Ephemeral phenomena like fire, precipitation, shade, and wind have emerged as important contemporary protagonists for environmental design due to their dynamic impact on buildings and cities. The importance of including these forces in architecture has gained rapid momentum in the global quest for sustainability. This book investigates the history, theory and applications of climatic design in the built environment examining architecture and landscapes from various time periods. Based on a collaboration between the University of Sydney and the National University of Singapore, the book brings together contributing authors from Australia, Singapore, and the United States. "Dry", "Wet", "Cool" and "Hot" divide the book into categories through which a wide array of representational topics are covered -from dust storms and clouds, to ice and bushfires. A concluding section presents project examples for exploratory application in the design of architecture.

Land Air Sea: Architecture and Environment in the Early Modern Era posits that the long Renaissance and eighteenth century are vital for understanding how ideological concerns, present in current debates on climate change and sustainability, were already developed in earlier centuries. Astronomy, fortifications, naval vessels, ports, and even nails played a significant role in shaping the built environment of early modern historical figures. This book transforms our modernist understanding of precisely what buildings are and how they are constituted. Traversing three physical and intellectual domains, this book surveys case studies from land, air, and sea in order to understand how architecture was formulated in relation to emergent technologies, indigenous cultural beliefs, natural philosophy, and political statecraft.