative graphic layout that makes learning new things about this topic more enjoyable. The writing is quite philosophical in its approach (which may be a bit too much for some wanting more 1-2-3 steps). Also, more detailed case studies would have driven home the concepts better as would a more integrated, direct writing style.

But, Thorpes' approach is to teach one how to think and not what to think. It gives designers a new lens to evaluate the how design impacts human/ecological well being as well as the increasingly limited resources of our planet. But, this highly visual book was a nice change from many other, purely academic books I have read on sustainability. 4 stars overall.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A key to public policies, November 5, 2007

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Designer's Atlas of Sustainability: Charting the Conceptual Landscape through Economy, Ecology, and Culture (Paperback)

Issues of sustainability are key to many different kinds of designers, from architects to graphic designers - and this title is designed to cross genres to appeal not only to designers but to the consumers using their services. Chapters provide a fine introduction to blending sustainability concerns throughout the design process: college-level collections in design as well as general-interest libraries catering to consumers need Designer's Atlas of Sustainability, a key to public policies, consumer needs, and basic sustainability issues.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

5.0 out of 5 stars A must-have book for designers, August 3, 2011

By 

RAMON RUBIO GARCIA (Gijón, Asturias Spain) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Designer's Atlas of Sustainability: Charting the Conceptual Landscape through Economy, Ecology, and Culture (Paperback)

Every time I leaf the book I discover some new great ideas related with sustainability. Ann has done a very complete work. Essential for teachers involved in sustainability education.