Product Description

Subjects covered in detail include: solar power, ecological heating options, energy conservation, insulation, how to make our buildings airtight, choosing eco-building products, healthy homes and how to avoid sick building syndrome, green roofing, painting and decoration, buying an eco-home, grants, waste management and water saving, sustainable garden design and management. There are also reviews on current trends and direction of the green building movement in the UK with hundreds of contacts and further reading suggestions. The Green Building Bible cannot fail to inform and educate homeowners about the opportunities available for improving the quality of their home for their family, the community and the wider environment. Dozens of green building experts have contributed material. The books also include a wealth of information on green products and a directory of green building professionals and product suppliers in the UK giving the reader direct access to a wide range of experts with the knowledge and experience necessary to advise or offer guidance.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5901 in Books
• Published on: 2006-10-31
• Format: Illustrated
• Binding: Paperback
• 468 pages

From the Author
Welcome to this, the second edition of the Green Building Bible. Almost a year in the making, this ground-breaking publication builds upon the achievements of the first edition. My primary goal for this edition was to ensure it was inclusive and covered the whole green building movement. I am pleased to say that I think these goals have largely been achieved and after reading the book I'm confident that you will agree.
This book is testament to the fact that there are many desperately concerned individuals out there that have little confidence in the way most of our current homes and offices are designed and built and they see no future in the `business as usual' approach most of the industry wishes to pursue. Whilst no single person knows exactly what needs to be done to rectify the damage that we are collectively inflicting upon the planet, it is clear from within these pages that there are many things we can do to address the problems. The construction industry is a very conservative beast and it is clear that there are many existing vested interests who are resistant to change. Let's hope that those who read this book will join the campaign to persuade them otherwise.
In compiling this book I hope that I have provided you, the reader, with in-depth and adequately referenced information regarding the many avenues available that you may wish to follow - whether you are just a concerned householder with a family that you care for or an industry leader requiring a briefing on the state of play of this rapidly maturing `green building' sector. I am not claiming that this book contains all of the answers but I am confident that this is the best attempt to date.
This book provides not only a snapshot of the current state of play in the green building movement but also works as an encouraging, practical and immediately useful hands-on tool for newcomers to the subject, as well as those already in the industry. I wish to add a personal thank you to all those who have contributed to and supported the production of this edition, especially to my wife Sally who is really the backbone of much of my work. Without her expert and dedicated managerial skills, this edition would not have been achieved.
I would also like to offer my personal thanks to the many authors that have provided the core data for this book. I have taken advantage of the great desire for co-operation that exists within the green building industry. This has enabled me to bring together such a diverse range of architects, builders, scientists, manufacturers, product distributors, installers, and end users. It is this diversity and willingness to share that always fuels my willingness to keep publishing this kind of information. This book now takes its place alongside my other publication, Building for a Future magazine, in charting the continued development of the green building industry in the UK.
Publishers are a much maligned breed but my personal active involvement in this sector for over 15 years, coupled with my hands-on background for many years as a time-served carpenter and joiner and house builder have acted as a catalyst for engagement with all of the major green building organisations that are individually delivering the green building message within and around the industry. This engagement has allowed me to combine, for the first time and in one publication, a gauge of the current state of play of the industry.
Throughout this book, in our other publications and on our web site, you will find a wealth of information, ideas and products to help you play your part in balancing the burden that we and our buildings are placing on the environment. As each year passes by, the opportunities to make a difference are increasing and there are now a growing number of government and local authority initiatives and grants for projects or technology that will improve the environmental performance of buildings.
I am already planning the third edition of The Green Building Bible. If you wish to be involved contact me. If there is a particular subject that you think we have overlooked or one which you would like to see featured, contact me. If you have any comment on this issue, any projects you would like included or are involved with any initiative or organisation that should be included in the future edition, contact me.
There is a profile of all of the authors that have contributed to this book on page 280.

Keith Hall - Publishing Editor

About the Author
Keith Hall
Keith completed a three year apprenticeship in carpentry and joinery way back in 1974! In the early `80s he formed his own building business that included general building, renovation and new housing. In 1988 he became concerned about environmental issues, particularly the use of unsustainable tropical timber. From that concern he launched a magazine called Building for a Future and founded the Association for Environment Conscious Building (AECB) in an effort to promote the concept of green and sustainable building. In 1990 he established the Green Building Press, a business dedicated to promoting and providing information about eco and healthy building. He is Editor of Building for a Future magazine and the Green Building Bible. He has designed and built many sustainable building projects.

Excerpted from The Green Building Bible by Keith Hall. Copyright © 2003. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Welcome to the Green Building Bible.
I do hope you will enjoy the great selection of diverse stories that we have included. They come from a wide range of professionals and enthusiasts from all sectors of the industry.
As an introduction I'd like to summarise the major considerations that we should address when eco-building.
Energy and resources
Vast amounts of energy are consumed in our buildings, both by materials in manufacture and during the life-time of the building. A good start is to select products which use least energy in manufacture (natural or near natural) or that can be recycled or are recycled/reclaimed (see page 8).
Ensure that your building is insulated to the highest possible standards. This will reduce fuel bills. It's a real investment because you would need to put in over 500mm of insulation before you spend more money than you will ultimately save in heating bills. You should, however, avoid using insulation that contains ozone destroying gasses or that are harmful to health (see page 29)
When designing your building take advantage of the sun's free energy. Site orientation and the use of well insulated glazing on the South can maximise passive solar gain (free energy).
Sign up to a renewable energy provider or consider installing a renewable energy system of your own. There are a number of grants available to assist with the cost of these technologies (see pages 16, 18, 58 and 66).
Many materials used in building are from finite sources so it is important to use those that are sustainable. Timber and other bio-crops are generally considered to be the most renewable resource providing they are grown and harvested in a sustainable way. They are also easy to recycle and re-use (see pages 24, 48 and 54).
Healthy homes
Exposure to too many chemicals in the home can cause severe health problems. Hazardous chemicals can be found in many building and household products; paint, preservatives, plastics, carpets etc. Natural paints can help avoid these problems and are affordable (see page 44).
There is still far too much emphasis on treating timber to prevent or eradicate mould or woodworm. Many banks and buildings societies and local authorities still insist on extensive chemical treatment before providing loans or mortgages but this can be avoided (see page 54).
Water and waste
Water conservation and pollution avoidance go hand in hand. In the past few years a wide range of water conservation systems have flooded onto the market. Rainwater harvesting systems are now widely available. These save and store rainwater from building roofs etc for re-use. There are a number of advertisers throughout this book that sell these systems and also low flush and composting loos. See the List of Advertisers at the back of this book.
Biodiversity
Make sure that your buildings encourage wildlife. Trees, hedgerows and ponds should be carefully protected during building operations and retained. Small areas of land can be set aside as wild nature areas and new ponds can be established. Hard landscaping need not be alien for wildlife - dry stone walling will quickly be colonised by frogs, newts and lizards. Care for the wider environment too by avoiding the use of peat for landscaping works and ensure you use sustainable (preferably certified) timber (see page 48).
Unlimited information to help you
The Green Building Bible benefits from its close relationship with the quarterly magazine, Building for a Future, (see page 38) now in its 14th year of publication. Selected extracts from recent issues have been included in this publication.
Throughout this book, in our other publications and on our web site (see page 39), you will find a wealth of information, ideas and products to help you play your part in balancing the burden that we and our buildings are placing on the environment. As each year passes by the opportunities to make a difference are increasing and there are now an increasing number of government and local authority grants for projects or technology that will improve the environmental performance of buildings (see pages 16 & 18).
A great deal of effort has gone into making this book accessible to as wide a range of users as possible. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the contributors. We will be publishing The Green Building Bible again next year with what is certain to be an even broader eco-building experience. Let me know if there is a particular subject that you would like to see featured. It may even be your own project!

Keith Hall - Publishing Editor

Customer Reviews

If you live in the UK, this is a absolutely 5star, if not its still very very important book
Well, I guess most users have rated and commented the book as it is.
This is a very technical, almost catalogue-like book. WIth lots of boxes, pictures, oportunities to contact, tips to save and to care anout the earth when building. And has a very earthy, pratical, pragmatical and action-oriented taste. It has lots of advirtsements of building companies, architects, enviromental agencies, funding and grants which will give your bulding or living experience, an almost thrilling taste!

If you like in the UK, this is a absolutely MUST have. Even if you are not into building. Since this book will teach you a lot. A lot of oportunities around yur country.
IF you live like me, in another country, this is a much useful book, but you will be jealous of wanting to build a house in the UK with such a variety of enviromental-oriented groups and agencies!

Technical and inspiring. Not that rare inspiration like the self-sufficiency bible, but still is a much updated book on green building and houses.

A great technical primer for sustainable construction
The Green Building Bible (now in its 3rd edition), matching the recent rapid growth in interest and activity in sustainable construction methods, has grown coniderably in breadth (volume 1) and depth (Volume 2).

Whereas in Volume 1 over 40 authors were together responsible for putting together a veritable encyclopaedia on green building in Volume 2 a principle author, Richard Nicholls (with three contributing authors), has been asked by publishing editor, Keith Hall, to compile a comprehensive set of guidelines to help readers put ideas into practice. Richard Nicholls is an applied physicist and course leader on the MSc in Sustainable Architecture at Huddersfield University with experience in the field of delivering energy efficient solutions to buildings.

Volume 2 is described as providing "in depth technical information and data on the strategies and systems needed to create low energy, green buildings." Whilst Volume 1 guides the reader directly to volume 2 for further reading in its various chapters where applicable, this book does also stand on its own as a useful reference book for the serious minded professional. Whilst this is very much a text book it is certainly not just for students and professionals in the field. In each of the eleven chapters the focus is on optimising design and build methods to reduce energy consumption whilst also dealing with the related challenges of minimising carbon emissions. The outcome is that a reader can be fully informed in the technical aspects of optimising energy efficiency in buildings - importantly balancing the sometimes more emotional `back to nature' area of green construction (we need both approaches of course!). For the general layperson who is interested in the technical details they can pick up the scientific facts to verify for themselves what value there is in micro wind generation and PV panels or indeed all the other options that can bring together the ultimate energy efficient building. I would also have also personally liked reference to real-life projects where the various approaches under the various chapters had been addressed - although this need is fulfilled, at least in part, through the pages of volume 1.

The scope of the book is technical rather than architectural (although there are sections covering site and building form). Whilst designing energy efficiency into our buildings does require a holistic approach which integrates all the chapter headings of the book I would have liked, certainly for the less technically minded, an overview of the key elements within each area (of services, materials in construction etc.) summarising priorities to deliver the most viable energy efficient strategy.. As each householder in the country is now being called on to provide an energy performance certificate when it comes time to sell their home (from June 2007) the material covered in this book is of increasing importance for all. In this regard there is a very helpful ready reckoner on the energy efficiency (and pay back) on various insulation options for walls and lofts.

As with volume 1 the book is in colour throughout and includes extensive graphic images relating to technical building design and services along with supporting data. This book deserves to be read widely within the construction world, and particularly by those entering it, whether at college or on site.

'All you need to know about ecobuilding'
The Green Building Bible (now in its 3rd edition) claims to be `all you need to know about ecobuilding'. As the starting point to living a more healthy, sustainable and autonomous life is the roof over our heads, at home or at work, this now highly comprehensive book is a very important reference point to guide `layperson' and building professional alike. It would be difficult for any resource (web or paper-based) to fulfil the `all you need to know' claim, however the GBB is as close as it gets - and the fact that this 460 page compendium (full colour throughout) is available at a very modest [price] is a major achievement (and the ideal Christmas present for an eco expert or novice). It can certainly claim to be a unique book for the UK green construction world and given thoroughly researched contributions from over 40 experts in the field it can hopefully help fulfil an important role in mainstreaming green building techniques and know-how.

The size and scope of this edition completely dwarfs the previous edition published in 2005 and its many authors have all been clear and concise in the fully researched information given on the topics covered. The book commences with an introduction from Sue Roaf headed `for sustainability read survivability' setting the tone for the opening 30 pages of big picture' issues and challenges (climate change, peak oil. green energy &c). Over 400 pages later the main body of the book ends with six magnificent pages on the construction of natural swimming pools! In between the main themes are followed in an orderly way covering the emerging trends within green construction, taking you through the fundamentals of green design and sustainable living. The chapter `Greening commercial' makes a compelling case for more sustainable approaches within the commercial/office sector followed by a chapter covering the various styles of construction (cob, straw bale through to passive house and offsite construction). 100 pages on products and materials are then followed by an excellent chapter on the outdoors covering subjects such as rainwater harvesting and encouraging wildlife.

There is a range of case studies on construction projects and applications of specific products and renewable energy approaches - with only two housing projects covered future editions might expand on this area; how about getting the inside track on David Cameron's conversion of his house in Notting Hill?! There are three personal stories on the theme of `Its not easy being Green' (following the theme of the recent BBC series) and the mix of personal stories and technical and general information throughout the book means that there is something here for most readers interested in the overall subject matter (according to recent polls over 80% of us in the UK!). Each topic is covered in typically 3-6 pages. The photos and colour diagrams add a richness to the information and the extensive web references and further reading suggestions provide the perfect entry point for each topic (over 100 specific topics are covered in the book).


A book as comprehensive as this would benefit from a `how to use' section (to guide in particular a `first-timer' into how to best prioritise the steps to greening their personal environment), however part of its appeal is that by dipping into any section you can within a couple of minutes start to be inspired by practical actions that can be taken now and future projects to dream about. The editors have clearly included as much as they could within their allotted space and `under a tenner' price however it would have been nice to have seen, within the excellent new `Trends and Direction' chapter, a section on emergent new or revived construction methods from the perspective of UK University research departments working in this area. Also the implications (and potent opportunities) of the fact that every house in the country from next June will, when placed on the market, need an energy performance certificate could have been aired here also. However this book is incredibly comprehensive and is a `call to action' for all those aspiring to greener and more sustainable buildings - as part of our collective need to reconnect to the natural systems of which we are a part for, as Sue Roafe points out, our own `survivability'. Finally, for those in the academic world this book (and its companion volume 2) would make an excellent primer for all building and construction students - it would be good to see copies in all campus libraries!