This book is the programme for a philosophy of design principles based on a consciousness of global ecology. It raises fundamental issues about sustainability, well-used resources, and sensitivity to eco-systems. The authors are an architect and a chemist who between them tackle issues from major construction projects, to the design of shampoo and re-cyclable running shoes. Don't expect glamorous colour photographs or examples of slick kettles and toasters - but be prepared to have your notions of 'waste' and 're-usability' challenged in a radical manner. Their stated aim is to re-think the way in which everything is made. And though they posit a very radical philosophy of using design intelligently, they are not reactionary when it comes to modern industry... Read more >>
04 June 2007
Cradle to Cradle - Design & Ecology
14 March 2007
Green Architecture
This is a general exploration of one of the most complex and important issues of today - how to construct a human habitat in harmony with nature. The chapters include a review of twentieth-century green architecture, a review of eco-oriented shelter from Neolithic times to the present, and a survey of architects who are seeking to change the relationship between buildings and the environment. James Wines knows his subject inside-out, and he is as committed to the idea of socially responsible architecture as his parallels in product design - Victor Papanek and Donald Norman. Like them he refuses to be taken in by design which superficially looks good, but which doesn't work. In fact his study is something of a critique of much modern architecture, with its modish adherence to 'vast expanses of plate glass and cantilevered, tilted, or skewed steel trusses' ... Read more >>
