A Deeper Shade of Green
Sustainable Urban Development, Building and Architecture in New Zealand: edited by Johann Bernhardt
Published by Balasoglou Books, May 2008, paperback, 230x210cms, 232pages. 978-0-9582878-3-8

This book is an absolute must for anyone involved in designing and building in New Zealand.

Consider this:
Buildings worldwide consume

• 40% of the planet's resources
• 16% of the available freshwater
• 45% of the total energy generated
• 55% of the timber harvested

Building an average double skin two-storey, 200 square metre house on concrete slab uses 28.7 cubic metres of timber. On average up to 0.2 cubic metres of suitable framing and structural timber is recovered from a 28 year old tree. This equates to about 145 trees used per house. These figures become even more impressive when confronted with the fact, that an average New Zealand home generates 6 tonnes of waste.

It is estimated that the building sector uses roughly half of all the energy generated in this country, a very high proportion of materials and creates huge volumes of landfill wastes. This means that to make a difference we need to look at how we build, how we can reduce energy use and costs, how we future proof our buildings and minimise their carbon footprint.

The book is the first comprehensive step in providing assistance for all of us to make a difference to our environment and to create more comfortable, cost efficient and sustainable lives within the buildings we design and inhabit.

Editor, and sustainable architect, Johann Bernhardt, has complied essays from more than 50 experts in their fields into a book that covers just about every subject you would want to know about:

• The Regulatory Framework
• Regional Development and Urban Environments
• Residential Building
• Designing Houses for the Future
• Building Systems and Materials
• Sustainable Energy Use
• Water and Outdoor Environment
• Towards Zero Waste
• Commercial and Public Buildings
• Stakeholders
• The Future of (Green) Architecture

It includes a foreword by Waitakere City mayor Bob Harvey and 20-odd case studies.

The book has been produced to the highest possible standards with colour photography throughout, plans, graphs and illustrations.

To purchase:
email aaltobooks@xtra.co.nz
or ph: 09 529 2211

Click here for more information on A Deeper Shade of Green.