Alternative construction
Subtitle: contemporary natural building methods
By: edited by Lynne Elizabeth and Cassandra Adams.
Contributors: Elizabeth, Lynne.; Adams, Cassandra.
Publisher: Wiley
Published: 2000
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 392
Subjects: Building; Building materials -- Environmental aspects; Green products; Sustainable development; Architecture and society; Construction industry -- Appropriate technology
Description: "The first comprehensive guide to combining traditional natural materials and modern construction methods, this book examines a broad range of traditional and modern natural construction methods, including straw-bale, light-clay, cob, adobe, rammed earth and pise, earthbag, earth-sheltered, bamboo, and hybrid systems. It also covers key ecological design principles, as well as current engineering and building code requirements.".

"Experts on each building system have contributed core chapters that explore the history, development, climatic appropriateness, environmental benefits, performance characteristics, construction techniques, and structural design principles for each method. More than 200 visuals depict both construction processes and completed structures. An extensive resource guide shows where to go for further information, training, and research."--BOOK JACKET.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 365-374) and index.
Table of contents: title: Introduction : The natural building movement / Lynne Elizabeth ; The realities of specifying environmental building materials / Cassandra Adams; title: A new context for building codes and regulation / David Eisenberg; title: Natural conditioning of buildings / Ken Haggard ... [et al.]; title: Structural properties of alternative building materials / Bruce King; title: Adobe / Michael Moquin; title: Cob / Michael Smith; title: Rammed earth / David Easton; title: Modular contained earth. Earthbag / Joseph Kennedy and Paulina Wojciechowska with special acknowledgment of the work of Nader Khalili ; Earth-rammed tires / Michael Reynolds; title: Light clay / Robert Laporte and Frank Anderson with special acknowledgment of the work of Franz Volhard; title: Straw-bale / Kelly Lerner, Bob Theis, and Dan Smith; title: Bamboo / Darrel DeBoer and Karl Bareis; title: Earthen finishes. Earth plasters / Carole Crews ; Earth floors / Bill and Athena Steen; title: Integrated systems with rammed earth : Charles Sturt University, Thurgoona Campus, New South Wales, Australia / Marci Webster-Mannison; title: Straw, clay, and carrizo : Obregon Project, Northern Mexico / Bill and Atheena Steen; title: Light-clay house additions : school/residence in Wisconsin / Lou Host-Jablonski; title: Variations on earthbag. The Honey House; title: Moab, Utah / Kaki Hunter and Doni Kiffmeyer ; Residences in Arizona and Wisconsin / Dominic Howes ; Sandbag House, Rum Cay Island, Bahamas / Steve Kemble and Carol Escott; title: The value of indigenous ways : Habitat for Humanity International / C. Wayne Nelson; title: Building technology transfer. Raising straw-bale housing for farmworkers in California / Kelly Lerner, Dan Smith, and Bob Theis ; Introduction of straw-bale construction to Mongolia and China / Kelly Lerner; title: Epilogue : Finding the soul of natural building / Tom Bender.