Sun, Wind & Light: Architectural Design Strategies, 2nd Edition [Paperback]

G. Z. Brown (Author), Mark DeKay (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 24, 2000 | ISBN-10: 0471348775 | ISBN-13: 978-0471348771 | Edition: 2

Architecture/Environment
How to design buildings that heat with the sun, cool with the wind, light with the sky, and move into the future using on-site renewable resources
Developed for rapid use during schematic design, this book clarifies relationships between form and energy and gives designers tools for designing sustainably. It also:
* Applies the latest passive energy and lighting design research
* Organizes information by architectural elements at three scales:
* building groups, individual buildings, and building parts
* Brings design strategies to life with examples and practical design tools
* Features:
* 109 analysis techniques and design strategies
* More than 750 illustrations, sizing graphs, and tables
* Both inch-pound and metric units

Editorial Reviews

Review

Books about sustainability come in different shapes and sizes: some theoretical, some practical, some a pleasure to look at, some just factual. This one is an intriguing mix of all these...

--Architectural Review (UK) Adam Voelker

a comprehensive document and despite much further reading I have yet to find a strategy elsewhere not mentioned in this book. --Amazon UK

Charged to select three books for people interested in teaching themselves ... architecture, ... I would choose Sun, Wind & Light to teach the processes architects should use. ...an inspirational book.
--SBSE News

This book is an obvious choice as a textbook on climate-responsive design, but it should also serve as a valuable reference for anyone designing buildings with climate in mind.  --Environmental Building News

Great book to study for sustainable architecture. Gives details on how to design for particular climates and regions. Filled with helpful charts and graphs to decipher for seasons and times of the day according to each climate. --Alibris

"No architect should neglect to follow the advice that it gives." (Center for Education in the Built Environment, August 2002)

From the Publisher

A text for architectural design studio courses, geared to inspire design ideas and to help students understand the energy consequence of design decisions. Concentrates on the analysis of sun, wind, and light resources of a particular site and climate. Also offers design strategies organized by building groups, buildings and building parts, and provides strategies for supplementing passive systems. Includes over 200 beautifully rendered architectural illustrations. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 2 edition (October 24, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471348775
• ISBN-13: 978-0471348771
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 1 x 10.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #84,555 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #9 in Books > Arts & Photography > Architectural Art & Design > Decoration & Ornament
  • #9 in Books > Arts & Photography > Decorative Arts & Design > Interior & Home Design > Decoration & Ornament
  • #14 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Home Improvement & Design > Home Decorating & Design > Energy Efficiency

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 37 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Climate Sensitive Design February 8, 2001

By "raindropsrachel"

Format:Paperback

This book is very helpful in determining the siting of your building (or gardens)with respect to wind patterns, and sun patterns of your area. As a designer of both indoor and outdoor spaces I found it to be a practical resource for helping ensure the success of a design. When I want shade, I now know where shade will fall; when I want to fill a space with light, I now know where and when light will be there and can adjust my design accordingly. Great book! Would reccommend it to architects, landscape architects and anyone wanting to see how their designs integrate into the daily and seasonal climate, wind, and light patterns of their area. The Sun Peg Charts are especially helpful. Good starting and reference point for all designs. Definitely add this one to your library.

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars highly advanced December 6, 2002

By Kaes Ali

Format:Paperback

A very comprehensive book which leaves you with shortness of breath after each page, covers very well all the aspects of the title and their interaction and effect on planning a building or project of any kind, and gives u alot of new ideas on how to find out the effects of sun,wind and light and from where will the effect be more and how to make advantage of each one of these elements. keeps you woundering whether what you have ever designed before was valid or not. rich in figures and examples, slightly difficult regarding the laguage. but it is worth every penney.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars I love this book, but the information is hard to use November 4, 2007

By R. McKown

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is one of the best books I've seen that address building architectural design considerations that affect heating, cooling, ventilation and lighting. It presents tidbits from real designs, focuses on maximizing the effects of the local climate on the building toward the objective of a comfortable and usable living/working space, and addresses supplemental systems as well. This information presumes a level of knowledge relating to some of these concepts that I don't currently have, making it a pretty hard read in many places. However, the book digs pretty deep into each area, providing enough information to get a good start on a building design. The fusion of engineering and creativity is my favorite feature of this book. It provides insight into creative building designs while also presenting the more quantitative factors necessary to size and evaluate a design for intended use.