Cantos del Arquitecto Descalzo (Songs of the Barefoot Architect)

Written in Spanish. Authored by a former UN worker and prominent architect, Johan van Lengen. The goal of this book is to provide information on a "greener" approach to housing in impoverished tropical climates. This comprehensive book includes topics such as design (siting, orientation, climate consideration), materials (sisal, cactus, bamboo, earth), and implementation. The author discusses inexpensive and sustainable methods. 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.