Accessible to undergraduates in civil, structural, and environmental engineering; graduate students and researchers; town planners; and architects worldwide, the content of this book not only comes from courses on energy efficient buildings taught by the authors, but also from new and original research. This definitive resource has an enduring appeal for all those concerned with green structures, as it addresses overarching topics including energy efficiency in buildings, siting and microclimate, building form, extant fabric and fabric of the future, renewable energy, and green building ratings.

Sustainable Buildings and Structures: Building a Sustainable Tomorrow collects the contributions presented at the 2nd International Conference on Sustainable Buildings and Structures (Suzhou, China, 25-27 October 2019). The papers aim at sharing the state-of-the-art on sustainable approaches to engineering design and construction, and cover a wide range of topics: Sustainable Construction Materials Sustainable Design in Built Environment Green and Low Carbon Buildings Smart Construction and Construction Management Sustainable Buildings and Structures: Building a Sustainable Tomorrow will be of interest to academics, professionals, industry representatives and local government officials involved in civil engineering, architecture, urban planning, structural engineering, construction management and other relate fields.

Your building has the potential to change the world. Existing buildings consume approximately 40 percent of the energy and emit nearly half of the carbon dioxide in the US each year. In recognition of the significant contribution of buildings to climate change, the idea of building green has become increasingly popular. But is it enough? If an energy-efficient building is new construction, it may take 10 to 80 years to overcome the climate change impacts of the building process. New buildings are sexy, but few realize the value in existing buildings and how easy it is to get to “zero energy” or low-energy consumption through deep energy retrofits. Existing buildings can and should be retrofit to reduce environmental impacts that contribute to climate change, while improving human health and productivity for building occupants. In The Power of Existing Buildings, academic sustainability expert Robert Sroufe, and construction and building experts Craig Stevenson and Beth Eckenrode, explain how to realize the potential of existing buildings and make them perform like new. This step-by-step guide will help readers to: understand where to start a project; develop financial models and realize costs savings; assemble an expert team; and align goals with numerous sustainability programs. The Power of Existing Buildings will challenge you to rethink spaces where people work and play, while determining how existing buildings can save the world. The insights and practical experience of Sroufe, Stevenson, and Eckenrode, along with the project case study examples, provide new insights on investing in existing buildings for building owners, engineers, occupants, architects, and real estate and construction professionals. The Power of Existing Buildings helps decision-makers move beyond incremental changes to holistic, results-oriented solutions.

This unique volume offers insights from renowned experts in energy efficient building from the world over, providing a multi-faceted overview of the state-of-the-art in energy efficient architecture. It opens by defining what constitutes a sustainable building, suggesting bases for sorely needed benchmarks, then explains the most important techniques and tools available to engineers and architects exploring green building technologies. It covers such pivotal issues as daylighting, LED lighting, integrating renewables such as solar thermal and cooling, retrofitting, LEED and similar certification efforts, passive houses, net-zero and close-zero structures, water recycling, and much more. Highlighting best practices for commercial buildings and private homes, in widely varied climates and within vastly different socio-economic contexts, this illustrated reference will guide architects and engineers in making sustainable choices in building materials and methods. - Explains the best methods and materials to support energy efficient building - Features case studies by experts from a dozen countries, demonstrating how sustainable architecture can be achieved in varied climates and economies - Covers both new constructions and retrofitting of existing structures

Table of Contents Introduction Advantages of Starting Plants before Hand Greenhouses Advantages of a Greenhouse Small Green Houses and Sash Houses Ventilation in Your Greenhouse Hotbeds Proper Location of Hotbeds Traditional Hotbed Frame Sash Covers for Your Hotbed Hotbeds Heated with Manure Hotbeds Heated with Flues Hotbeds Heated with Hot Water Electrically Heated Hotbeds Main Advantages of an Electric Hotbed Cold Frames Appendix Hothouse Designs Conclusion Author Bio Publisher Introduction Depending on the area in which you find yourself, or the season when you begin to put out the plants outdoors, you are normally going to start your vegetable crop plants in well-prepared beds, and the young plants are then transplanted later in your field or in your garden. These plants are going to include cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, eggplant, celery, tomato, potatoes, peppers, and others.