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[ links ] → [ books ] → [ appropriate construction technology ]

[ appropriate construction technology ]

• Houben, H. & Guillaud, H. (1994) - Earth Construction: A Comprehensive Guide, ITDG Publishing

A comprehensive, illustrated handbook on the world's oldest and most widespread building material. Although earth is extremely versatile and can be used at relatively low-cost, it is essential that users have a good knowledge of its real potential in order to use it to best effect and to avoid misuse. The text is supported by illustrations throughout, and deals with the essential aspects of earth construction - decision making, planning, design and the realization of a project - so that the procedures, benefits and precautions are easily accessible and understood by those involved at every level. The accumulated knowledge and experience of centuries of use are presented alongside current technologies and research findings. There is a chapter devoted to disaster-resistant construction techniques, and bibliographies throughout for those who require more details about a particular subject area. This book should be of interest to anyone involved in construction projects at all levels, including decision makers and planners, building inspectors, architects and engineers, technicians, building promoters and bricklayers, and sub-contractors - as well as students and academics.

• Mitchell, M. (2003) - The Lemonade Stand, Centre for Alternative Technology Publications

In the western world, the relationship between house, home and builder has mostly been severed, removing us from the attachment many people derive from making buildings. THE LEMONADE STAND offers a guide to building your own home or shelter in one of many styles from around the world, in the process understanding more about how buildings are informed by climate, materials, tradition, and technology. It is the ideal 'learning-by-building' guide for self-builders, designers, and development workers.

• Khalili, N. (2002) - Ceramic Houses and Earth Architecture: How to Build Your Own, Chelsea Green Pub Co

Khalili's classic, authoritative manual describes how to build arches, domes, and vaults with earth, as well as techniques to fire and glaze earth buildings to transform them into ceramic houses. This newly revised edition also provides insight into the latest response by building officials to Superadobe or earthbag technology (structures of sandbags and barbed wire), a patented system that is free for the owner-builder and licensed for commercial use.

• Hunter, K. & Kiffmeyer, D. (2004) - Earthbag Building: The Tool, Tricks and Techniques, New Society Publishers

This book is the first comprehensive guide to all the tools, tricks and techniques for building with bags filled with earth -- earthbags. Introduced to sandbag construction by the renowned Nader Khalili in 1993, the authors have developed this 'Flexible Form Rammed Earth Technique' over the last decade. A reliable method for constructing homes, outbuildings, garden walls and much more, this enduring, tree-free architecture can also be used to create arched or domed structures of great beauty -- in any climate, and at home, in developing countries, or in relief work.

• Kennedy, J.F. (2004) - Building without Borders: Sustainable Construction for the Global Village 

'Building Without Borders' describes pioneering efforts to create sustainable shelter for billions currently under-housed. It surveys projects around the world that are housing the homeless without destroying natural habitats to do so, by drawing upon local traditions such as bamboo, straw bale and earthen construction. Highly illustrated and popular in style, it includes case studies, technical information, and the latest thinking on truly sustainable construction, and advocates education and training as the means to empower local peoples to create houses for themselves.

• Stulz, R. and Mukerji, K. (1993) - Appropriate Building Materials: A Catalogue of Potential Solutions (Third Revised Edition), ITDG Publishing

Revised and updated, this book summarizes technical data and practical information from a large and growing number of publications, allowing the reader to identify solutions for any given construction problem in low-cost housing in developing countries.

• King, B. (1997) - Buildings of Earth and Straw: Structural Design for Rammed Earth and Straw Bale Architecture, Ecological Design Press

Building with Earth and Straw is the essential companion to both, providing technical data from an engineer's perspective. Information includes the special construction requirements of earth and straw, and the design capabilities and limitations of these materials. Bruce King is a structural engineer who has been involved in a variety of innovative building projects.

• Janssen, J.J.A. (1995) - Building with Bamboo: A Handbook, ITDG Publishing

This revised handbook brings together the practical experience of engineers working in the field, and research programmes testing the properties of bamboo. It is a technical manual with information about the potentials and limits of bamboo as a building material. The book shows how the material has been used in different designs in developing countries and describes the varying properties and uses of different types of bamboo. The author shows how bamboo can be harvested, seasoned and jointed to form walls, doors and windows, roofs, floors, ceilings, roof trusses and bridges, and how to weave bamboo. The new edition updates and corrects the text of the first edition; and includes a detailed case study of the extensive experience of Costa Rica in bamboo construction.

• Kries, M. & Dethier, J. & Steffens, K. (2002) - Grow Your Own House: Simon Velez and Bamboo Architecture, Vitra Design Museum

Bamboo as a construction material is being rediscovered today: not only is it considered extremely cost effective and durable, it also has an unmistakable aesthetic appearance. Architect Simon Velez appreciates the qualities of bamboo and has used the material in many of his buildings, his pavilion for the ZERI Foundation at Expo 2000 being a good example. At 40 metres in diameter and 17 metres high, it is one of the largest bamboo structures in the world. This publication documents the historical significance and unique properties of bamboo and points to its possible future uses as society looks for more sustainable means of living.