by Edward Milford
23. December 2009 07:38
Some books take a long time to gestate! Back in 2004 we saw an excellent looking Swedish publication called ‘Byggekologi’. It looked like something that could do well in English, but not only would it need translating and then adapting for an international market, but it was also in colour which would make the printing expensive as well.
This week, we finally published ‘The Whole Building Handbook’, written by Varis Bokalders and Maria Block. Not only has it been translated and adapted, it has also been completely updated. It’s in colour throughout and at nearly 700 pages long is a pretty hefty tome. Getting all the elements in place to ensure that we could publish it at an acceptable price (£49.95) and suitably adapted has been a long and tortuous process, but the results certainly appear to be worth it.
What really attracted us was the book’s particularly wide understanding of what is needed to contribute to sustainability. All too often this is seen as a rather narrow, technological challenge for individual buildings – yet the wider issues of social cohesion, surrounding ecosystems and the relationship of building to place are also important. These are all integrated into the book.
Now, finally, it is out; a wonderfully holistic approach to sustainable architecture. All those involved in the project can breathe a huge sigh of relief, give themselves a big pat on the back – and move on to the next one!
