Earth-Sheltered House, Revised Edition: An Architect's Sketchbook [Paperback]

Malcolm Wells (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 7, 2009

The Earth-Sheltered House is a classic in the annals of sustainable building books, written by a legend in the field of environmentally responsible architecture. Malcolm Wells has a fundamentally different way of looking at the design and building process, and his iconoclastic perspective has never been more apparent.

Wells's work is revolutionary, but readers will find his message to be pure common sense. Earth sheltering offers superior comfort with minimal energy input, and it is adaptable to diverse terrains as well as a variety of architectural aesthetics.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Malcolm Wells has been an inspiration to two generations of architecture students. This book should be required reading for everyone making decisions about the built environment."Steve Heckeroth, award-winning solar designer/builder (refers to the first edition of Earth-Sheltered House)

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Chelsea Green Publishing; Revised edition (May 7, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1603581073
• ISBN-13: 978-1603581073
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #136,603 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Earth sheltered is cool, literally, March 23, 2011

By 

R. Stocum (Indianapolis, IN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Earth-Sheltered House, Revised Edition: An Architect's Sketchbook (Paperback)

I want to build an underground home. I am years away from my goal, but I want to know all I can before I give it a go. There is a lot of information in this book about what worked and what had problems. It is not a detailed how to book. The author is an idea man, not the guy who operates the back hoe and pours the concrete. There is quite a wealth of underground and earth sheltered concepts in this book, and a good deal of discussion about concepts that didn't pan out. Good stuff to know when you start talking to architects and contractors.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mac, the prophet, March 15, 2011

By 

kent strother - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Earth-Sheltered House, Revised Edition: An Architect's Sketchbook (Paperback)

I have many of Malcolm"s writings and drawings (mostly in book form). This book is a great collection of his many designs, details and actual buildings. They are inspirational and wide-ranging. Though he passed away in 2009 his work speaks to us more strongly with every passing day, every year, and every accumulating global disaster. I came to the conclusion years ago that he was a major thinker, in fact a prophet. Not the gloom/doom kind (like me)--but the kind who sees trouble in the world far into the future, and returns to the world hopeful, positive, practical solutions. If we took this humble but brilliant man seriously we would probably be living much closer to paradise. His thinking could be the basis for 'inhabiting' a living earth, not turning it inside out- with oil on top: in air, water, and everywhere.

Ultimately his work challenges us to be to be more wild, free, and responsible- like natural processes. This book is a gate opening onto many paths. Take one.

(See:malcolmwells.com for more resources)

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Too much focus on commercial applications..., August 28, 2011

By 

Monika Van Hine (Decatur, TN United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Earth-Sheltered House, Revised Edition: An Architect's Sketchbook (Paperback)

This would be a nice coffee table book to flip through if one was only mildly interested in unusual architecture.

However, if you are looking for a book with viable building plans for underground homes - this book leaves you hungry.

Many of the drawings are for commercial buildings - one is even for an underground fire dept. Not enough focus on single family homes. Also, there were many sketches that involved flights of fancy and while they may be interesting they are not very practical for everyday use.