Brenda and Robert Vale's revolutionary book, The Autonomous House, was a manifesto offering down-to-earth suggestions for building homes that neither pollute the earth nor squander its resources. It received tremendous international praise, but nearly twenty years passed before the Vales turned their groundbreaking ideas into reality, a process laid bare in this book. The New Autonomous House documents the design and construction of a four-bedroom house in the Midlands, one without mains water or sewerage but with the means to produce power from the sun and the wind, and the facilities to collect drinking-water from the rain. The Vales have a simple but dramatic message - that it is possible to live in a building that is at once inexpensive, practical and kind to the planet, and that liberates its owners from utility bills. Their book is a blueprint of green architecture for future generations.

Table of Contents

Definitions and introduction to the problems; the philosophical and technical background; the autonomous house as built; theoretical analysis of the technical options; the technical options implemented in the autonomous house; performance in use.

About the Author

Brenda Vale is Professor of Architectural Technology and Director of the Sustainable Design Research Centre at the University of Auckland, where Robert Vale is a Research Fellow. They are the authors of Green Architecture, also published by Thames & Hudson.

Reviews

The world's most energy-efficient house, according to the 1999 Guinness Book of Records, was built in 1993 in Southwell, England by the Vales. This book details the planning and construction of this extraordinary dwelling. The Vales's The Autonomous House (LJ 2/1/76) defined a theoretical ideal of a site and structure not dependent on outside sources of power or natural resources. The new book chronicles their efforts to put theory into practice. The text, replete with drawings of and specifications for the building's vital systems, is offered as proof that such homes can meet the aesthetic, practical, and political requirements of residents, neighbors, and local officials. Whereas the 1975 book often alluded to U.S. contributions to sustainable technologies, America's absence from the 2000 narrative is quite conspicuous. Overseas, the authors have earned widespread admiration; this book should bring their ideas wider dissemination stateside. Highly recommended for academic, environmental studies, and technology collections.DDavid Soltsz, Cuyahoga Cty. P.L., Parma, OH Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.