Building Homes For Tomorrow

This series focuses on the environmental impact of resource-based industries around the world, today and in the future. How can the growing demand for raw materials be balanced with the increasingly urgent need to reduce the footprint that is left when natural resources are taken from the Earth and developed for worldwide consumption? It is highly illustrated, with an emphasis on presenting a balanced argument about marrying global development with sustainability.

Few detailed studies that involve complex interactions of social, economic, and technical factors have much direct and immediate impact on the real world. This study could well be one of those few exceptions. Arthur Bernhardt, an internationally known building industry expert, recognized as the leading authority on the mobile home industry, has compiled in this book overwhelming evidence that applying the efficient methods and techniques of that industry to other, older sectors of the building industry will enable the United States and countries around the world to overcome the housing crisis, making it possible to divert some of the expenditures for public subsidization of housing to other social priorities. Far from advocating an endless sprawl of mobile home parks as the basis for tomorrow's housing, Bernhardt states at the outset that "as the housing crisis continues to worsen, many people are asking whether mobile homes might become a viable housing alternative.... My personal answer is 'I hope not!'" Rather, his goal is to transfer the innovative spirit and built-in efficiencies of the mobile home production and delivery system to a full range of housing configurations. Bernhardt reached this conclusion only after overcoming an initial skepticism—he originally shared a widespread negative predisposition toward the mobile home industry: "This basic conclusion is the exact opposite of what I expected to find when I first looked at the mobile home industry years ago. Then, sharing with many others in the United States a strong bias against this industry, I decided to devote a few weeks to writing a negative case study on 'how notto industrialize the building industry.' One of the first findings of this investigation, however, was startling: The mobile home industry is the most efficient building industry in the world." The author then undertook a full-scale study of all aspects of the industry, in a seven-year project at MIT. He built a staff of more than a hundred professionals in such fields as engineering, economics, finance, law, management, political science, and sociology, scattered throughout the country. Supported by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Bernhardt and his staff conducted thousands of surveys and interviews in all sectors of the building industry and at all levels of government. The results of this research were compiled in a massive, five-volume, 5000 page report to HUD. Bernhardt's up-to-the-minute book—which is richly illustrated with halftones and drawings—condenses that report, and sets forth in a vigorous and explicit way the conclusions and recommendations that the full weight of the evidence compels.

RIBA Book of British Housing Design looks at the design solutions developed during the 20th and the 21st centuries, and illustrates over 200 of the most successful projects. It provides an overview of the evolution of housing development, and includes present day schemes and estate regeneration as well as special sections on housing in Scotland and Northern Ireland. The photographs and plans of historic and contemporary projects can be used to show design approaches to clients, committees and, in the case of regeneration, with local communities. Looking back into history will indicate which design approaches have been successful. This fully updated 2nd edition includes a new chapter on the development of design concepts and projects built since 1999. It illustrates current trends that have been developing since the turn of the new century, and emphasises the concept of creating sustainable communities. The use of colour photographs adds a new dimension to the first edition in making it possible to appreciate more readily the materials used in the design of the housing and its environment.

The much-anticipated follow-up to the E. B. White Award-winning picture book If I Built a Car In If I Built a Car, imaginative Jack dreamed up a whimsical fantasy ride that could do just about anything. Now he's back and ready to build the house of his dreams, complete with a racetrack, flying room, and gigantic slide. Jack's limitless creativity and infectious enthusiasm will inspire budding young inventors to imagine their own fantastical designs. Chris Van Dusen's vibrant illustrations marry retro appeal with futuristic style as he, once again, gives readers a delightfully rhyming text that absolutely begs to be read aloud.

Each year, North Americans spend as much money fixing up their homes as they do buying new ones. This obsession with improving our dwellings has given rise to a multibillion-dollar industry that includes countless books, consumer magazines, a cable television network, and thousands of home improvement stores. Building a Market charts the rise of the home improvement industry in the United States and Canada from the end of World War I into the late 1950s. Drawing on the insights of business, social, and urban historians, and making use of a wide range of documentary sources, Richard Harris shows how the middle-class preference for home ownership first emerged in the 1920s—and how manufacturers, retailers, and the federal government combined to establish the massive home improvement market and a pervasive culture of Do-It-Yourself. Deeply insightful, Building a Market is the carefully crafted history of the emergence and evolution of a home improvement revolution that changed not just American culture but the American landscape as well.

While building trends may change, one thing does not: the need to build quality homes at affordable prices. And in today's building market, sustainability is an important part of building homes that last so homeowners can keep long-term costs down. Building an Affordable House, 2nd edition helps readers do that with insight from the people who work in the field every day. Building expert Fernando Pages-Ruiz knows that from a homebuilder's perspective, competitive, affordable housing represents a basic business plan that blends curb appeal, useful floor space and a low price tag to guarantee quick sales. It is a blueprint that takes the speculation out of spec building and provides the builder with an elusive commodity in the construction industry: peace of mind. Plus, keeping sustainability at the forefront of building decisions isn't simply good for the environment--it's good for the homeowner's bottom line. Building an Affordable House, 2nd edition provides an updated sensibility to the building decisions every homeowner must make in today's challenging construction environment, whether they are building a brand-new house or renovating one they love. This update (long overdue after 17 years) includes all new code information techniques that honor sustainable building practices cost-saving methods that are safe and effective This book reveals the secrets of building better for less and developing your own cost-cutting approach that balances marketability, quality, and price.

Blueprint for Green Affordable Housing is a guide for housing developers, advocates, public agency staff, and the financial community that offers specific guidance on incorporating green building strategies into the design, construction, and operation of affordable housing developments. A completely revised and expanded second edition of the groundbreaking 1999 publication, this new book focuses on topics of specific relevance to affordable housing including: how green building adds value to affordable housing the integrated design process best practices in green design for affordable housing green operations and maintenance innovative funding and finance emerging programs, partnerships, and policies Edited by national green affordable housing expert Walker Wells and featuring a foreword by Matt Petersen, president and chief executive officer of Global Green USA, the book presents 12 case studies of model developments and projects, including rental, home ownership, special needs, senior, self-help, and co-housing from around the United States. Each case study describes the unique green features of the development, discusses how they were successfully incorporated, considers the project's financing and savings associated with the green measures, and outlines lessons learned. Blueprint for Green Affordable Housing is the first book of its kind to present information regarding green building that is specifically tailored to the affordable housing development community.

The home, an essential part of the American dream, has been beset by troubles since the beginning of the Great Recession in 2007. Whether from an unstable housing economy, ever-rising energy costs, or the environmental ruin of urban sprawl, the origin and variety of these assaults can be bewildering. Surprisingly, some of the answers to many of these modern-day troubles lie in some of humanity's most ancient building techniques. Earth-sheltered building has existed since the heyday of Skara Brae in Scotland 5,000 years ago, and is used today by people around the world, from the Yaodong of north-west China to the subterranean residents of Coober Pedy, Australia, and even to converted missile silos in America. If you have ever looked at your power bill in stunned disbelief, if you are interested in green building techniques, or if you want your home to stand out (or hide out), then this book is for you. Contrary to popular misconceptions of being cramped, dark, or dank domiciles, earth-sheltered homes come in a number of different styles, incorporating brilliant techniques designed to bring light and air into the home. With The Complete Guide to Building Affordable Earth-Sheltered Homes, you will learn about the many different types of earth-sheltered homes and their various advantages, including a life span that can be two to three times longer than that of conventional housing, inexpensive building materials, and reduced maintenance costs. Additionally, the energy costs of an earth-sheltered home can be as much as 80 percent lower than a conventional homes power costs. The book will also examine the different environmental factors that you need to consider when selecting which style to build and how to begin, and carry out, your building process. Some of the factors discussed include the different types of soil and how to adjust to them, the level of precipitation and how to manage run off, and how to maximise use of natural light sources. Construction experts and earth-sheltered home builders have been interviewed and their expertise is included in this guide to help you learn how you can create your own underground home. Details of construction methods are found throughout the book, including tips and advice for planning, excavation, flooring, walls, framing, waterproofing, roofing, drainage, and insulation. You will also learn how to pour your own footings and floor, how to dry stack concrete block walls, how to use post and beam framing, and how to waterproof the membranes. With the information provided in this book, you can start planning and building your own earth-sheltered home in no time so that you, too, can benefit from the natural protection of the earth. If earth-sheltered building is good enough for Bill Gates $136 million mansion, then it just might be good enough for you too.