Book description
The full-color, practical guide to designing sustainable residential
landscapes and small-scale sites
"Going green" is no longer a choice; it's a necessity.
Developed landscapes have played a significant role in exacerbating
the environmental and social problems that threaten humanity; however,
they can also be part of the solution. Designing the Sustainable
Site: Integrated Design Strategies for Small-Scale Sites and
Residential Landscapes gives site designers and landscape
architects the tools and information they need to become a driving
force in the quest for sustainability.
Advocating a regenerative design approach in which built landscapes
sustain and restore vital ecological functions, this book guides
readers through a design process for new and redeveloped sites that
not only minimizes damage to the environment but also actively helps
to repair it. Designing the Sustainable Site:
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Assists designers in identifying and incorporating sustainable
practices that have the greatest positive impact on both the
project and the surrounding community, within a regional context
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Uses photographs, sketches, and case studies to provide a
comprehensive look at successful green landscape design
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Illustrates how sustainable practices are relevant and
applicable to projects of any size or budget
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Demonstrates how built environments can protect and restore
ecosystem services
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Explains the multiple and far-reaching benefits that
sustainable design solutions can provide
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Assists project teams in fulfilling credit requirements of
green building assessment tools, such as LEED, BREEAM, or SITES
With attention to six global environmental challenges-including air
pollution, urban flooding and water pollution, water shortages,
invasive species, and loss of biodiversity-along with guidance on how
to meet these challenges, Designing the Sustainable Site is a
practical design manual for sustainable alternatives to small-scale
site and residential landscape design.
Using her background in landscape architecture and
ecological restoration, Heather Venhaus works with teams of
scientists, designers, and educators to develop sustainable and
regenerative design solutions. Ms. Venhaus facilitated and led the
development of The Sustainable Sites Initiative: Guidelines and
Performance Benchmarks 2009, the nation's first rating system for
landscapes, and has held multiple leadership positions in the U. S.
Green Building Council and the American Society of Landscape
Architects. Heather is the founding principal of Regenerative
Environmental Design and lives in Austin, Texas.
