A Shelter Sketchbook: Timeless Building Solutions

A Shelter Sketchbook: Timeless Building Solutions

Product description This book reminds us that most of what we need to know is simply what weve already forgotten. John Taylors trained eye and skilled hand celebrate details of: -- Thousand-year-old earth-sheltered houses in China -- Passive solar heating designs of the Pueblo Indians -- Natural air conditioning systems built in the Middle East. -- Modular building techniques used in Japan 500 years ago This is a book for builders, students, and anyone seeking stimulation for the imagination. Author and architect John Taylors exacting eye, intricate sketches, and hand-written notes are gentle reminders that observation, even more than technology, is the best source of innovation. Amazon.com Review In a new take on sustainable living and building, John Taylor presents a stunning array of traditional building techniques and housing solutions from around the world and from history. Most are motivated by available materials, economic necessity, and local climate and terrain. In this time of growing interest in earth-friendly building techniques, Taylor shows us that we need to relearn many practical aspects of constructing shelter and must blend the technologies of the present with the traditions of the past, with those of other cultures, and even with those of our own grandparents. Taylor, an architectural designer, has filled this delightful book with remarkable drawings and sketches of building techniques gleaned from his travels; it is a feast for the eyes as well as the brain.