Living Architecture Monitor - Green Roofs for Healthy Cities

REVIEW
TWISTINGNATURE
Drawing on the works of artists dedicated to
the use of natural materials — trees, wood,
bamboo and pebbles — Alessandro Rocca’s
Natural Architecture locates its readers at the
intersection of art, architecture and ecology.
The artists are all linked together by their desire
to create incredibly complex installations
while minimizing their effect on the environment
in which they are created. Most employ
basic artistic techniques and rely on manual
labor to create awe-inspiring structures that
will inevitably disintegrate but which raise lingering
questions about our ways of inhabiting
space. (Princeton Architectural Press, 2007)
STRIKINGTHERIGHTBALANCE
In an industry as new and multidisciplinary as
the living architecture field, it is rare to get a
project’s whole story. Not so anymore, Christian
Werthmann’s Green Roof — A Case Study
provides a comprehensive account of the
American Society of Landscape Architecture’s
green roof, in which Landscape Architects
Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates
and the Conservation Design Forum were
charged with the task of maximizing both aesthetics
and environmental performance. For
the novice, the book demystifies every aspect
of green roofing; for the seasoned professional,
it allows for detailed examination of
the design methodologies, construction techniques
and maintenance practices employed
to achieve these lofty goals. In an interview
between the author and Van Valkenburgh,
the designer placed emphasized the importance
of striking the right balance. Hopefully,
this book will help others do the same.
(Princeton Architectural Press, 2007)
ADAPTATION
Ian McHarg, the author of the ecological design
classic Design with Nature, has greatly
transformed the approach to and understanding
of land-use planning and landscape architecture.
Ian McHarg — Conversations with
Students: Dwelling in Nature rearticulates the
guiding principles of the “McHarg Method,”
an interdisciplinary approach to land use design
rooted in the notion that “creativity has
permeated the evolution of matter and life,
and actually is indispensable for the survival
of the system.” He goes on to lay out the tools
needed for the analysis and execution of
“creative fitting,” a process driven by the
theory that “any system is required to find
of all environments the most fit, to adapt
that environment, and to adapt itself.”
(Princeton Architectural Press, 2007)
BUSBY’SVISION
Busby and Associates Architects are known
for buildings that combine a Modernist aesthetic
with environmentally responsive and
integrated design strategies. Busby: Learning
Sustainable Design profiles twelve of the
firm’s projects (which coincidentally draw
upon the theoretical framework of Ian
McHarg’s Design with Nature), highlighting
their contribution to the development of new
green building performance standards. The
book, produced in collaboration with heavyweights
David Suzuki (foreward) and editors
Jim Taggart and Kathy Wardle, will serve the
interests of those interested in the theory,
practice and direction of the sustainable
design industry, especially the need for multidisciplinary
collaboration. As Taggart notes:
“Optimizing performance depends on a critical
appreciation of the interdependence of structure,
form, envelope design and environmental
systems.” (Janam Publications Inc., 2007)
By Flavia Bertram