«Three new books offer inspiration and practical advice for integrated, high-performance design. By B.J. Novitski It has become increasingly clear that high-performance design depends on an integrated design process. This is because sustainable, high-performing architecture is not achieved by tossing together a collection of green technologies but by the interaction of many technologies and ideas across disciplines and throughout the chronology of design/construction/operation. This is easy to say, but far harder to implement... Once inspired, a practitioner will ask: How is this really accomplished? In reply, Tucson, Arizona-based engineer Jerry Yudelson offers Green Building Through Integrated Design as a practice manual, packed with actionable information and showing the design process from many professional points of view. In lengthy quotes from architects, engineers, and building owners, he gives firsthand accounts of innovative teamwork. In this, the meatiest of the three books, the author specifies the characteristics of high-performance buildings, explains LEED categories in detail, and offers no-nonsense descriptions of collaboration at each design phase. Uniquely qualified, with degrees in both engineering and business administration, and a nationally recognized expert in green design, Yudelson describes the barriers perceived by clients and presents a business case for building green. The book includes an extraordinary, 400-item list of questions to consider at successive design phases. Only a fraction of buildings initially registered in the LEED database actually succeed in achieving certification. His advice can help firms reverse this trend. Don't look for glossy photos here; instead, you will find eminently practical diagrams, data, and ideas. Architectural Record 20090402»