Durability in Construction: Traditions and Sustainability in 21st Century Architecture

by Richard Economakis, Léon Krier (Foreword)

For centuries the idea of durability was central to the practice of architecture. Today ephemeral, short-term construction has become normative. With the topic of sustainability now at the top of professional, academic, and political agendas, a building s ability to endure longer than the immediate requirements of its user for the benefit of future generations is being recognized again as critical.

Assembled here are the thoughts, experiences and examples of finished work and projects under construction by architects who embrace the notion of durability in their buildings and promote it in their writings. The essays underscore the importance of the notion of an enduring architecture, and reveal the principles at stake; they highlight the many obstacles and difficulties encountered by traditional architects in their efforts to achieve permanence in construction. The works and writings showcased in this beautifully illustrated, informative book present a genuine spirit of stewardship with regard to the environment and the making of sustainable buildings and cities.


Leon Preface; Richard Durability in Construction; Michael Durability and the Culture of Building Cities; Samir Youné The Enduring and the Sustainable; John Building to Last; Richard Longevity, Detailing and Method in the Anglo-American Tradition; Alireza The Durable and the Disposable; Thomas Gordon The Durability of Strength, Function and Beauty in Ecclesial Projects; Nikolaos Learning from the Vernacular Building Systems of the East Traditional Examples of Durable Construction in a Seismic Region; Aimee The Responsibility of Technology vs. The Technology of Responsibility; Ettore Regenerating Suburban Urban proposal for the 'Groundscraper of Corviale, Near Rome; John They Don t Make Em Like They Used A Preservationist s Perspective on Traditional and Contemporary Building Practices; Lucien A New Culture of Sustainable Wall Systems for Durable Buildings Built with Healthy, Affordable and Ecological Materials; Jorge Durability, Stewardship and The Coral Gables Museum; Jose Cornelio Da Sic Transit Gloria Reflections on Durability in Construction; David Practical Bearing Wall Masonry in the Real World; Pedro Godoy & Maria Durability in A Guatemalan Report; Duncan Firmitas et Venustas; Krupali Using Technology for the Benefit of Lessons Learned from the Neumarkt Development, Dresden; Thomas Norman Of Stonemasons, Painters and Sculptors; Luis Vernacular Architecture; Steve The Lovability Dilemma; Steven The City of Continuity vs. The City of Historic Preservation, New Traditional Architecture, and Sustainability.

Genres: Architecture

224 pages, Paperback

Published June 30, 2015