A young woman walks into a woods she's been familiar with since her childhood days and stumbles upon something she never knew was there. Getting to know the hidden whimsical world of the forest leads her to discover impossible truths and a fate she could never have foreseen. Who is the key to her destiny and what do paintbrushes and canvases have to do with it?
Five towers. Five colors. One way out. The Green Tower captures Cipher, ties him in vines, and hurls him into the wild. New dangers lurk in the forest, where the strong prey on the weak. Hunger looms. Tribes battle over every scrap to survive. Cipher will need everything he has gained in the Blue and Red Towers, and more. He must forge new alliances and face hard truths to stand against his most powerful enemy yet.
“Green” buildings—buildings that use fewer resources to build and to sustain—are commonly thought to be too expensive to attract builders and buyers. But are they? The answer to this question has enormous consequences, since residential and commercial buildings together account for nearly 50% of American energy consumption—including at least 75% of electricity usage—according to recent government statistics. This eye-opening book reports the results of a large-scale study based on extensive financial and technical analyses of more than 150 green buildings in the U.S. and ten other countries. It provides detailed findings on the costs and financial benefits of building green. According to the study, green buildings cost roughly 2% more to build than conventional buildings—far less than previously assumed—and provide a wide range of financial, health and social benefits. In addition, green buildings reduce energy use by an average of 33%, resulting in significant cost savings. Greening Our Built World also evaluates the cost effectiveness of “green community development” and presents the results of the first-ever survey of green buildings constructed by faith-based organizations. Throughout the book, leading practitioners in green design—including architects, developers, and property owners—share their own experiences in building green. A compelling combination of rock-solid facts and specific examples, this book proves that green design is both cost-effective and earth-friendly.
The “green building revolution’’ is happening right now. This book is its chronicle and its manifesto. Written by industry insider Jerry Yudelson, The Green Building Revolution introduces readers to the basics of green building and to the projects and people that are advancing this movement. With interviews and case studies, it does more than simply report on the revolution; it shows readers why and how to start thinking about designing, building, and operating high performance, environmentally aware (LEED-certified) buildings on conventional budgets. Evolving quietly for more than a decade, the green building movement has found its voice. Its principles of human-centered, environmentally sensitive development have reached a critical mass of architects, engineers, builders, developers, professionals in government, and consumers. Green buildings are showing us how we can have healthier indoor environments that use far less energy and water than conventional buildings do. The federal government, eighteen states, and nearly fifty U.S. cities already require new public buildings to meet “green” standards. According to Yudelson, this is just the beginning. The Green Building Revolution describes the many “revolutions” that are taking place today: in commercial buildings, schools, universities, public buildings, health care institutions, housing, property management, and neighborhood design. In a clear, highly readable style, Yudelson outlines the broader “journey to sustainability” influenced by the green building revolution and provides a solid business case for accelerating this trend. Illustrated with more than 50 photos, tables, and charts, and filled with timely information, The Green Building Revolution is the definitive description of a major movement that’s poised to transform our world.
Each century has its own unique approach toward addressing the problem of high density and the 21st century is no exception. As cities try to cope with rapid population growth - adding 2.5 billion dwellers by 2050 - and grapple with destructive sprawl, politicians, planners and architects have become increasingly interested in the vertical city paradigm. Unfortunately, cities all over the world are grossly unprepared for integrating tall buildings, as these buildings may aggravate multidimensional sustainability challenges resulting in a “vertical sprawl” that could have worse consequences than “horizontal” sprawl. By using extensive data and numerous illustrations this book provides a comprehensive guide to the successful and sustainable integration of tall buildings into cities. A new crop of skyscrapers that employ passive design strategies, green technologies, energy-saving systems and innovative renewable energy offers significant architectural improvements. At the urban scale, the book argues that planners must integrate tall buildings with efficient mass transit, walkable neighbourhoods, cycling networks, vibrant mixed-use activities, iconic transit stations, attractive plazas, well-landscaped streets, spacious parks and engaging public art. Particularly, it proposes the Tall Building and Transit Oriented Development (TB-TOD) model as one of the sustainable options for large cities going forward. Building on the work of leaders in the fields of ecological and sustainable design, this book will open readers’ eyes to a wider range of possibilities for utilizing green, resilient, smart, and sustainable features in architecture and urban planning projects. The 20 chapters offer comprehensive reading for all those interested in the planning, design, and construction of sustainable cities.
Five Towers. Five Colors. Only one way out. Cipher wakes up in the Blue Tower with no memories of his former life. He discovers that he is not alone. Dozens of boys and girls must compete in a battle called the Scouring against four other towers--Red, Green, Yellow, and Black--each with its own rules and powers. In his first Scouring, Cipher captures Emma, a girl from Yellow, whose memories from Victorian England move Cipher to uncover his own past. He must learn who he was before he can figure out why he's here...and how to get out.
The integration of nature in architecture is a key concern of sustainability. However, all too often sustainable design is reduced to improving the energetic performance of buildings and the ornamental application of natural green. Dense + Green explores new architectural typologies that emerge from the integration of green components such as sky terraces, vertical parks and green facades, in high-density buildings. The book describes green strategies in a comparison across different design tasks and climate conditions. In-depth case studies on the most relevant building types, consistently presented with analytical drawings made exclusively for this book, are complemented by expert essays that demonstrate the current paradigm shift in the sustainable urban environment. From the Contents: • Dense + Green Building Types, by Thomas Schröpfer, architect, Singapore University of Technology and Design • Dense + Green Building Technology, by Atelier Ten, environmental design consultants and building services engineers, New York, NY • Dense + Green Landscape Design, by Herbert Dreiseitl, landscape architect, Atelier Dreiseitl/Rambøll Liveable Cities Lab, Überlingen/Singapore/Portland, OR • Dense + Green Botanical Design, by Jean Yong, plant eco-physiologist, Singapore University of Technology and Design • Dense + Green Urbanism, by Kees Christiaanse, urban planner, ETH Zurich • 25 in-depth case studies from Europe, Asia and the USA • Practice Reports by Foster + Partners, WOHA, Ken Yeang, MVRDV and others
In every age, science and technology have advanced human civilization. From architecture to engineering, medicine to transportation, humans have invented extraordinary wonders. People have been constructing buildings for thousands of years. But in modern times, people have become more interested in new kinds of building techniques. They want to make buildings that are “green,” or good for the environment. Some green builders make houses out of recycled materials. Others make buildings that use the sun and wind for heating and cooling. In some places, whole communities are based on green building technology. In this book, we’ll explore seven wonders of green building technology. We’ll learn about Earthships, which collect rain for drinking water and make heat and electricity from the sun’s rays. We’ll visit Menara Mesiniaga, a skyscraper in Malaysia that is cooled by fresh tropical breezes. We’ll explore BedZED, a green community in the United Kingdom that has gardens on rooftops, and we’ll visit Samso, an island in Denmark that makes its own electricity from wind turbines. These and other buildings and communities are leading the way to a new, greener future.
Cipher continues his epic journey through the Five Towers, from Blue to Red. He must rise to the top before he can enter the Scouring again, where more secrets await.
