Courtyards have been used for thousands of years in different climates in the world. In hot climates they provide shading, in humid climates they cause a stack effect helping ventilation, in cold climates they break cold winds and protect their microclimate. In temperate climates (such as of the Netherlands), the thermal behaviour of courtyards has been studied less. In this dissertation, low-rise residential courtyard buildings were therefore studied among (and along) different urban bloc...

This invaluable glossary of terms can be used alongside Doug's brilliant new book, How to Start a Creative Business, a must-have for any creative-type wanting to start their own venture. This glossary of terms provides you with the basic tools for starting a sustainable, viable, creative business. It shows you that the 'business terms' that you need to know for your creative business do not have to be scary or confusing, they are all easy to understand and will be invaluable for s...

Much of the learning to practice as well as to appreciate art is concerned with understanding the basic principles. One of these principles is what Harold Speed calls "dither," the freedom that allows realism and the artistic vision to play against each other.

It may be the oldest surviving long poem in Old English and is commonly cited as one of the most important works of Old English literature. A date of composition is a matter of contention among scholars; the only certain dating pertains to the manuscript, which was produced between 975 and 1025. The author was an anonymous Anglo-Saxon poet, referred to by scholars as the "Beowulf poet".The poem is set in Scandinavia. Beowulf, a hero of the Geats, comes to the aid of Hrothgar, the ki...

Leviathan or The Matter, Forme and Power of a Common Wealth Ecclesiasticall and Civil—commonly referred to as Leviathan—is a book written by Thomas Hobbes (1588–1679) and published in 1651 (revised Latin edition 1668). Its name derives from the biblical Leviathan. The work concerns the structure of society and legitimate government, and is regarded as one of the earliest and most influential examples of social contract theory. Leviathan ranks as a classic western work on statecraft compara...

In what we may term "prescientific days" people were in no uncertainty about the interpretation of dreams. When they were recalled after awakening they were regarded as either the friendly or hostile manifestation of some higher powers, demoniacal and Divine. With the rise of scientific thought the whole of this expressive mythology was transferred to psychology; to-day there is but a small minority among educated persons who doubt that the dream is the dreamer's own psychical act. But sin...

The starting point of the research is the need to refurbish existing residential building stock, in order to reduce its energy demand, which accounts for over one fourth of the energy consumption in the European Union. Refurbishment is a necessary step to reach the ambitious energy and decarbonisation targets for 2020 and 2050 that require an eventual reduction up to 90% in CO2 emissions. In this context, the rate and depth of refurbishment need to grow. The number of building to be renova...

Sustainable building from the ground up - the pros and cons of the latest green and natural materials and technologiesFrom foundation to finish, a wealth of information is available on sustainable construction methods-entire volumes have been published on individual green and natural building techniques. But with so many different ideas to choose from, there is no single resource that allows an owner or builder to quickly and objectively compare the merits of each ...

The Complete Guide to High-Performance Hempcrete BuildingPart of the Sustainable Building Essentials series, Essential Hempcrete Construction is the definitive step-by-step guide to designing and building with hempcrete—an energy-efficient, breathable, low-carbon insulation material for walls, roofs, and floors.What You'll LearnFire-safe, Healthy, Breathable Walls: Hempcrete offers exceptional fire res...

CITYGREEN, winner of the APEX Awards for Publication Excellence for three consecutive years - 2014, 2013 and 2012, is a biannual publication of the Centre for Urban Greenery & Ecology, Singapore. It presents current research on greening and ecology of the urban environment, and features outstanding green projects in international cities. This issue rounds up a number of project features that impressively demonstrate skyrise greenery, such as the PARKROYAL on Pickering hotel by WOHA Archite...

Current assessment methods of sustainable buildings do not adequately account for the users’ needs. Given that over the life of a building, total salary costs far outweigh both operating costs and combined capital and rental costs, the occupants’ needs are not something which should be sensibly ignored.This book presents an unbiased evaluation of thirty of the most cutting-edge, sustainable buildings in the world, in terms of the users’ perceived comfort, health and productivity. T...

Build Beautiful, Durable, and Low-impact Homes with Cordwood ConstructionPart of the Sustainable Building Essentials series, Essential Cordwood Building is the complete guide to using log-ends set in insulating mortar for versatile, economical, and environmentally friendly construction. Learn how to create structurally sound, aesthetically unique homes with minimal environmental impact.What You'll Learn