(SHELTER The Use of Earth Covered Buildings, . 1976, National Science Foundation NSF/RA-76006, limited number of free copies available from: · RANN Document Center National SCience ·Foundation 1800 G St., N.W. Washington, DC 20550 Proceedings ofthe July 1975 Fort Worth, Texas, conference on underground buildings. Most comprehensive and up~to-date_ source available on under-· ground building, Down-to-earth information on legal, economic, insurance, structural, p'sychological, historical and energy considerations. Life cycle costs show underground building is increasingly viable as energy .costs to operate buildings increase. Very comprehensive bibliography, list of people actively working on ·underground building, etc. (TB)· · A Manual on Building Construction, Rev. Harold K. Dancy, 1948, £1 from: ·.IT-Publications 9 King St. London WC2 England Originally a guide for cm1stru_cting church missions in Africa, this manual contains a wealth of information on building from scratch-on-site brickmaking, manufacturing doors and windows (from trees still on the hoof) and ma~ing roofing tiles. Details on a lot of building processes uncommon in the U.S.-grass roofs, mud roofs,, mud domes, preparing paints and finishes, as well as design for tropical conditions, business and labor details. (TB) Alternative Ceme1lts in India,. Robin ·Spence, May 1975, and Lime and AI~ ternat_ive Cerizents, Oct. 1974~ both from: . -Intermediate Technology Publications · · 9 King S.rreet . London WC2E 8HN England Inquire for current prices and other publications. These reports from ITDG _ initiate a program for finding appropriate alternatives to expensive and often scarce Portland cement. Use of natural cements such as pozzolanas, lime and small-scale production of cement is investigated. Capital costs of small vertical kiln plants are less than large rotary kilns, they have better heat efficienc-y, provide more employment, and are more flexible to schedule and quality changes. More work needs to be done in this area, but these reports give an excellent coverage of present knowledge. (TB) The Eco-Cabin: Plans for the OwnerBuilder, 16 pp., plans, photos, drawings, 1976, $3.50 plus a 7-112"x10-112" selfaddressed envelope from: ECO-CABIN PLANS Greenpeace Experimental Farm· RR 1, Denman Island .British Columbia, CANADA VOR1TO An excellent first in a series of publications on the results of G.E.F. work-in appropriate technology, this booklet thoroughly covers the construction of a 120-sq. ft. icosahedron cabin costing less than $600, using recycled materials and requiring no power tools at possibly remote forest sites once major components (foundation, floor and struts) have been prefabricated. (LJ) · Design Guidelines for Creating De- _ fensible Space, by Oscar Newman, 1975, $2.95 from: . U.S. Government Printing Office Washington, DC 20402 Hearing of Newman's earlier work inostIy made me shudder at the state of a society that had to design urban buildings to withstand armed assault. Newman deals with that because, sadly, it·is real. But there's a lot more in this book than its excellent section on choosing locks and other security measures that work. It deals, actually, with responsible space-with basic neighborhood and building arrangements that permit and encourage people to take responsibility for private, semi-private and public spaces in and among buildings. Simple things _like having entrances to-people's homes along the street so it is super-· ·vised rather than an unclaimed, anything-goes wasteland. Things that rriake a big difference. (TB) October 1976 RAIN Page 11 (GooD THINGS ) 99 Ways to a Simple Lifestyle, David Taylor, editor, 1976, $~.50 ($11 instF tutions), from: Center for Science·in the Public · Interest 1757S St., N.W. Washington, D.C 20009 Here's the book I always meant to write. Lots and lots of things to doeach section is followed by a good bibliography. Nothing fancy and not much new here, but it's nice to see it all in one place. (LdeM) And-hot off the CSPI press-the revised Lifestyle Index 76, by Anne Pierotti and Albert J. Fritsch, $2.- · This little booklet will help you tally up your energy ·score-what you use in your life, from hairdryers to your share of the national defense budget. We've found it extremely useful in "living lightly" workshops. It helps to see where . it all goes. Andyou might also want to use its companion, the Simple Lifestyle Calendar 1977 (single copy $2.25). · Each day has another idea. doing it! Bi-monthly, $10/yr, from: Box 303 · · Worthington, OH 43085 _ This fat (80 pp.) new magazine looks _like a good one. Their emphasis is on urban alternatives. Some articles are on groups which are becoming old hat, like . Briarpatch, New Games and the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (each time · you say it more people find out about them), buflots of new things (for us) too-a community loft in NYC and the "grey rabbif! bus lines. Articles cover things in much more depth than we attempt to do, while access info is given. And they're requesting articles (brave souls), so send them stuff you want out. (LdeM) ' .•
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTc4NTAz