On the technical side of buildings, there are many web sites and I'm guessing that there are plenty more that I don't know of.
Online
One of my recently discovered favorites is Building Science's web site. They have a lot of really interesting topics and they explain them quite well. I could easily spend all day reading their stuff. The site may not be flashy or elegant (OK, truth is it's pretty ugly), but the information is superb. A few recent reads I enjoyed: Wood is good... but strange (.pdf) and Thermodynamics: It's not rocket science (.pdf).
Another very good web site that I recommend is the Green Building Advisor. It has a lot of constantly updated material relating primarily to the residential green building sector and features a lot of good discussions and articles. I believe you can pay for a 'pro' membership that gives you access to drawing details and such (probably more useful if you do this for a living).
Textbook
The most comprehensive and enjoyable text I have found so far is Sustainable Construction by Charles Kibert (ISBN: 978-0-470-11421-6). It closely follows the green building process, which is a huge undertaking. Although the material is not really technical, it offers a solid general overview of the many disciplines that work together to deliver buildings.
So those are my top two. But its is still somewhat questionable how technical the two really are. Which other sites would you recommend for technical information?
Edwin,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your review of our site. Visitors may be interested in two recent articles -- one on solar hot water systems ( http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/musings/solar-hot-water ) and one on determining the optimum thickness of sub-slab insulation ( http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/musings/can-foam-insulation-be-too-thick ).
Martin Holladay, senior editor
www.greenbuildingadvisor.com
Wow, thanks for the plug, Edwin. As it turns out, the mastermind behing BuildingScience.com, Dr. Joe Lstiburek, is on our advisory team.
ReplyDeleteHe's featured in our blogs section (building science, of course) in a series of podcasts on BS Fundamentasls (also available through iTunes).
Good luch with your studues in BC,
Dan Morrison
Managing editor, www.GreenBuildingAdvisor.com
Edwin,
ReplyDeleteThanks for suggesting the link to GreenBuildingAdvisor. You might be interested in checking out an article exploring the question: How should the thickness of sub-slab foam insulation be determined? The article -- "Can Foam Insulation Be Too Thick?" -- is here:
http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/musings/can-foam-insulation-be-too-thick