The Selective Environment

The complex art of architecture embraces all of the concerns of the world's cultures. It meets the fundamental needs for shelter from the elements, but, almost from its origins, has acquired other purposes and meanings. The Selective Environment is an approach to environmentally responsive architectural design that seeks to make connections between the technical preoccupations of architectural science, and the necessity, never more urgent than today, to sustain cultural identity at a time of rapid global, technological change.

Dean Hawkes is Professor of Architectural Design at the Welsh School of Architecture, Cardiff University. Koen Steemers is a director of the Martin Centre for Architectural and Urban Studies and a senior lecturer at the University of Cambridge Department of Architecture.

Preface  List of Illustrations  1. Introduction  2. Nature, Architecture and Environmental Inquiry  3. Context: the Regional Dimension  4. Comfort and Climate in the Selective Environment  5. Typology in Environmental Design  6. Generic Models for Selective Design  7. Case Studies for Selective Design  8. An Environmental Design Check List  9. A Selective Bibliography  Index