The Philosophy of Sustainable Design [Hardcover]

Jason F. McLennan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 2004

In "The Philosophy of Sustainable Design", Jason McLennan outlines the major ideas and issues that have emerged in the growing movement of green architecture and sustainable design over the last thirty years. This book is intended as a starting point for anyone involved in the building industry on a journey to learn how they can build more responsibly. The book is rooted in practical knowledge but rather than being a 'how to' book, asks individuals to understand how the philosophy of sustainable design can affect their own work. This book lays the groundwork and philosophical basis for more technical study. McLennan relies on his extensive experience with sustainable design having been a consultant to dozens of projects and design teams all over the country. Tapping into the work of many pioneers and 'green design philosophers' McLennan clearly presents a framework for people to understand Sustainable Design and how ultimately it will become the future of architecture and design

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Bold, insightful and inspiring, McLennan has given us a compelling vision of sustainable design in its historical and philosophical context." -- Nadav Malin, Editor, Environmental Building News

"McLennan’s graceful and accessible articulation of the underpinnings of sustainable design is jam packed with wisdom, tools and inspiration." -- Gail Vittori, Center for Maximum Potential Building Systems

"With passion and clarity Jason McLennan has traced the past, present and future of green design." -- William D. Browning, Founder of the Green Development Services at the Rocky Mountain Institute

About the Author

Jason McLennan is a leading light in the growing movement of individuals seeking to transform the US building industry to be more restorative and responsible. He is the founder and director of Elements, the design consulting division of BNIM Architects, one of the pioneers in the green architecture movement.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 325 pages
• Publisher: Ecotone Publishing Company LLC (June 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0974903302
• ISBN-13: 978-0974903309
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #140,470 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #49 in Books > Science & Math > Environment > Environmentalism

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Visionary - Uncompromising - Accessible, March 6, 2006

By 

Bill der Green (BC Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Philosophy of Sustainable Design (Hardcover)

Simply put, this book serves up excellent insights into the only future of architecture and the hope for our injured environment... sustainable design. McLennan is more than an author or advocate... he is a deep green thinker who practices on a daily basis what he preaches. Of the many great books available on this subject I found this one the most comprehensive. The Philosophy of Sustainable Design encompassing not only the materials, technologies, and methods available to green designers but it highlights the leaders, champions and innovators who are driving the green building movement forward. This book offers information (and inspiration) for the seasoned and the novice. Read it, share it and read it again!

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Quintessential Green Warrior, December 14, 2004

By 

Tim Koehn "Knowledge is Power" (Houston, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Philosophy of Sustainable Design (Hardcover)

Jason is the quintessential green warrior. Young, enthusiastic, exceedingly bright, and seemingly undaunted at the prospect of swimming against the current, Jason shares with us his passion for sustainable design. Having spent the formative years of his career working with the veritable giants of the sustainable design field, Jason shares his unique perspectives and experiences that today's up and coming green warriors can only dream of.

A must for any aspiring architect, Jason takes the reader through the entire series of timeless principles that form the very foundation of sustainable design with loads of practical examples and current references to help empower the reader to internalize and apply those principles in their own practice. At the end of our journey, we are convinced that it is the rest of the world that is, in fact, swimming against the current, and we are emboldened and encouraged to follow our instincts, and are reminded that good design not only can, but in fact must be sustainable. He also dedicates an entire chapter to predicting the future of architecture, complete with a timeline for the next 100 years!

Jason specifically reaches out to encourage the next generation of green warriors with a chapter dedicated to understanding the drivers of, and barriers to, sustainable design in today's corporate structures and design firms, giving the reader a helpful "big picture" overview to help recognize the progress of an organization's corporate culture on the path to sustainability, and to better understand how to make a difference.

To complete the package as an essential resource, the appendices include Jason's own "Green Warrior Reading List", & a "Who's Who in Green Design".

A must-read for anyone serious about facilities design in the 21st. century.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Can Be Considered "Ref A" or the Prime Directive, March 9, 2008

By 

Robert D. Steele (Oakton, VA United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Philosophy of Sustainable Design (Hardcover)

I came late to bioneering, after I was inspired by Herman Daly's Ecological Economics: Principles And Applications, Brian Czech's Shoveling Fuel for a Runaway Train: Errant Economists, Shameful Spenders, and a Plan to Stop them All; and everything by Paul Hawkin, but especially The Ecology of Commerce.

I have had an interest in the intersection of global science, sustainable political and social and economic orders, and the vulnerability of the nation-state in the face of growing complexity for some time, and many of my other reviews focus on these literatures, as well as the literatures of collective intelligence, global assemlages, wealth of networks, localized resilience, and so on.

I make mention of that broader literature to add emphasis to my view that this book is one of the most extraordinary I have ever encountered. I made a mistake when I first got it months ago and put it sight unseen into my "hard and dense, save for intercontinental trip." This book is not hard, not dense, and it is both easy to read and intellectually elegant. I can easily see this book as the single mandatory first year or summer pre-reading at any level--undergraduate or graduate--along with contextual books such as:
High Noon 20 Global Problems, 20 Years to Solve Them
Plan B 3.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization, Third Edition
The Future of Life
The leadership of civilization building: Administrative and civilization theory, symbolic dialogue, and citizen skills for the 21st century and
Collective Intelligence: Creating a Prosperous World at Peace

The sixteen chapters and five appendices are elegant--concise, clear key points, short, just the right mix of photos (including color in a center spread) figures, and text.

The publisher has been criminally remiss in failing to load the varied items that Amazon allows, such as the table of contents. I am increasingly disenchanted with publishers and of the view that Amazon should get into the book publishing business, sending digital copies to FedExKinko's, helping authors self publish (full disclosure: BOTH Fred Smith at FedEx and Jeff Bezos at Amazon blew me off--these guys are simply not serious about innovation).

Preface: Philosophical Beginnings
Chapter 1: The Philosophy of Sustainable Design
Chapter 2: The Evolution of Sustainable Design
Chapter 3: The Principles of Sustainable Design (Biomimicry)
Chapter 4: The Principles of Sustainable Design (Human Vitality)
Chapter 5: The Principles of Sustainable Design (Ecosystem/Bioregional)
Chapter 6: The Principles of Sustainable Design (Seven Generations)
Chapter 7: The Principles of Sustainable Design (Energy/True Cost)
Chapter 8: The Principles of Sustainable Design (Holistic Thinking)
Chapter 9: The Technologies and Components of Sustainable Design
Chapter 10: Shades of Green--Levels of Sustainability
Chapter 11: Productivity and Well-Being
Chapter 12: Greening Your Organization
Chapter 13: Green Economics
Chapter 14: The Sustainable Design Process--Holistic Thinking
Chapter 15: The Aesthetics of Sustainable Design
Chapter 16: The Future of Architecture
Appendix A: The Green Warrior Reading List
Appendix B: Who's Who in Green Design
Appendix C: The Phases of Green Design
Appendix D: The Elements of Green Design Methodology
Appendix F: The Principles of Sustainable Design--Summary

I put this book down with several thoughts:

1) Enormously impressed with the University of Oregon in Eugene, to the point of trying to get my oldest to take his computer and creative skills there.

2) Profoundly delighted with the deep philosophical underpinning that one finds throughout the book, without pretense or pomposity.

3) The one appendix I would have liked to see that is not there is the one entitles: Green to Gold--Bottom-Line Dollar Savings Over Time, and then a whole range of the elements of sustainable design by climate zone.

This is an extremely satisfying book to read. My last throught: it's time to write the Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth. Read more about this at Earth Intelligence Network. This book by Jason McLennan is a perfect model for what the larger systems book should strive to be.

See also the literatures under panarchy, resilience, sustainability.