The Barefoot Architect

A former UN worker and prominent architect, Johan van Lengen has seen firsthand the desperate need for a greener approach to housing in impoverished tropical climates. This comprehensive book clearly explains every aspect of this endeavour, including design (siting, orientation, climate consideration), materials (sisal, cactus, bamboo, earth), and implementation. The author emphasizes throughout the book what is inexpensive and sustainable. Included are sections discussing urban planning, small-scale energy production, cleaning and storing drinking water, and dealing with septic waste, and all information is applied to three distinct tropical regions: humid areas, temporate areas, and desert climates. Hundreds of explanatory drawings by van Lengen allow even novice builders to get started.

Johan van Lengen is the founder of the Bio-Architecture and Intuitive Technology (TIBA) school in the Mata Atlantica (coastal jungle) of Brazil