"Green," or environmentally responsible, architecture burst onto the international scene in the 1970s in response to visible evidence of environmental damage and rising fuel prices. The first green architects focused primarily on single-family homes, although some promising work was doneon office buildings. In the ensuing years, however, architects interested in environmental issues have increasingly directed their efforts at skyscrapers, apartment buildings, convention centers, shopping complexes, and other large-scale commercial buildings, which according to their research consume enormous amounts of energy, release large amounts of carbon dioxide, use the most wasteful construction techniques, and have poor air quality that can cause numerous illnesses. "Big & Green" examines the technological systems and design strategies of a new generation of environmentally sensitive...

BIG & GREEN is a pioneering and definitive exploration of the transformative power of sustain-able design. Focusing on big buildings, where the challenges as well as benefits are greatest, Big & Green shows how the concept of sustainability has the potential to yield a more vibrant, exciting architecture for the future.

THE FIFTY PROJECTS documented in Big & Green recognize that energy must be used wisely and conserved. They balance a respect for the natural world with the demand for new buildings that provide healthful environments that meet our needs for economic growth.

BIG & GREEN features the work of leading architects from around the world, including: Shigeru Ban, Norman Foster, MVRDV, SOM, and Moshe Safdie, among many others. Also included is a preface by architect and green design advocate William McDonough, a series of essays that track the history and development of new sustainable building technologies, a glossary of green design terms, and interviews with the architects Richard Rogers, Kenneth Yeang, and the partners of Fox & Fowle.

Foreword

Preface

Introduction

Energy

The Air We Breathe

Light & Air

Vertiscapes: The Sky scraper as Garden

Greenery , Water & Waste

Beyond the Limits of Sustainable Architecture

Construction

Rethinking the Corporate Biosphere

Urbanism

Interviews ,NINA RAPPAPORT:Richard Rogers ,

Kenneth Yeang, Robert Fox,

Bruce Fowle, and William Browning

Glossary of Terms Used in Sustainable Design

Bibliography

Acknowledgments

National Building

Museum

Board of Trustees

Index of Architecture Firms