Sustainable ecosystems and the built environment - Guy Battle

Sustainability is arguably the most vital concern in architectural design today. As the world becomes ever more densely populated, with the majority of people now living in cities, it is essential for architects, engineers and urban planners to be fully aware of the impact of their activities on the natural environment, as well as the effects of buildings on their occupants.

Sustainable Ecosystems and the Built Environment offers guidelines for professional practice and highlights the potential of radical new technologies to increase and maintain the quality of life on this planet. Compiled from a series of articles which appeared in the cutting–edge journal Architectural Design, it examines topics related to the effect of buildings on both their immediate environment and the global ecosystem, as well as methods of making buildings healthy places to live and work – from heating, lighting and air circulation to the use of colour and odour to affect mood. All the key issues of sustainability are discussed, and backed up with evidence from 'green' projects in which the authors' sustainable engineering firm Battle McCarthy has been involved.

This book offers an informative, practical and thought–provoking read for anyone involved in the design of the built environment.

GUY BATTLE is an environmental and building engineer who specialises in the design of low–energy sustainable buildings and urban environments, and has been involved in a number of milestone projects with some of the world's leading architectural practices. He is a partner in the multi–disciplinary engineering practice Battle McCarthy, which he founded with Christopher McCarthy in 1993 having previously worked with Ove Arup & Partners from 1986. The practice has worked on a vast range of projects and has an international reputation for its work in delivering cost–effective eco–friendly buildings.

CHRISTOPHER McCARTHY, a civil and structural engineer, has had over 20 years' experience in the design and supervision of a wide range of projects in the UK and the Middle East. He is a founding partner of Battle McCarthy, and previously worked for Ove Arup & Partners for 13 years. He trained as a sculptor and has demonstrated his creative abilities on a number of major structural projects. He has also been a senior visiting lecturer in Sculpture, Architecture and Interior Design and Industrial Design at the Royal College of Art, and is at present a visiting lecturer at the Imperial College, London University and Berlin University.