The Barefoot Architect

717 Pages·2007·267.58 MB·English

by  Johan van Lengen

The
BAREFOOT
ARCHITECT
A Handbook for Green Building

by Johan van Lengen

The International Bestseller

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This book is for people who dream of building
a simple home. It is also for those in
the building trades: carpenters, masons,
plumbers, and artisans, as well as for urba n
planners, rural technicians, and small com­
munity designers. It covers basic design,
use of a great variety of natural materi­
als, construction details, natural heating
and cooling, and water and sanitation
techniques. Although many of the meth­
ods shown are traditional, more modern
techniques are shown as well. The author
advises readers that resolutely adhering
to vernacular techniques can prove frus­
trating, and advocates utilizing the best of
both worlds in providing a harmonious liv­
ing environment.
The phrase “barefoot architect” was
inspired by the first architects — builders
in ancient times who mixed adobe by tread­
ing mud with their bare feet. Barefo ot arc h i -
tects produced some of the most incredible
buildings of antiquity, including the Hang­
ing Gardens of Babylon.
The information presented in this book
is mainly graphic, with simple drawings,
rather than long passages of text, convoy­
ing information and instructions.
Johan van Lengen wrote and illustrated the
Manual of the Barefoot Architect in Span­
ish in 1982, while in Mexico. The govern-
i ment bought 40,000 copies and placed
one in every library in the country. The book
went on to sell over 200,000 copies in Latj n
America. An extended version was later
published in Portuguese in Brazil. This |s
the first English translation.
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The
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ARCHITECT
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A Handbookfor Green Building

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by Johan van Lengen

Shelter Publications
Bolinas, California, U.S.A.
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Copyright 2008 by Johan van Lengen
1 :
i • All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in
: any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording,
computer scanning, or any information or retrieval system without the written
:: ■ permission of the publisher.
i5 l

I! This English edition is published by Shelter Publications, Inc., Bolinas, California,
i USA and is the result of revisions and additions to the following publications:
Distributed in the United States by Publishers Group West and in Canada by
* « Publishers Group Canada
; I
1: Manual del Arquitecto Descalzo, published for Secretaria de Assentamientos
Humanos y Obras Publicas do Mexico, 1981; 2: Manual del Arquitecto Descalzo,
i Editorial Concepto, Mexico, 1982; 3: Cantos del Arquitecto Descalzo, published
for Secretaria de Education Publica do Mexico, 1991; 4: Manual doArquiteto
Descalgo, published for Papeis e Copias de Botafogo e TIBA - Instituto de Tecnologia
Intuitiva e Bio-Arquitetura, Brasil, 1997; 5: Manual doArquiteto Descalgo, published
s for Casa do Sonho, Brasil, 2002; 6: Manual do Arquiteto Descalgo, published by
Livraria do Arquiteto e TIBA, Brasil, 2004.
3 : Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
:
- Lengen, Johan van.
J [Manual del arquitecto descalzo. English]
Handbook for the barefoot architect / Johan van Lengen.
:
p. cm.
j Includes bibliographical references and index.
\ ISBN-13:978-0-936070-42-1 (alk. paper)
:
ISBN-10:0-936070-42-0 (alk. paper)
1. Sustainable buildings-Design and construction. 2. Sustainable architecture. I. Title.
4
TH4860.L46 2008
720'.47—dc22
- 2007035835
13 12 11-19 18 17
■
; (Lowest digits indicate number and year of latest printing.)
Shelter Publications, Inc., P.0. Box 279, Bolinas, California 94924 USA
:■ Phone: [phone] Orders, toll-free: 1-800-307-0131
Email: [email protected]
i
■■ SheVlistiteourr wOebnsilteine We have a lifetime money-back guarantee on all our books.
1 http://www.sheltcrpub.com If you are in any way dissatisfied, call us, and we will
reimburse you for the cost of the book plus postage.
!'■ No need to return the book.
I
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I dedicate this book to the memory of Rose.
I!
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i; ■
s Copyright 2008 by Johan van Lengen
i
\ All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in
any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording,
< . computer scanning, or any information or retrieval system without the written
permission of the publisher.
This English edition is published by Shelter Publications, Inc., Bolinas, California,
USA and is the result of revisions and additions to the following publications:
Distributed in the United States by Publishers Group West and in Canada by
Publishers Group Canada
1: Manual del Arquitecto Descalzo, published for Secretaria de Assentamientos
Humanos y Obras Publicas do Mexico, 1981; 2: Manual del Arquitecto Descalzo,
!
Editorial Concepto, Mexico, 1982; 3: Cantos del Arquitecto Descalzo, published
! for Secretaria de Educacion Publica do Mexico, 1991; 4: Manual do Arquiteto
Descalgo, published for Papeis e Copias de Botafogo e TIBA - Instituto de Tecnologia
Intuitiva e Bio-Arquitetura, Brasil, 1997; 5: Manual do Arquiteto Descalgo, published
i
for Casa do Son ho, Brasil, 2002; 6: Manual do Arquiteto Descalgo, published by
■ Livraria do Arquiteto e TIBA, Brasil, 2004.
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
'
LI Lengen, Johan van.
. * [Manual del arquitecto descalzo. English]
f Handbook for the barefoot architect / Johan van Lengen.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
M
ISBN-13:978-0-936070-42-1 (alk. paper)
: ISBN-10:0-936070-42-0 (alk. paper)
:
1. Sustainable buildings-Design and construction. 2. Sustainable architecture. I. Title.
i TH4860.L46 2008
720'.47—dc22
i 2007035835
13 12 11-19 18 17
i (Lowest digits indicate number and year of latest printing.)
Shelter Publications, Inc., P.0. Box 279, Bolinas, California 94924 USA
s Phone: [phone] Orders, toll-free: 1-800-307-0131
=
= Email: [email protected]

SheVlistiteourr wOebnsilteine We have a lifetime money-back guarantee on all our :
http://www.sheltcrpub.com If you are in any way dissatisfied, call us, and we
reimburse you for the cost of the book plus po
No need to return the book. _________
i
A

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

PREFACE
INTRODUCTION
HOWTO USE THIS MANUAL
1 DESIGN 1 3 DRY TROPICS 223
drawings 2 house shapes 224
house form 8 ventilation 228
spaces 15 roofs 243
! how to design a house 18 windows 260
f: models 30
dimensions 34
environment 38 4 TEMPERATE ZONE 269
lighting 54
siting a house 62 climate 270
buildings 73 heating 276
settlements 89 solar collector rooms 280
climate 98 heaters 286
urban spaces 106
circulation 116
natural environment 133 5 MATERIALS 295
selecting materials 296
2 HUMID TROPICS 141 earth 298
i ferrocement 316
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= house shapes 142 sand 325
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roofs 144 lime 326
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structures 158 wood 329
pests 194 cactus 332
doors and windows 199 bamboo 334
ventilation 202 sisal 340
humidity 204 sea Crete 342 :
roads and bridges 210
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6 CONSTRUCTION 347 filters 616
purification 622
preparation 350 irrigation 634
using materiais 356 cooling & conservation 637
foundations 362
walls 376
! panels 432 9 SANITATION 643
floors 440
roofs 448 equipment 644
doors and windows 480 bason 653
services 502 coban 672
special items 509 drainage 677
tools 527
ecotechniques 536
10 APPENDIX 679
7 ENERGY 541 materials and heat 680
measurements 682
heat and motion 542 mixtures 684
mills 544 climate zones 688
solar heat 550 angles 692
stoves 570 glossary 699
bibliography 700
index 702
8 WATER 581
location 582
pumps 586
moving water 600
cisterns 608
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PREFACE
Johan van Lengen is much more than just an architect. He is a
1 builder of communities. In 1987, van Lengen and his wife Rose
created the Brazilian community of Centro de Tecnologia Intuitiva e
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i Bio-Arquitetura (TIBA), a school for building devoted to teaching the
- harmonious integration of the human being with the environment.
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What is different about van Lengen’s approach is that he puts hu­
1 mans at the center of the discussion, pointing out that it is we who
are responsible for building the future.
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We cannot escape the fact that we are responsible for the health of
our planet. As we are painfully aware these days, unchecked progress
is leading to environmental devastation. If this destructive growth
1' in cities and the surrounding countryside does not correspond to
* global human aspirations, wouldn’t it be wise to somehow reduce
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its pace? This is a question for reflection, and van Lengen’s work is
a great inspiration in this ongoing debate.
Implicit in van Lengen’s method is his clear desire for simplicity. This is
one of his qualities that l most admire, and an attribute that I fervently
believe in, both in my personal and professional life. I have always
made simplicity the foundation of my future.
•' Unfortunately, this attitude sometimes creates difficulties because
•i; ma ny people seek solutions that give them material benefits, or have
the illusion that it is more glamorous to accumulate grandiose and
expensive possessions.
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The world today is full of people who promote the idea that everything
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in life must be complex; but these salesmen of complexities don’t
realize that bystartingfrom simple, easy-to-implement elements, we
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shall have a more advanced, sustainable system in the future.
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Van Lengen teaches us the essence of building, reminding us of
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the validity of each of the basic elements: design, materials, doors
and windows, water, climate, site layout, heat, sanitary facilities,
and even stoves.
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