Product Description

The Ecology of Building Materials explores key questions surrounding sustainability of building materials. It provides technical data to enable design and building professionals to choose the most appropriate materials for a project: those that are least polluting, most energy efficient, and from sustainable sources. The book also gives information and guidance on a wide range of issues such as recycling, detailing for increased durability and Life Cycle Analysis.

Berge's book, translated from the Norwegian by Chris Butters and Filip Henley, offers safe and environmentally friendly material options. It provides an essential and easy-to-use reference guide to this complex subject for the building industry professional.

New to this edition:
. Thorough exploration of building materials in relation to climate change issues
. Extensive updating of basic data, as well as the introduction of a wide range of new materials
. Methods for recycling and reuse of materials
. More information on the interaction between materials and the indoor environment, ventilation and energy use
. Full colour text and user-friendly larger format

Bjørn Berge is a practicing architect, researcher and lecturer. Since the 1970s, he has written several books on building ecology for the Scandinavian public. He is one of the founders of Gaia Architects who have developed a wide range of pioneering techniques in sustainable building.

* Fully updated with increased focus on climate change issues
* Technical data allows an informed choice of the most appropriate and environmentally friendly building materials
* Details methods for recycling and reuse of materials.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #490311 in Books
• Published on: 2009-02-02
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 448 pages

Review
First edition Silver Award Winner at the Chartered Institute of Buildings Literary Awards, 2001.

From the Publisher
In a time when environmental labelling is becoming increasingly popular and the producers of building materials are urged to be more environmentally aware, it is obviously important that we are acquainted with these alternatives.Important issues discussed in this book include:Can raw materials from non-renewable sources be replaced with raw materials from widely available or non-depletable sources?Can environmentally friendly chemicals replace environmentally damaging ones?Can the make-up of building materials be altered so that individual components can be re-used?A clear interpretation of complicated Life Cycle Analysis issues and vital guidance are given to specifiers confronted with a plethora of manufacturers' environmental claims.