The New Autonomous House Design and Planning for Sustainability

by Vale, Brenda; Vale, Robert

• ISBN13: 9780500282878
• ISBN10: 0500282870
• Edition: 00
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2002-09-17
• Publisher: Thames & Hudson

Summary

In 1975 Brenda and Robert Vale published The Autonomous House , a manifesto offering down-to-earth suggestions for building homes that do not pollute the earth or squander its resources. Their book received tremendous praise around the world and was seen as a significant move toward green architecture. Nearly twenty years later, in the early 1990s, the Vales decided to turn their groundbreaking ideas into reality. The New Autonomous House records their building of a house on the principles of sustainable resources in the small town of Southwell in the British Midlands. As specialists in green architecture, the Vales sought to create an environmentally friendly four-bedroom house that was neither exotic in appearance nor difficult to maintain. They document the philosophy, design, and construction of a building that can produce power from the sun and obtain drinking water from the rain. The New Autonomous House has a simple but revolutionary message: It is possible to live in an inexpensive house that is kind to the planet and liberates its owner from utility bills. The Vales provide a thought-provoking, practical solution to the environmental problems caused by the houses in which we live, a blueprint of green architecture for future generations.

Author Biography

Brenda Vale is Professor of Architectural Technology and Robert Vale is Senior Research Fellow at the University of Auckland, New Zealand

Table of Contents

Preface	6	(2)
John Perlin
Definitions and Introduction to the Problems	8	(10)
Definitions	8	(3)
Introduction to the problems	11	(5)
The future for buildings	16	(2)
The Philosophical and Technical Background	18	(24)
The environmental movement	18	(3)
Alternative technology	21	(1)
Utopias - technology and society	22	(12)
Technologies and societies	34	(1)
Appropriate targets	35	(6)
Conclusion: the alternative-technology approach	41	(1)
The Autonomous House as Built	42	(25)
Introduction	42	(1)
Why a house?	43	(3)
The site	46	(4)
The house	50	(17)
Theoretical Analysis of the Technical Options	67	(73)
A methodology for design	67	(1)
Structure	67	(19)
Building enclosure	86	(18)
Services	104	(36)
The Technical Options Implemented	140	(51)
Saving energy	140	(1)
Structure	141	(21)
Building enclosure	162	(10)
Services	172	(18)
Conclusions	190	(1)
Performance in Use	191	(42)
The performance of the fabric	191	(4)
Ventilation	195	(1)
Space heating	196	(16)
Waste and water	212	(16)
Cost	228	(1)
Conclusions	229	(2)
Further research	231	(2)
Conclusions	233	(6)
Appendices	239	(7)
Notes	246	(9)
Index	255