The third book in a series of pocket reference books by the International Solar Energy Society, this is an easy to use, conveniently sized and affordable book, which is a handy resource for architects and engineers working in the field of passive solar architecture. A concise text presents a summarised compilation of most principles and concepts that need to be covered by these professionals when designing. The text is supported by at-a-glance diagrams and tables and clear drawings that are effective at conveying the ideas described to the reader – or, rather, to the user as this book is more of a design tool than a manuscript.
The book covers concise descriptions of theoretical background and is divided into five sections: load determinants and responses; contextual aspects; passive components; design tools; and specific functions. In these sections the user can find examples of site analyses, materials and building elements, sun paths, rules of thumb for natural ventilation and daylight, among other things. The contents sometimes go beyond the scope of the book, including active systems such as solar thermal water heaters and rainwater harvesting. Some topics are discussed across different sections, which may be counterintuitive. The style is short and direct but not always easy to follow if you do not have previous knowledge of the subject.
The limitation of such short text is the inability to discuss the concepts in depth, which may make this book inadequate for beginners in the field who are at risk of taking explanations and examples literally. However, this book makes no pretensions to teach you how to design passive solar architecture but only to refresh your memory when you come across a forgotten term or when you are in need of quick access to data to support a design strategy. In fact, quick access to abundant and useful data is perhaps the biggest strength of this book and the others that make up the pocket reference series.
