Green Building Bible 2nd edition

Review

by Andy Wilson, Mayo Eco Builders Group

When I bought the first edition of the Green Building Bible (GBB) some 16 months ago, it immediately became one of the most frequently referred to texts in my ‘eco library’. Not only did I like what was written but I also liked how it was written. Far from being merely an advertisement for companies seeking to promote their particular green building product, the first edition of the GBB proved an invaluable resource aimed as much at the self builder and those concerned about the myriad of environmental issues connected with housing, as those actually working in the industry. A dozen or more articles covered such subjects as self build, recycling, thermal insulation, sustainability in forestry, solar heating and eco design. In addition, there were several pages of useful contacts and a separate directory listing individuals and companies involved in green building, both in the UK and Ireland.
In a publication such as this, which comes out on roughly an annual basis, there is a danger that future editions will simply echo what has been said before. Indeed, there is some degree of inevitability about this, for the basic message remains the same: we are destroying our planet, and the way we build and how we use our homes has got a lot to do with it. That said, I have eagerly awaited the new edition of the GBB these last few weeks and I have not been disappointed!
For although the message of the first edition has been repeated, there is a fresh sense of purpose, convergence of ideas and clear perspective which makes itself felt from the very first few pages. It’s not just about reducing U values or avoiding PVC or tropical hardwoods, even though all these strategies will certainly help. What Keith Hall, the editor, and the other contributors have achieved here is to paint a broad canvas of how the various factors in green building are interlinked.
What I particularly like about this much expanded edition of the GBB, is the sense of it being at the cutting edge of what is happening in the green building sector, both from a technological point of view as well as ideological. In its 288 pages there is a wealth of information about materials, products, embodied energy, CO2 emissions and the like. There is an interesting article about heat losses from buildings which touched upon the new European ‘Energy Performance of Buildings Directive’ (EPBD) and how this will radically change building regulations in the UK.
As someone involved in both the design and building of energy efficient and environmentally friendly housing, I welcome these proposals, because the building industry contains too many vested interests for self regulation to work. That said, the complexity of the calculations involved and the scarcity of people in the building sector with the requisite skills suggests that the implementation of the EPBD is likely to be problematic.
From a self build point of view, not understanding how the EPBD works may not matter too much. Simple guidelines on what to do and what not to do will suffice. If we can avoid materials with high embodied energy or which involve environmental degradation at some stage during production that is a good start. A further step is to reduce the energy requirements of the house through good design and the generous use of insulation. If we can use renewable energy sources to heat our homes then that is better still. An ultimate objective, the icing on the cake really, might be to produce our own electricity from photovoltaic cells or a small wind turbine. We can do all of these things without ever knowing anything about European directives!
What the GBB does is to provide us with enough information to make informed decisions. Some forty odd articles cover a multitude of subjects: low energy construction, insulation, sustainability, renovation, recycling and much more. There are a number of reviews of recently published books which cover specific topics in greater depth, and there is also a separate section listing non profit making green building organisations in the UK. Some of these organisations, such as the Forestry Stewardship Council (who run one of the very few independent global forestry certification schemes) are doing very commendable work. A useful directory, listing individuals and businesses involved with green building, is also provided.
Reading between the lines of some of the articles in the GBB, I have a sense that this is a publication which has a strong commitment to exposing some of the bullshit or in their words, ‘greenwash’ which exists in the building industry concerning ‘green’ products. Thoroughly recommended.

Andy Wilson, Mayo Eco Builders Group

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