LIVING IN THE CITY — Remodelling Apartment Buildings

ed. Vivienne Brophy, John Goulding and J Owen Lewis

ISBN 978 1898473 305     96 pages (paperback)    30 x 23.5 cm    

During the past two decades, the European Commission has supported a wide range of activities to improve the energy efficiency and environmental performance of our buildings, which account for almost half of Europe’s total energy use. Living in the City is a result of the EU’s fifth architectural ideas competition, which focused on the remodelling and upgrading of existing high-rise residential buildings, constructed since 1945.

This book features the shortlisted projects and prize-winners of the Living in the City competition, as well as detailed information on energy-efficient design, default sites and design guidelines. The wealth of architectural and technical ideas evident in the competition entries represents a considerable source of inspiration to architects faced with a similar design task. The book documents the excellence with which this complex challenge has been met by architects from every member state and other European countries. It is an essential reference book on the subject.

EXTRACT

"After the Second World War, many European countries faced an acute housing problem. The requirements of short construction times, low costs and industrialised production led to mass-construction of pre-fabricated contrete buildings. Unrealistically low energy prices and lack of apropriate materials has, in some regions, often resulted in buildings with low levels of thermal insulation, inadequate means of regulating comfort levels and llittle individual metering or billing of energy consumption, leading to very high energy use in buildings ... If a building is to be renvovated due to deterioration, it is reasonable to combine improvement measures wirh energy-saving ones and to consider the potential for architectural changes, better comfort levels and greater amentiy to enhance living conditions and to increase the life span of the building."

While the winners come from everywhere between Spain and Finland, the book is finely produced in Ireland. — Books Ireland