Habitat Vernacular Architecture for a Changing Planet

Habitat : Vernacular Architecture for a Changing Planet
ISBN: 9780500343241
Publication Date: 1 October 2017

Gathering together the world's leading experts on vernacular architecture, this once-in-a-generation publication examines how local buildings have stood the test of time and offer vital lessons for the future. The core of the book is arranged by climate zone, from desert to tropical, temperate to arctic. Within each section, buildings are presented regionally, showing how local climatic conditions and vegetation affect the evolution of building styles.

This central part is bookended by a range of essays exploring the economic and anthropological aspects, while the reference section offers information on materials science and engineering, including how buildings have been adapted to contend with natural disasters. With the growing challenge of climate change, there has never been a more important time to understand how to make the best use of local natural resources and create buildings that do not rely on stripping our planet or transporting materials across the globe. This book shows us how.

About the Author

Sandra Piesik is an architect and a researcher specializing in technology development and transfer. She has worked extensively in the Middle East on projects that reconnect traditional knowledge systems with modern applications, and has led successful research, development, and deployment studies on the adaptation of date palm leaf architecture for modern use, which resulted in an award-winning project endorsed by the UNCCD and the book Arish: Palm-Leaf Architecture.

As the founder of several multidisciplinary research groups and consortia, she is actively engaged in addressing global climate change. She was co-creator of the Urban and Rural Resilience Program for desert regions and participated in the COP22 UN Climate Change Conference in ...