Few books have influenced the field of architecture more than American Building: The Environmental Forces That Shape It. Originally published in 1947, it has emerged as a classic work on the relationships among buildings, their inhabitants, and the environment. Now comes the first major revision in over twenty-five years, bringing this essential book completely up to date for a new, more environmentally aware generation of architects and
designers. In this superb volume, James Marston Fitch provides a fundamental theory of buildings. "The ultimate task of architecture," he writes, "is to act in favor of human beings: to interpose itself between
people and the natural environment in which they find themselves, in such a way as to remove the gross environmental load from their shoulders." Fitch systematically examines the various aspects of the environment which buildings control for human habitation--air, temperature, light, and sound, even space, time, and gravity. He draws on scientific research to probe deeply into these problems and he sets out the most practical solutions to these and other issues in clear, precise language.
Moreover, his analysis runs to the external environment as well, as he explores the impact of buildings on the outside world. American Building: The Environmental Forces That Shape It broke
new ground in the school of thought now known as "green architecture"--the philosophy of designing buildings that require a minimum amount of energy and resources to erect and operate. For this new edition, architect William Bobenhausen has included new information on sustainable design and the latest construction technology, up-to-date statistics, case studies, photographs, and illustrations. This revised edition promises to keep this work at the forefront of our thinking about design and the
natural world.
Few books have influenced the field of architecture more than American Building: The Environmental Forces That Shape It. Originally published in 1947, it has emerged as a classic work on the relationships among buildings, their inhabitants, and the environment. Now comes the first major revision in over twenty-five years, bringing this essential book completely up to date for a new, more environmentally aware generation of architects and
designers. In this superb volume, James Marston Fitch provides a fundamental theory of buildings. "The ultimate task of architecture," he writes, "is to act in favor of human beings: to interpose itself between
people and the natural environment in which they find themselves, in such a way as to remove the gross environmental load from their shoulders." Fitch systematically examines the various aspects of the environment which buildings control for human habitation--air, temperature, light, and sound, even space, time, and gravity. He draws on scientific research to probe deeply into these problems and he sets out the most practical solutions to these and other issues in clear, precise language.
Moreover, his analysis runs to the external environment as well, as he explores the impact of buildings on the outside world. American Building: The Environmental Forces That Shape It broke
new ground in the school of thought now known as "green architecture"--the philosophy of designing buildings that require a minimum amount of energy and resources to erect and operate. For this new edition, architect William Bobenhausen has included new information on sustainable design and the latest construction technology, up-to-date statistics, case studies, photographs, and illustrations. This revised edition promises to keep this work at the forefront of our thinking about design and the
natural world.
1
James Marston Fitch is Professor Emeritus in the School of
Architecture at Columbia University and Director Emeritus of its
Graduate Program of Historic Preservation, the first of its kind in
the United States, which he founded in 1964. He has served as the
first curator of Central Park and was an editor of Architectural
Forum and House Beautiful. For the last twenty years, he has been
Director of Historical Preservation for the
New York City-based architectural firm Beyer Blinder Belle, widely
acknowledged for their restoration of Ellis Island and Grand
Central Terminal. He lives in New York City. William Bobenhausen is
an architect and Adjunct Professor at the
School of Architecture and Environmental Studies at the City
College of New York and at the New jersey Institute of Technology.
He is the author of Simplified Design of HVAC Systems in the
Parker/Ambrose series. He is Director of Sustainable Design with
Steven Winter Associates in Norwalk, CT. He lives in
Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, where he has served as chairman of
the Planning Board and Village Trustee.
"With unparalleled clarity and admirable concision, James Marston
Fitch and William Bobenhausen's brilliant study demystifies the
workings of modern American architecture for the lay reader and
provides a much-needed corrective to the recent overemphasis on
style and theory among archtectural professionals. The depth of
their expertise is matched by a comprehensive view of the built
environment that few contemporary experts can equal." --Martin
Fuller,
Architecture Critic
"The third edition of American Building: Then Environmental Forces
that Shape It by James Marston Fitch is a massive achievement, long
lloked forward to, with an extensive update by Fitch himself and
the younger architect William Bobenhausen. Fitch is one of the
maajestic figures on our scene, educator, architect, scholar,
indeed not only one of the fathers of historic preservation
education, but also a pioneer of environmental consciousness and
climate
control. And then there is, in his books, also always the proper
concern about the human response." --Adolf K. Placzek, Avery
Librarian Emeritus
"For more than half a century, James Marston Fitch has been
convincingly demonstrating that architecture can conjure up a
wholly new environment, and that buildings, when we put our minds
and hearts to them, can give those minds and hearts a nurturing,
sustained, and, yes, loving boost. In 1972 Fitch wrote: 'To free
American building from the contradictions which stultify it today,
building owner and building consumer must join with all Americans
of good will,
to build a society of peace, freedom, and plenty. Thus perhaps will
they lay the objective basis for a new flowering, both rich and
wide, of a truly democartic esthetic.' The third edition of
'American Building,' which has come along just in time for a new
century to embrace it, celebrates the
fact that this humane esthetic is becomming a reality. Throughout
this dazzling, eloquent book you will see that the flowering has
begun." --Tony Hiss, Visiting scholar at NYU Taub Urban Research
center & author of The Experience of Place
"A treasurey of ideas on the environmental issues which have shaped
American architecture, our responses to it over time, along with a
seriously impressive forecast for the future. Some sixty years in
the making, this book...reflects Fitch's awesome insights and
abilities to question and analyze architecture. An interesting,
thorough, well-organized and superbly written treatment of a
complex and highly relevant topic. This revised and expanded
edition breaks
new ground again in the topic addressed and in architectual
literature in general."--John H. Stubbs, Vice President, World
Monuments Fund, Columbia University
"For over half a century, James Marston Fitch has been a prophet of
architectural environmentalism. In this new edition of a classic
work, Fitch and Bobenhausen integrate the traditional concerns of
building science with new research in ecological design. The
opening chapter, on the intersection of human physiology and
architectural technology, is worth the price of admission. In their
extended discussion of `green architecture,' Fitch and Bobenhausen
make
the most sophisticated and convincing argument yet for a `green'
architecture."--Dell Upton, University of California, Berkeley
"While dealing with many famous buildings American Building
beautifully maintains what is, for me, an intellectual equilibrium
which gives me enormous pleasure. There is no hype about modern or
postmodern, the book is somehow free of all that, and as a result
refreshingly brings the subject of architecture to life. It
contains a wealth of information which somehow takes a great step
towards the establishment of a neutral and democratic discourse
about
building and buildings....This beautiful attitude...does so much to
help the field of architecture." --Christopher Alexander
"With unparalleled clarity and admirable concision, James Marston
Fitch and William Bobenhausen's brilliant study demystifies the
workings of modern American architecture for the lay reader and
provides a much-needed corrective to recent overemphasis on style
and theory among architectural professionals. The depth of their
expertise is matched by a comprehensive view of the built
environment that few contemporary experts can equal." -- Martin
Filler,
Architecture Critic
"Their [the authors'] masterly and surprisingly accessible
investigation of the functional aspects of architecture addresses
issues that few nonprofessionals consider, though the world would
be greatly improved if they did." "With a refreshing lack of
ideological bias and awe-inspiring erudition, he and his co-author
roam across a vast terrain, from the effects of lighting on worker
productivity to global warming, from the thermal properties of the
igloo to the
ergonomics of bathroom fixtures." "This book ought to be mandatory
reading for every architecture student, as well for any citizen
concerned with raising the quality of the built
environment."--Martin Filler, New York Times Book Review
"In an era when buildings are increasingly flimsy, prefab affairs,
Fitch's advocacy of green architecture is more relevant than
ever."--The Philadelphia Inquirer
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