Town and Terraced Housing For Affordability and Sustainability

Recent societal changes have brought about renewed interest from architects, town planners, housing officials and the public in terraces and townhouses. The small footprint that this style of house occupies allows a sustainable high density approach to habitation, slowing sprawl and creating energy-efficient affordable living.

Townhouses have been used for hundreds of years, and their evolution is covered from their inception right up to the present day. With the changing demographics of buyers in mind, Avi Friedman details how the design of these houses can be adapted to keep-up with contemporary needs.

Friedman uses a systematic approach to cover the many facets of townhouses from interior design and construction methods, to urban planning issues like adjusting to the site?s natural conditions, street configurations and open spaces. This approach creates a book which will be a valuable resource for those involved in the planning, design and creation of terraced and town houses.

Over 150 detailed diagrams and plans, and eighty photos, illustrate the essential elements of this style of housing. In the final chapter, lessons learnt throughout the book are draw together in ten broad ranging case study projects, showing how the various aspects can be put into practice.

1. Terms and Motives 2. Roots and Evolution 3. Forms and Prototypes 4. Interiors 5. Construction Methods, Utilities & Resources 6. Siting a Project 7. Circulation and Parking 8. Open Spaces 9. Infill Housing 10. Projects

Avi Friedman studied architecture and town planning in Italy, Israel and Canada. In 1988, he founded the Affordable Homes Program at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. He is known for his housing innovation and in particular for the Grow Home and the Next Home designs, both townhouses that have been replicated internationally. He has published extensively in academic and trade publications and has authored ten books, including Sustainable Residential Development (McGraw-Hill) and Homes Within Reach (John Wiley & Sons). He is Professor of Architecture at McGill University, where he is also Director of the Affordable Research Group. As well as being an Honorary Professor at Lancaster University, U.K., he is also a practising architect and the recipient of numerous awards, including the Manning Innovation Award and the United Nations World Habitat Award. In 2000, he was selected by Wallpaper magazine as one of ten people from around the world "most likely to change the way we live."