The design of a new, innovative, lightweight, sustainable housing solution aims to provide an alternative approach to the challenge of delivering quality affordable housing within the UK and across the world. There is a shortage of new homes being constructed; this is compounded by the challenges resulting from the recent recession and the need to provide buildings that achieve a higher level of environmental performance. A number of different home delivery approaches and technologies have attempted to solve both these problems with varying levels of success over the years. The Scottish construction industry currently benefits from a strong supply of low-grade timber and the necessary modern manufacturing facilities to create new systems to provide alternative solutions. There is an opportunity to combine existing construction technology with new modern methods of construction to provide a hybrid solution to help reduce the housing shortage problem. A review of existing structural timber systems has identified the current industry approach of utilising new modern methods from Europe which is gradually being explored by the UK construction industry. There is a real opportunity for architects and engineers to align themselves with manufacturing facilities to produce designs that optimise the most efficient use of the fabrication process, minimising waste and reducing costs and construction time. Through the use of a base design, a number of currently existing timber systems have been investigated to explore the advantages and disadvantages. The conceptual design of a compact lightweight sustainable housing unit, the LiteHouse, has been used to develop an alternative system that aims to be suitable for both the UK market and as temporary relief housing solution in the developing world. The development of a timber and ply flitch frame system provided an easily built structure that could be adapted to suit a variety of forms, different sites and locally available materials. The system was tested further through the design of a rural housing solution in collaboration with an architect and an environmental engineer. This provided the context to complete the detailed design of the Flitch Frame System (FFS), proving the viability of the structure as an alternative approach. The research aims to provide an alternative solution to home delivery, which combines traditional self-build skills with new modern methods of off-site manufacture. The system has the potential to be scalable, making it suitable for both residential and commercial projects in the UK, whilst also having the potential for adaptation as a flexible solution that can be used worldwide to help reduce the shortage of affordable quality housing.

Disaster-proof, environmentally friendly housing solutions for a changing climate. How can we adequately provide housing when disaster strikes, whether that disaster is weather related, like hurricanes, floods, and droughts, happens in a matter of minutes from an earthquake or tsunami, through a slow process like rising sea levels, or is the result of civil disorder or poverty? There is an urgent need for safe, sustainable housing designs that are cheap to build, environmentally friendly, and hardy enough to withstand severe environmental conditions. Not only is there climate change to contend with, but there are millions of people, right now, who do not have safe or adequate housing. In Urgent Architecture Bridgette Meinhold showcases 40 successful emergency and long-term housing projects—from repurposed shipping containers to sandbag homes. She surveys successful structures as well as highlighting promising projects that are still being developed. Every one is quickly deployable, affordable, and sustainable. This book is an essential resource for those who are interested in green building, sustainable design, eco-friendly materials, affordable housing, material reuse, and humanitarian relief.

"Design build firms and design build developers may be better equipped than standard design firms, due to the in-house collaboration between design and construction team, providing efficiency in construction and time. As such, it is worth exploring the advantages and disadvantages of each practice to determine who has most potential to incorporate sustainable design solutions into the housing industry." --page 8.

Design your own sustainable home Many people dream of building a beautiful, environmentally friendly home. But until now there has been no systematic guide to help potential builders work through the complete process of imagining, planning, designing, and building their ideal, sustainable home. Essential Sustainable Home Design walks potential homebuilders through the process starting with key concepts, principles, and a project vision that will guide the house to completion. Coverage includes: How to clarify your ideas and create a practical pathway to achieving your dream A criteria matrix to guide design, material, and systems decisions Creating a strong, integrated design team and working with professionals and code officials to keep the project on track from start to finish. Key building science concepts that make for a high-performance, durable building Primer on building logistics, material sourcing, and protocols to ensure that the initial vision for the project comes to fruition. One-page summaries and ratings of popular sustainable building materials and system options. Ideal for owner-builders and sustainable building contractors working with clients aiming to design and build a sustainable home. Chris Magwood has designed and built some of the most innovative, sustainable buildings in North America, including the first off-grid, straw bale home in Ontario. He is co-founder and director the Endeavour Centre for Innovative Building and Living and co-editor of the Sustainable Building Essentials series. Chris is the author of Essential Prefab Straw Bale Construction, Essential Hempcrete Construction, Straw Bale Details, More Straw Bale Building , and Making Better Buildings .

As one of the largest consumers of energy, the housing sector and its unconscious occupants' activities negatively affect the environment. Architects and engineers have a major role in resolving the associated problems while maintaining comfort for occupants. Also very important are environmental education and awareness of appropriate environmental development in designing activity and selecting building materials and products. There are different architectural strategies that are aimed to achieve a low-energy built environment. Determining the needed strategy according to function, economy, and occupant comfort and affordability is the crucial step. This book helps the reader to achieve a sustainable development without destruction of the resources while maintaining a growing universal awareness of protecting the living and non-living environment.

Sustainable housing is generally used to describe housing that is environmentally friendly and resource-efficient over the lifetime of the building. Homes are designed to have the least possible negative impact on the environment. This means energy efficiency, avoiding environmental toxins, and responsibly using materials and resources while having positive physical and psychological effects on inhabitants. This book presents a comprehensive overview of sustainable housing, starting from legislation and ending with the design and configuration of homes.

Through 12 case studies from Australia, Bangladesh, Haiti, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and the USA, this book focuses on the housing reconstruction process after an earthquake, tsunami, cyclone, flood or fire. Design of post-disaster housing is not simply replacing the destroyed house but, as these case studies highlight, a means to not only build a safer house but also a more resilient community; not to simply return to the same condition as before the disaster, but an opportunity for building back better. The book explores two main themes: Housing reconstruction is most successful when involving the users in the design and construction process Housing reconstruction is most effective when it is integrated with community infrastructure, services and the means to create real livelihoods. The case studies included in this book highlight work completed by different agencies and built environment professionals in diverse disaster-affected contexts. With a global acceleration of natural disasters, often linked to accelerating climate change, there is a critical demand for robust housing solutions for vulnerable communities. This book provides professionals, policy makers and community stakeholders working in the international development and disaster risk management sectors, with an evidence-based exploration of how to add real value through the design process in housing reconstruction. Herein then, the knowledge we need to build, an approach to improve our processes, a window to understanding the complex domain of post-disaster housing reconstruction.