From Environmental Building News – May, 2002
From the Library
Book Review:
The Art of Natural Building -- Design, Construction, Resources
Edited by Joseph F. Kennedy, Michael G. Smith, and Catherine Wanek.
New Society Publishers, Gabriola Island, Brit-ish Columbia, Canada, 2002. Paper-back, 288 pages, $26.95.

"Natural building is nothing new," begins The Art of Natural Building: Design, Construction, Resources. Nor is it obsolete, argue editors Joseph F. Kennedy, Michael G. Smith, and Catharine Wanek. This recent addition to the natural building library presents a collection of short essays by dozens of the world's most prominent activists, thinkers, and practitioners in the natural building realm. While providing a clear intro-duction for novices, this book will also engage architects, designers, and builders.

The editors begin with a compilation of arguments supporting natural building. Included are calculable factors such as financial savings, human health benefits, and lower embodied energy, as well as more spiritual con-siderations, such as empowerment, aesthetics, and connection to tradi-tion. The editors go on to present advice on design and planning, as well as a discussion of materials and techniques. Topics range from rela-tively familiar straw-bale building, timber framing, and green roofs, to more peripheral systems, such as thatching and hemp building. The case studies section merges the "what," "why," and "how" of natural build-ing into testimonial success stories.

Finally, the book leaves readers with suggestions on where to go for more information. Along with the resources listed after each essay, the editors provide their own suggested learning centers, books, and periodicals. If you were stranded on a desert island, they propose, what in formation resources would you choose to guide the design and construction of your settlement? Among their "desert island" resources is Environmental Building News—the island conveniently receives mail. - JB