The Barefoot Architect

by van Lengen, Johan

• ISBN13: 9780936070421
• ISBN10: 0936070420
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2007-10-28
• Publisher: PUBLISHERS GROUP WEST

Summary

A former UN worker and prominent architect, Johan van Lengen has seen firsthand the desperate need for a greener approach to housing in impoverished tropical climates. This comprehensive book clearly explains every aspect of this endeavour, including design (siting, orientation, climate consideration), materials (sisal, cactus, bamboo, earth), and implementation. The author emphasizes throughout the book what is inexpensive and sustainable. Included are sections discussing urban planning, small-scale energy production, cleaning and storing drinking water, and dealing with septic waste, and all information is applied to three distinct tropical regions: humid areas, temporate areas, and desert climates. Hundreds of explanatory drawings by van Lengen allow even novice builders to get started.

Author Biography

Johan van Lengen is the founder of the Bio-Architecture and Intuitive Technology (TIBA) school in the Mata Atlantica (coastal jungle) of Brazil

Table of Contents

Preface
Introduction
How to Use This Manual
Design	p. 1
Drawings	p. 2
House form	p. 8
Spaces	p. 15
How to design a house	p. 18
Models	p. 30
Dimensions	p. 34
Environment	p. 38
Lighting	p. 54
Siting a house	p. 62
Buildings	p. 73
Settlements	p. 89
Climate	p. 98
Urban spaces	p. 106
Circulation	p. 116
Natural environment	p. 133
Humid Tropics	p. 141
House shapes	p. 142
Roofs	p. 144
Structures	p. 158
Pests	p. 194
Doors and windows	p. 199
Ventilation	p. 202
Humidity	p. 204
Roads and bridges	p. 210
Dry Tropics	p. 223
House shapes	p. 224
Ventilation	p. 228
Roofs	p. 243
Windows	p. 260
Temperate Zone	p. 269
Climate	p. 270
Heating	p. 276
Solar collector rooms	p. 280
Heaters	p. 286
Materials	p. 295
Selecting materials	p. 296
Earth	p. 298
Ferrocement	p. 316
Sand	p. 325
Lime	p. 326
Wood	p. 329
Cactus	p. 332
Bamboo	p. 334
Sisal	p. 340
Seacrete	p. 342
Construction	p. 347
Preparation	p. 350
Using materials	p. 356
Foundations	p. 362
Walls	p. 376
Panels	p. 432
Floors	p. 440
Roofs	p. 448
Doors and windows	p. 480
Services	p. 502
Special items	p. 509
Tools	p. 527
Ecotechniques	p. 536
Energy	p. 541
Heat and motion	p. 542
Mills	p. 544
Solar heat	p. 550
Stoves	p. 570
Water	p. 581
Location	p. 582
Pumps	p. 586
Moving water	p. 600
Cisterns	p. 608
Filters	p. 616
Purification	p. 622
Irrigation	p. 634
Cooling & conservation	p. 637
Sanitation	p. 643
Equipment	p. 644
Bason	p. 653
Coban	p. 672
Drainage	p. 677
Maps & Tables	p. 679
Materials and heat	p. 680
Measurements	p. 682
Mixtures	p. 684
Climate zones	p. 688
Angles	p. 692
Appendix	p. 698
Glossary	p. 699
Bibliography	p. 700
Index	p. 702
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.