Re: Green Architecture

- - The original note follows - -

From: stadel@xxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: Green Architecture
Date: Fri, 13 May 94 00:22:34 -0500

Brian-Tsung-Han Tsai <tsai0017@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> writes:

>> I'm going to be doing some intense research on "green architecture"
>>for the next few months for a German publishing company. Not that I
>>would ask that anyone would do any of my research for me, but I was hoping
>>that some folks out there could toss me some names of notable green
>>architects- contemporary and past.

Hi Seth,
I live in New York City and this past weekend visited the huge
Frank Lloyd Wright exhibition. Although I'm quite familiar with the body
of his work - seeing the scope of his career was really quite amazing.
Anyway, my point is that he is often overlooked when considerations of
"green architecture" are being discussed. Not only was his conception
of "organic architecture" decades ahead of its time, but he was building
passive-solar homes back in the 1950s. (One called the Solar Hemicycle
was featured at the Museum of Modern Art exhibit).
In addition to Croxton and McDonnough, some other architects who
are "green" oriented:
Paul Bierman-Lytle: has a practice in Connecticut and I think NYC
He's done a lot of work on non-toxic building materials
and in addition to his design work (mostly private homes)
he owns a company that markets environmentally-friendly
building materials.
I think its called the Masters Corp.
Malcolm Wells - has spent the last 2/3 decades designing underground
buildings that minimally impact the environment. He has
published numerous books - One is called: "An Architects
Sketchbook of Underground Buildings, Drawings & Designs"
Sim Van der Ryn - designed ground-breaking energy-efficient
government buildings in California back in the 1970s
when Jerry Brown was Governor.
Also, don't overlook the work of the "New Urbanists". Architects/
planners like Peter Calthorpe and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk and her
husband Andres Duany. Although more urban design oriented than
strictly architectural, their concepts have very important implications
for the sustainability of the built environment - minimizing sprawl,
energy efficient transportation systems, etc.

Good luck in your research.
Steve Nadel
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