Travel across continents and climate zones with this volume and experience architecture that redefines the rules of sustainability. Like the other titles in our Homes for Our Time series, each of the 63 chapters of Sustainable Living opens the windows and doors of a unique home, its design inspired by the challenges and opportunities of a warming Earth with finite resources.

This results in a comprehensive documentary overview of sustainable building practices, in which architects—from Norman Foster to the Snøhetta office—reveal their strategies for protecting the ecological systems so vital to life on our planet. The book showcases residential buildings designed to leave the smallest possible ecological footprint throughout their entire life cycle: from material extraction to their return to natural cycles. Energy-efficient building envelopes, resource-conserving construction, recycled and biodegradable materials, and designs that respond to sun, wind, and rain are central to the focus. Each project represents a distinct chapter in the ongoing evolution of an architecture that strives to cause no harm. High-quality photographs, expert commentary, and biographical portraits of the participating architects complement the documentation.

There is no single region or architectural style that has a monopoly on environmentally friendly innovations. Instead, we find a multitude of inventive solutions: cost-effective bamboo structures that rise above the floodwaters in Hanoi; a residence made of locally sourced rock and slate, nestled in a Japanese forest; a cube-shaped brick building that provides passive cooling in the heat of Ahmedabad; emergency shelter that is literally unrolled in a Venetian garden; and a passive house beneath the treetops of Australia.

Whether modest or monumental, these fascinating projects prove that sustainability is more than a look or a trend: it's a mindset that transcends boundaries, conventions, and budgets. They inspire us to design more intelligently, live more easily, and consciously conserve resources.