Building with Vision Optimizing and Finding Alternatives to Wood

Combining environmental philosophy, practical information and dynamic visuals, Building with Vision makes accessible many solutions to wasteful tree-dependent construction and design. In addition to identifying the benefits, challenges, and applications of the recommended alternatives to contemporary American construction, this book details building methods to minimize wood waste, maximize efficiency, and emphasize the unique aesthetic properties of non-wood materials.
Part resource guide, part photo essay, this 136-page gem is packed full of beautifully composed, nearly tactile photographs that bring to life an array of alternative materials. Case studies highlight successful building projects that utilize innovative and effective framing, siding, insulation, roofing, and finishing materials and techniques.
Building systems featured include Rastra, a new kind of interlocking block made of recovered Styrofoam packaging; Structural Insulated Pales (SIPs) made of plywood, OSB, or strawboard with a thick foam core; and a variety of "Eco-Crete," super-insulating concrete systems. A wide range of finish materials are discussed as well; panel board made from agricultural crop waste, flooring derived from used tires, natural linoleum and certified woods, and cement countertops embedded with finds from the urban waste stream.

Daniel Imhoff is Executive Director of Watershed Media, a nonprofit communications agency located in Northern California. He and photographer/designer Roberto Carra have collaborated on four previous books, including Farming with the Wild: Enchancing Biodiversity on Farms and Ranchers (Sierra Club Books, 2003)