Latest green books

BUILDING GREENer: Guidance in the use of green roofs, green walls and complementary features on buildings

Authors: Paul Early, Dusty Gedge, John Newton, Steve Wilson

Green roofs and walls are widely used in many countries to provide a range of benefits for the built environment but Building Greener looks at how green roofs are not a new phenomenon, merely an evolution of an idea originating in the early 20th century.

The text, produced by CIRIA, promotes environmental good practice through case studies, visual aids and accurate research.

Numerous studies have been carried out to monitor and assess the effectiveness of green roofs and green walls in the areas of biodiversity, stormwater management and climate change mitigation and adaptation.

The text looks at:

• Published information on green roof and walls.
• The design, construction and operation of green roofs and walls.
• How ‘quick wins’ for biodiversity can be achieved in the built environment.
• Sustainable drainage.
• Thermal efficiency.
• Ideas for incorporating nesting and roosting boxes for birds, bats and other animals into new and existing builds.

The book looks to encourage clients, designers, planners, contractors or facility managers to incorporate green technologies in current and future projects.

Available from Ciria bookshop

Green Building A to Z: Understanding the Language of Green Building

Author: Jerry Yudelson, foreword by Kevin Hydes

Green Buildings are ‘the fastest-growing phenomenon to hit the building industry since the Internet and perhaps since air conditioning,’ leading to the development of sustainable techniques and technologies to provide for a more sustainable future, according to author, and US environmental consultant Yudelson.

Some of the issues the tackled include:

• What is a green building?
• Why are green buildings and green developments important for the environmental and economic challenges we face early in the 21st century?
• What are the important new sustainable technologies that are influencing the building industry?
• How do green products and green buildings actually get designed and built?
• What can I do in my company, my home, and my city to further the “green building revolution”

This book is an resource for businesspeople, homeowners, product manufacturers, developers, building industry professionals, and government officials and doesn’t presume and previous technical or business knowledge.

Jerry Yudelson is an engineer who has chaired the steering committee for the world’s largest green building conference for four years. He is the founder of a national green building consulting firm and boasts five green building titles to his name.

Available from Gazelle Book Services

Green self build

Author: Jon Broom

Whether you want to build your own green home or to make your home more energy-efficient, Jon Broome’s Green Self-Build Book can guide you through it.

Broome gives an overview of the different methods of sustainable and eco-friendly construction techniques for anyone who is planning a do-it-yourself project, and for housing professionals, students, and teachers.

The book includes case studies of green building techniques such as:

• Turf roofs
• Solar-powered hot water
• Super-insulated house
• Earth and straw bale home

It also gives advice on:

• Environmentally preferred forms of construction
• Foundations and floor finishes
• How to specify green products
• How to reduce harmful impacts on health
• How to encourage others to "think green"

Architect Jon Broome has built himself two self-built homes as well as contributing to a variety of books focusing on sustainable construction.

Available from Amazon

Ecohouse (3rd ed)

Author: Susan Roaf

A wide-ranging and in-depth text stressing the importance of building ecologically in order to avoid ruining the earth with buildings that are profligate consumers of energy and producers of more than half of all greenhouse gases

In the third edition of Ecohouse, Susan Roaf gives advice on using renewable energy sources such as wind, micro hydro and heat pumps to supply ecohomes.

The text looks at introduction to low impact building materials such as lime, earth and hemp with numerous case studies with real life examples of how to make an ecohouse work.

A quarter of the book is dedicated to case studies, mostly from abroad, although the underlying philosophy from them all could be usefully adapted to UK buildings. Roaf features her own experiences in designing and building her own ecohouse to demonstrate principles and technologies in practice.

The technical guide is aimed at architects, designers, developers and eco-builders.

Available from Green Building

Sustainable timber sourcing: certified timber products

Author: TRADA Technology

This wood information sheet sets out to explain the certification process to improve specification and increase clarity and efficiency throughout the timber supply chain.

Sustainable timber sourcing assesses the benefits of:

• Purchasing certified timber products
• The certification schemes
• The Government’s timber procurement policy
• Terms for specifying for a government contract
• Chain of custody schemes

Published by TRADA Technology, the text explains that there are two key elements to ensuring that a timber product derives from well-managed sources.

• Firstly, the forest of origin has to be independently certified, to verify that it is being managed in accordance with the requirements of an accredited forest management standard.
• Secondly, when the timber leaves the forest, it enters a ‘chain of custody' system which provides independent certification of its unbroken path to the consumer, including all stages of manufacturing, transportation and distribution. At no point can the chain be broken.

The information sheet aims to inform customers about chain of custody procedures, so that they can be confident that they are receiving what was specified in the order.

Available from Trada Bookshop