Recovering America: A More Gentle Way to Build

Title: Recovering America: A More Gentle Way to Build
Author: Malcolm Wells
ISBN: 0962187887
Publisher: Malcolm Wells
Published: 2001
Binding: Hardcover
Language: English
Condition: Used: Good
Moderate edge wear. Binding good. May have marking in text. We sometimes source from libraries. We ship in recyclable American-made mailers. 100% money-back guarantee on all orders.

Architecture & Design 1655356

Publisher Description:
Malcolm Wells is one of a kind. A pioneer and a legend in ecological building circles, he has created a unique and intimate portrait of architecture in America that will open your eyes to the absurdity of current trends in building.

This is a quirky but appealing volume, hand-lettered by the author and filled with color photography and the author's original water colors, all for $9.95! (The low price is made possible by support from the Graham Foundation, who want the author's vision distributed as widely as possible.) In the author's words, "We look at architecture the wrong way: sideways. To see architecture fully you must tip it up, stand it on its edge. When you do, you always see dead land on display".

The author' solution is to portray America from the air, showing how it is and how it might be. We have bankrupted our landscape. Wells's vision is to literally "recover" America (and indeed the world) by designing buildings that can be covered with earth and then beautifully landscaped. he does not advocate living in holes in the ground, but rather designing structures that do not disrupt the precious skin of the planet.

As radical as are Wells's views, they make tremendous sense in terms of energy conservation, resource reduction, and aesthetics. This thoroughly engaging book will interest city planners, builders, architects, students, or anyone interested in a different vision of our national landscape.