Living Building Makers


Book Description

Living Building Makers is a handcrafted collection of stories celebrating people who bring the builtenvironment to life. Each chapter captures the insights, creativity, and discoveries of the oftenunsung individuals - builders, tradespeople, designers, engineers, educators, craftspeople, andowners - who rolled up their sleeves to play a part in creating two of the greenest buildings inthe world that stand on the campus of Massachusetts' renowned Hampshire College .




The Philosophy of Sustainable Design


Book Description

The author outlines the major ideas and issues that have emerged in the growing movement of green architecture and sustainable design over the last thirty years. The book asks individuals to understand how the philosophy of sustainable design can affect their own work.




Building Open Source Hardware


Book Description

This is the first hands-on guide to the entire process of designing and manufacturing open source hardware. Drawing on extensive personal experience with DIY, maker, and hardware hacking projects, industry-leading contributors share proven approaches to design, remixing, fabrication, manufacturing, troubleshooting, licensing, documentation, and running an open source hardware business. Part I covers the emergence and evolution of open source hardware, what open source hardware licenses mean, and the growing role of standards in making hardware more open. Part II offers contributors' expert advice on key tasks, ranging from creating derivatives to using source files. Part III turns to production, showing how to manufacture at multiple scales-from personal to commercial. Appendixes provide valuable checklists for design, manufacture, security, and documentation. And to foster even more hands-on learning and experimentation, the low-cost Blinky Buildings open source hardware kit is used as an example throughout. Learn how to Get involved in the open source hardware community-its history and values Develop designs you can successfully prototype and manufacture Walk step by step through making derivatives from existing projects Build open source 3D printers, and remix 3D printable objects Create open source wearables Work with diverse source files, from electronics to other physical materials Fabricate your own designs Move from prototype to commercial manufacturing, and troubleshoot problems Choose a business model and build a profitable open source hardware company Avoid pitfalls associated with trademarks, copyrights, patents, and licensing Write documentation other hardware hackers can use Use open source hardware in education, helping students learn without boundaries




How a House Is Built


Book Description

Houses are built with many different materials, and in many shapes and sizes. Step by step, this picture book explains how homes are built—from the architect's plans through the arrival of a happy family. The many processes of construction are explained with simple language and bright, clear illustrations, perfect for kids starting to wonder about how the world around them works. Many different careers—including carpenters, plumbers, electricians, and landscapers—are introduced, each doing their part to bring the picture wood-frame house to life. A great read for kids who love construction sites, or who can't get enough of Building a House by Byron Barton. According to The Washington Post, Gail Gibbons "has taught more preschoolers and early readers about the world than any other children's writer-illustrator." Ms. Gibbons is the author of more than 100 books for young readers, including the bestselling titles From Seed to Plant and Monarch Butterfly. Her many honors include the Washington Post/Childrens Book Fuild Nonfiction Award and the NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Book Award.




Curbing Traffic


Book Description

In Curbing Traffic: The Human Case for Fewer Cars in Our Lives, mobility experts Melissa and Chris Bruntlett chronicle their experience living in the Netherlands and the benefits that result from treating cars as visitors rather than owners of the road. They weave their personal story with research and interviews with experts and Delft locals to help readers share the experience of living in a city designed for people. Their insights will help decision makers and advocates to better understand and communicate the human impacts of low-car cities: lower anxiety and stress, increased independence, social autonomy, inclusion, and improved mental and physical wellbeing. Curbing Traffic provides relatable, emotional, and personal reasons why it matters and inspiration for exporting the low-car city.




The Power of Zero


Book Description




The Big Book of Maker Skills


Book Description

This ultimate guide for tech makers covers everything from hand tools to robots plus essential techniques for completing almost any DIY project. Makers, get ready: This is your must-have guide to taking your DIY projects to the next level. Legendary fabricator and alternative engineer Chris Hackett teams up with the editors of Popular Science to offer detailed instruction on everything from basic wood- and metalworking skills to 3D printing and laser-cutting wizardry. Hackett also explains the entrepreneurial and crowd-sourcing tactics needed to transform your back-of-the-envelope idea into a gleaming finished product. In The Big Book of Maker Skills, readers learn tried-and-true techniques from the shop classes of yore—how to use a metal lathe, or pick the perfect drill bit or saw—and get introduced to a whole new world of modern manufacturing technologies, like using CAD software, printing circuits, and more. Step-by-step illustrations, helpful diagrams, and exceptional photography make this book an easy-to-follow guide to getting your project done.




Soft City


Book Description

Imagine waking up to the gentle noises of the city, and moving through your day with complete confidence that you will get where you need to go quickly and efficiently. Soft City is about ease and comfort, where density has a human dimension, adapting to our ever-changing needs, nurturing relationships, and accommodating the pleasures of everyday life. How do we move from the current reality in most cites—separated uses and lengthy commutes in single-occupancy vehicles that drain human, environmental, and community resources—to support a soft city approach? In Soft City David Sim, partner and creative director at Gehl, shows how this is possible, presenting ideas and graphic examples from around the globe. He draws from his vast design experience to make a case for a dense and diverse built environment at a human scale, which he presents through a series of observations of older and newer places, and a range of simple built phenomena, some traditional and some totally new inventions. Sim shows that increasing density is not enough. The soft city must consider the organization and layout of the built environment for more fluid movement and comfort, a diversity of building types, and thoughtful design to ensure a sustainable urban environment and society. Soft City begins with the big ideas of happiness and quality of life, and then shows how they are tied to the way we live. The heart of the book is highly visual and shows the building blocks for neighborhoods: building types and their organization and orientation; how we can get along as we get around a city; and living with the weather. As every citizen deals with the reality of a changing climate, Soft City explores how the built environment can adapt and respond. Soft City offers inspiration, ideas, and guidance for anyone interested in city building. Sim shows how to make any city more efficient, more livable, and better connected to the environment.




Housing 2.0


Book Description

Home is the ultimate consumer product. It has to be. We spend nearly 70 percent of our lives in our homes. Which leads to the "why" forHousing 2.0: Home is where life happens. Moreover, housing is one our nation's largest industries with a profound impact on our national economy. However, five crises are historically converging on the industry causing exponentially increasing pain. Housing 2.0 is about connecting the dots by identifying four market-ready innovations that will effectively mitigate these crises. In essence, it is a guide how to prepare for the inevitable disruption looming ahead.And it all begins by shifting the housing industry to a user experience optimization business model. Housing 2.0 uniquely serves this transitionwith an actionable framework for consistently delivering homes that meet and exceed homebuyer expectations. It includes:? 19 strategies for optimizing 5 key user experiences? 150+ proven user experience best practices? 400+ pages of meticulously organized content? 360+ citations supporting key findings and recommendations? Hundreds of charts, graphs, and illustrations? Eight thought leaders essays providing expert insights in key principlesAdapting the Housing 2.0 framework provides an opportunity to build homes with substantially greater user value at significantly lower cost.This finding is supported by detailed tabulations throughout the book and empirical case studies in the final chapter. But one warning. Housing 2.0 is a lot to take in all at once. Do not be overwhelmed by all of the exciting opportunities provided to optimize how we build communities and individual homes. Instead, every housing organization should be inspired to start getting on their own optimization path. One wherethey customize the comprehensive Housing 2.0 framework for their regional constraints and business constraints, and then start applying it to actual projects. Towards that end, all housing professionals are invited to join Housing 2.0 Workshops and Action Groups provided by Green Builder Media and to start their own journey to user experience leadership. Housing 2.0 is about homes where life happens better.




Never Too Small


Book Description

Joel Beath and Elizabeth Price explore this question drawing inspiration from a diverse collection of apartment designs, all smaller than 50m2/540ft2. Through the lens of five small-footprint design principles and drawing on architectural images and detailed floor plans, the authors examine how architects and designers are reimagining small space living. Full of inspiration we can each apply to our own spaces, this is a book that offers hope and inspiration for a future of our cities and their citizens in which sustainability and style, comfort and affordability can co-exist. Never Too Small proves living better doesn’t have to mean living larger.