Houses are more than a shelter from the elements: they also offer an unparalleled insight into the beliefs, ideas and experiences of the people who built and lived in them.

In this engaging book, Matthew Johnson looks at the traditional houses that still exist throughout the English countryside and examines the lives of the ordinary people who once occupied them. His wide-ranging narrative takes in the medieval hall and the community it framed; the rebuilding and 'improvement'of houses in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries; and the rise of the Georgian Order in both architecture and eighteenth century culture.

This passionate book is animated by the conviction that old houses are much more than just pretty tableaux of an idyllic, unchanging rural England. Vernacular houses are compared to their larger, 'polite' counterparts, and English houses are placed in the wider context of the British Isles and the Atlantic world beyond. The result is a dynamic, compelling account of the development of houses in the English countryside and through this, a portrait of changing patterns of social life from medieval to modern times.

Richly illustrated throughout with photographs and drawings, this book will be of interest to anyone who wants to understand the significance of our built heritage and the historic landscape.

London's modest eighteenth-century houses-those inhabited by artisans and laborers in the unseen parts of Georgian London-can tell us much about the culture of that period. This fascinating book examines largely forgotten small houses that survive from the eighteenth century and sheds new light on both the era's urban architecture and the lives of a culturally distinctive metropolitan population. Peter Guillery discusses how and where, by and for whom the houses were built, stressing vernacular continuity and local variability. He investigates the effects of creeping industrialization (both on house building and on the occupants), and considers the nature of speculative suburban growth. Providing rich and evocative illustrations, he compares these houses to urban domestic architecture elsewhere, as in North America, and suggests that the eighteenth-century vernacular metropolis has enduring influence. Published for the Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art and in association with English Heritage

With energy costs continuing to rise 'zero energy homes' are latest big green building trend. A Zero Energy Home (ZEH) - a home that produces as much energy as it consumes - is an idea whose time has come! Authors David Johnston and Scott Gibson explore the design and construction of self-sufficient houses from start to finish. They: make the case for a ZEH; cite climate and geographic challenges; describe exactly how to go about building an energy-efficient home; and, feature ten houses that were built for zero energy living. With unequalled knowledge and a passion for the subject, the authors walk readers through the process of building and living in a truly green home.

UPDATED EDITION As a nation we are obsessed with property: prices, interior design and restoration, and the creation of a home. Now there is another avenue to explore: the history of your house. In this updated second edition, Britain's leading house historian uncovers the hidden stories and secrets of ordinary and extraordinary homes across the country. Gain a unique insight into our social and architectural history through a wide range of houses, including new stories for this edition, from workers' cottages to aristocratic mansions. Tudor farmhouses, Georgian mansions and twentieth-century modernist designs all have a tale to tell. From homes once occupied by famous figures such as H.G. Wells and Benjamin Disraeli to details of the everyday lives of people living in railway and fishermen's cottages, House Histories takes the reader through the centuries of change experienced by each house. As well as providing a rich insight into the ever-changing past of dwellings up and down the country, House Histories helps readers get started on revealing the heritage of their own homes by outlining the main research sources available, how to use them and providing ample case studies as examples.

There's something especially beautiful about being able to look to the full expanse of a horizon, something that speaks to the most ancient part of our soul. With the continuing build up of our surroundings, that precious ability to gaze into the unfettered distance is one we all appreciate and savour. This stunning edition showcases incredible houses in simply amazing locations, where the architect has rightly championed the accessibility to the endless views. Lavishly illustrated with full-colour images of award-winning architecture, this compilation draws you in through its winning designs, but its the glorious and enticing images of the vast horizon that will capture your imagination. We may all not be lucky enough to inhabit an eye-catching designer home with views to die for, but at least we can all share the beauty through these breathtakingly evocative images. Truly a book in which to lose yourself.

Michael Zaretsky 's Precedents in Zero-Energy Design is such an important book it will help readers recognize that design comes before technology and renewable energy systems alone can t solve the problems we face John D. Quale, Assistant Professor of Architecture and ecoMOD Project Director, University of Virginia

The world is currently facing an environmental crisis and as anyone interested in sustainable or zero-energy design knows the design and building industries have the potential to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions across the globe.

The Solar Decathlon is an international event in which universities from around the world compete in the design and construction of a one-bedroom, zero-energy house. This book provides an in-depth, yet accessible analysis of the architecture and passive design strategies of the houses in the 2007 Solar Decathlon. These houses are the result of thousands of hours of research and development from twenty universities around the world. Divided into three parts, the book provides:

• an initial section investigating the architecture, passive design and systems layout of the twenty houses;
• a diagrammatic comparison of the architecture and passive design characteristics of each of the twenty houses in order of ranking by the Architecture, Comfort Zone and overall scores received in the competition;
• a deep analysis of the relationship between architecture, passive design and mechanical systems design as compared to the rankings received in the various contests. This analysis considers the decisions made by the competing teams and highlights the success of the design strategies employed.

Students, educators, practitioners and researchers of architecture, design and engineering will find this an informative and inspirational book. It examines the relationship between design and environmental principles and provides invaluable insight into some of the most innovative, off-the-grid and zero-energy houses in the world.

With a Foreword by John D. Quale, Assistant Professor of Architecture and ecoMOD Project Director, University of Virginia

This book addresses the need for an in-depth study into design quality in new housing. The wider implications of policy and design are examined through a series of case studies of new housing projects in the UK and the Netherlands.

Dutch interdisciplinary design and modern methods of construction are widely considered to be of the highest quality from which much can be learned and understood. This new guide offers architects the best practice for the design, policy and construction of new homes. The author considers proposals for the Thames Gateway and government incentives to create better quality housing, including the A60,000 house and design reviews. The wider implications of skills and training of architects, planners, design professionals and those parties involved in housing are also addressed.

The first world atlas ever compiled on vernacular architecture, this comprehensive work illustrates the variety and ingenuity of the world s vernacular building traditions from a multi-disciplinary, cross-cultural and comparative approach, using over sixty world and regional maps.

Mapping such diverse aspects as materials and resources, technologies, structural systems, symbolism, forms and service systems on a cross-cultural and comparative basis, the Atlas of Vernacular Architecture of the World reveals the distribution, diversity and relationships of the world s vernacular building traditions. Indicating geographical patterns, developments, lacunae and anomalies, it gives rise to new insights and understandings, stimulating new hypotheses, questions and research efforts.

Augmenting the award-winning Encyclopedia of Vernacular Architecture of the World, the Atlas of Vernacular Architecture of the World constitutes a unique and unparalleled resource for anyone involved in the growing field of vernacular architecture studies, including architects, geographers, art historians, planners, folklorists, conservationists, builders, and anthropologists as well as being of use to all those working in the fields of heritage conservation, architecture, regeneration, energy efficient building, resources management, development and sustainability."

Scholarly and innovative with visually stunning line drawings and photographs, this volume provides readers with a compelling record of the unbroken pattern of reciprocal use and exchange between the countryside and the walled city of Florence, from the thirteenth century up to the present day. Defying the traditional and idealized interpretation of the Florentine Villa, the author: analyzes the economic factors that powered the investment in and building of country houses and estates from the early Renaissance times onwards, as well as the ideology and the architectural and literary models that promoted the Florentine villa explores the area between Florence and Sesto in its history, morphology and representation looks at the villas existing in the area. A contribution to the protection of the important cultural heritage of the landscape in the Florentine area and of its historic buildings, villas and gardens, this study makes engaging reading, not only for scholars and students in architecture, landscape design and social history, but also for the well informed reader interested in art, architecture and gardens.

Storybook style, fairy tale, Disneyesque, Hansel and Gretel-these are all synonyms for what is surely the most delightful residential style of the twentieth century. With their romantic evocation of faraway lands and eras, storybook homes were created by architects and builders with a flair for theater, a love of fine craftsmanship, and above all a sense of humor-attributes that make them especially endearing to the jaded modern eye. The storybook style was born on the backlots of Hollywood in the 1920s, where brilliant set designers first learned to evoke the exotic architecture of medieval Europe and the Middle East. Movie-going Americans became fascinated with these settings, and architects and builders were quick to capitalize on this enthusiasm. The whimsical style soon spread from coast to coast, and the unforgettable results are portrayed here.

This book provides a reassessment of the theory of magnificence in light of the related social virtue of splendour. Author James Lindow highlights how magnificence, when applied to private palaces, extended beyond the exterior to include the interior as a series of splendid spaces where virtuous expenditure could and should be displayed. Examining the fifteenth-century Florentine palazzo from a new perspective, Lindow's groundbreaking study considers these buildings comprehensively as complete entities, from the exterior through to the interior. This book highlights the ways in which classical theory and Renaissance practice intersected in quattrocento Florence. Using unpublished inventories, private documents and surviving domestic objects, The Renaissance Palace in Florence offers a more nuanced understanding of the early modern urban palace.

Here is a new, larger edition of a classic reference. From its origins on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, in the seventeenth century, this charming and practical style of house has been transplanted and modified to accommodate varying life styles from as far away as Hawai`i. Stanley Schuler has brought together the architectural history of the Cape Cod House with many floor-plans and photographs to be studied and enjoyed by all who live in, restore, or want to build their own Cape Cod House. Examples range from the tiny single style to double, triple, modified and "modern" interpretations--all of which were practical at the time they were built.

The leading guide to professional home construction, updated and expanded Fundamentals of Residential Construction is the definitive guide to single family and multifamily home building that details every step of the construction process. From siting and foundations to finishing details, this book provides a complete walk-through of professional home construction. Over 1,200 drawings and photographs animate the textbook, while interactive supplementary online resources help facilitate an understanding of the material. This fourth edition accommodates the latest developments in materials and methods, including new coverage of sustainable building and energy efficiency, multifamily construction, prefabricated building components, and CAD/BIM planning tools in residential construction. Authoritative coverage of wood light-frame construction, building systems, industrialized fabrication, insulating concrete forms, light-gauge steel and masonry construction, multi-family buildings, and more provides a solid foundation in residential construction methods, tools, and processes. Building a home requires a deeply integrated understanding of materials, structures, codes, and management procedures. Because the process involves such a broad array of considerations and challenges, construction professionals must regularly draw on a clear body of knowledge to keep a project running smoothly. This book helps you lay the groundwork of expertise required to successfully complete a residential project. Learn the advantages and disadvantages of common materials and systems Understand site preparation, foundations, and framing Delve into the details of roofing, finishing, and energy efficiency Understand heating/cooling, plumbing, and electrical options Examine the latest codes, costs, and management best practices Designing and constructing a home presents a unique project dynamic; people's homes are their sanctuaries, where they make the memories of a lifetime. They must be designed to be lived in, not simply "used." Lifetime costs play a major role in decision-making, materials must be carefully chosen and sourced, and spaces must be structured to be efficient yet enjoyable. Fundamentals of Residential Construction shows you how to bring it all together to turn a project into a family's cherished home.

This book is a concise and comprehensive guide to building defects and building inspection. Whether, as a practitioner you are employed in buying, selling, managing or maintaining houses or whether, or as a layperson, you are buying a property to invest or live in, this book will help you make sound decisions and avoid costly mistakes. Written by two highly experienced authors, House Inspector is a general and accessible book which describes how and why house construction has changed, identifies some of the more common defects, and provides a series of elemental check lists. Essential reading for trainees and general practice surveyors, maintenance inspectors, housing managers, estate agents, planners, and even private purchasers and investors. This book will improve your knowledge and understanding of potential problems and provide a simple framework for a competent building inspection.

Over three-quarters of the world's population live in cities where the need for affordable urban housing of good design is vital to the quality of urban living. Zhou and Colquhoun look at a wide variety of solutions to this urban design problem showing that understanding of the important design principles is a basic requirement of sustainable housing in the future.The authors discuss the whole range of different housing types, from an international perspective, approaching both 'concave' housing, such courtyard design, and 'convex' housing including tower blocks.They discuss the famous argument at the beginning of the 20th century between P. Berlage and Le Corbusier that focused on open environment and closed environment. Zhou classifies living environment into two types, "concave" and "convex." In concave housing layouts, dwellings are grouped around closed, secure environments such as courtyards. This form of layout is most successful with inward looking living space. Convex forms of housing look out to an open environment, as do tower blocks.

Although race - a concept of human difference that establishes hierarchies of power and domination - has played a critical role in the development of modern architectural discourse and practice since the Enlightenment, its influence on the discipline remains largely underexplored. This volume offers a welcome and long-awaited intervention for the field by shining a spotlight on constructions of race and their impact on architecture and theory in Europe and North America and across various global contexts since the eighteenth century. Challenging us to write race back into architectural history, contributors confront how racial thinking has intimately shaped some of the key concepts of modern architecture and culture over time, including freedom, revolution, character, national and indigenous style, progress, hybridity, climate, representation, and radicalism. By analyzing how architecture has intersected with histories of slavery, colonialism, and inequality - from eighteenth-century neoclassical governmental buildings to present-day housing projects for immigrants - Race and Modern Architecture challenges, complicates, and revises the standard association of modern architecture with a universal project of emancipation and progress.

Climate, environment, history, and technology are transforming architecture worldwide. The second volume in the Homes for Our Time series documents this housing revolution. What role do homes play in our endangered world? How can they innovate? In Sri Lanka, Palinda Kannangara created the Frame Holiday Structure on a budget of $ 40,000. Built from steel scaffolding, exposed brick, and wood floors, the house can be easily disassembled and moved, adapting to the reality of the nearby floodplain. Luciano Lerner Basso's Fortunata House in Brazil accommodates the surrounding nature: it was built around a tree of an endangered species and sits upon stilts so as not to disturb the forest floor. Miller Hull's Loom House near Seattle has been called "the world's most environmentally ambitious home renovation" because of its reliance on recycled materials and its efficient energy use. Modern architectural history has been viewed primarily from a Western perspective and formed by men. More than 60 buildings from Vietnam, South Africa, India, China, and beyond-designed by men, women, and collectives-mark the end of this era. There is no longer a predominant style, and there probably never will be again. With photos by renowned architectural photographers, and precise descriptions as well as drawings from architectural offices, Philip Jodidio charts the diverse, sustainable architecture of the future. The private homes featured range from modest to extravagant. A beautiful house is always also a dream-and this book invites you to do just that.

Designing private residences has its own very special challenges and nuances for the architect. The scale may be more modest than public projects, the technical fittings less complex than an industrial site, but the preferences, requirements and vision of particular personalities becomes priority. The delicate task is to translate all the emotive associations and practical requirements of "home" into a workable, constructed reality. This publication rounds up 100 of the world's most interesting and pioneering homes designed in the past two decades, featuring a host of talents both new and established, including John Pawson, Richard Meier, Shigeru Ban, Tadao Ando, Zaha Hadid, Herzog & de Meuron, Daniel Libeskind, Alvaro Siza, and Peter Zumthor. Accommodating daily routines of eating, sleeping, and shelter, as well as offering the space for personal experience and relationships, this is architecture at its most elementary and its most intimate. About the series Bibliotheca Universalis - Compact cultural companions celebrating the eclectic TASCHEN universe!

Owners of old houses are often baffled by the confusing advice they receive from their builders, architects or surveyors who may be more familiar with repairing modern buildings than dealing with the issues associated with traditional houses. Old houses generally require a different approach, one, for instance, which takes account of their need to 'breathe'. Modern solutions do not always recognise that need. This book will help owners, builders and all construction professionals make the decisions that are right for old buildings. It illustrates the long term benefits of using more traditional solutions on older houses rather than modern materials like cement based mortars, sealants or impervious paints. It offers practical guidance on: How to get the right professional advice; Legal requirements for listed buildings; Problems with damp and rot; Use of lime mortars, plasters and renders; Why old buildings need to breathe; Planning applications; and, Trees, outbuildings and gardens.

Covering the full life span of the project, from siting issues through specific design features to maintenance of the property and equipment, this is a comprehensive guide to designing, planning and building a solar house. The author uses his experience of living in a solar house to inform the reader of the technology and practices needed for the design, operation and maintenance of the solar home. Each of the technologies of the house, such as space heating and cooling, domestic hot water and electric power technologies, are critiqued from the point of view of the owner/resident, with the author using his thirty years experience of living in a solar home. This provides home owners who are thinking of going solar with first hand evidence of best practice, and provides the architect and designer with the knowledge of how to best satisfy their clients needs.

The Architectural League Prize for Young Architects + Designers is an annual competition, series of lectures, exhibition, and publication organized by The Architectural League of New York. For more than thirty years, the League Prize has recognized outstanding and provocative work by up-and-coming North American architects and designers. The 2018 competition theme, Objective, suggested that the topic "implies an action" and that "how we act, what our actions achieve, and how we argue for a design speak to our values as a discipline and as a society." The winners' work exemplifies the diverse ways young architects and designers are pursuing multiple "objectives," from projects that insightfully address social, economic, and political agendas to material and structural experimentation that inspires innovative design at every scale. Young Architects 20: Objective presents the work of the six winners of the 2018 Architectural League Prize for Young Architects + Designers competition.

An inspiring collection of design ideas for patio construction, this book will help you discover ways to transform ordinary outdoor spaces into perfect outdoor environments. Over 200 beautiful color photographs show patios of all shapes and sizes, from quaint and picturesque, to grand and elegant, for any kind of budget. Your dreams will turn into exciting design realities as you visually explore dozens of patios, studying their shapes, colors, textures, and patterns. You'll be sure to find the perfect patio to suit your home's architecture and your family's lifestyle.