The Philosophy of Sustainable Design

In The Philosophy of Sustainable Design, McLennan outlines the major ideas and issues that have emerged in the growing movement of green architecture and sustainable design over the last thirty years. The book is rooted in practical knowledge but rather than being a ‘how to book’ asks individuals to understand how the philosophy of sustainable design can affect their own work. Part Sustainable Design 101 and part manifesto this book lays the groundwork and philosophical basis for more technical study. McLennan relies on his extensive experience with sustainable design having consulted to dozens of projects and design teams all over the country. Tapping into the work of many pioneers and ‘green design philosophers’ McLennan clearly presents a framework for practitioners and students to understand sustainable design and how ultimately it will become the future of architecture and design.

In The Philosophy of Sustainable Design, McLennan outlines the major ideas and issues that have emerged in the growing movement of green architecture and sustainable design over the last thirty years. This book is intended as a starting point for anyone involved in the building industry on a journey to learn how they can build more responsibly. The book is rooted in practical knowledge but rather than being a ‘howto book’ asks individuals to understand how the philosophy of sustainable design can affect their own work. Part Sustainable Design 101 and part manifesto this book lays the groundwork and philosophical basis for more technical study. McLennan relies on his extensive experience with sustainable design having consulted to dozens of projects and design teams all over the country. Tapping into the work of many pioneers and ‘green design philosophers’ McLennan clearly presents a framework for practitioners and students to understand sustainable design and how ultimately it will become the future of architecture and design.

Considered one of the most influential individuals in the green building movement today, the work of Jason F. McLennan has made a strong impact on the shape and direction of green building in the United States and Canada and he is a much sought after presenter and consultant on a wide variety of green building and sustainability topics around the world. McLennan serves as the CEO of the Cascadia Green Building Council, the Pacific Northwest s leading organization in the field of green building and sustainable development and he is also the CEO of the International Living Future Institute. He is the founder and creator of the Living Building Challenge, an international green building program, and co-creator of Pharos, the most advanced building material rating system in North America. Jason is known as an international thought leader in the green architecture movement and has lectured on sustainability across the United States and Canada. His work in the sustainable design field has been published or reviewed in dozens of journals, magazines conference proceedings and books including Architecture, Architectural Record, Dwell, Plenty, Metropolis, NY Times, The Globe and Mail, The World and I, Ecostructure, Greensource, Arcade and Environmental Design and Construction Magazine. He is the author of four books; The Philosophy of Sustainable Design, The Dumb Architect s Guide to Glazing Selection, The Ecological Engineer and Zugunruhe. The Philosophy of Sustainable Design is currently used as a textbook in over sixty universities and colleges and is distributed widely throughout Europe, North America and Asia. His newest book Transformational Thought is due for release in 2012 Jason is a former Principal at BNIM Architects, one of the founders of the green design movement in the United States, where he worked on many of the leading high performance projects in the country including LEED Platinum, Gold and zero-energy projects. At BNIM he created the building science team known as Elements, which set new standards for energy and resource efficiency on many of its projects in various building types. Jason is also the founder and CEO of Ecotone Publishing, the only dedicated green building publisher in North America. Jason has won numerous awards including a national Canadian Green Building Champion award and the recepient of the prestigious Buckminster Fuller Award. Jason was born and raised in Ontario, Canada, was educated in Oregon, Kansas and Glasgow, Scotland and now resides on Bainbridge Island in Washington State with his wife Tracy, three sons; Julian, Declan and Aidan, and daughter Rowan.