Hot Dirt, Cool Straw: Nature Friendly Houses For 21st (Twenty-First) Century Living [Paperback]

Nora Richter Greer (Author), Dennis Wedlick (Author), James Grayson Trulove (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0823023362 | ISBN-13: 978-0823023363 | Publication Date: June 17, 2001

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. Important issues that the book will address include materials and design, the relation of the house to its site, energy issues.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

James Grayson Trulove has written, edited or published nearly thirty books on architecture, landscape architecture, art and graphic design. He resides in Washington, D.C. and New York, NY.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Watson-Guptill Publications (June 17, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0823023362
• ISBN-13: 978-0823023363
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,399,963 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not just strawbale and rammed earth., August 6, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Hot Dirt, Cool Straw: Nature Friendly Houses For 21st (Twenty-First) Century Living (Paperback)

A current topic, "green" architecture has a broad, reasonable definition in this book. One often thinks of green house books as full of solar and straw bale houses of middling design (whatever the sensitivity of the construction). The book categorizes several ways buildings can be green, and shows a variety of houses with designs as (or more) innovative as their green techniques. The photographs are well done, and of (for the most part) really good-looking houses. I think the "Lakeside Residence," "Howard House," and "Low Compound" are especially memorable. A good book for those interested in current, contemporary architecture as well as green architecture.