Solar Design * Ingrid Hermannsdorfer, Christine Rub

Photovoltaics for Old Buildings, Urban Space, Landscapes: Photovoltaik für Altbau, Stadtraum, Landschaft. Written in English and German, this comprehensive architectural design manual bridges the gap between green technology and building aesthetics, providing engineers, students, and urban planners with a highly technical, visual blueprint to seamlessly integrate solar energy systems directly into modern building envelopes.

The Story: Written by prominent design authorities Ingrid Hermannsdorfer and Christine Rüb, this forward-thinking masterwork treats solar technology not merely as an afterthought utility, but as a core structural element of contemporary construction. The authors completely look past basic, low-friction summaries of standard rooftop solar arrays. Instead, they establish a thorough, research-heavy framework that documents how active and passive solar collectors can be elegantly transformed into functional, visually striking components of roofs, facades, and urban spaces.

The book takes architects and engineering professionals through a versatile landscape of sustainable building technology across its densely illustrated pages. The layout organizes complex solar data into precise technical categories - evaluating the design parameters of solar thermal systems, photovoltaic components, and passive thermal mass elements. The text outlines the exact steps to transition buildings into energy-efficient systems, detailing the parameters for calculating solar exposure loops, choosing structural materials, and integrating advanced solar cells into glass facades, shading elements, and building surfaces without disrupting the underlying architectural aesthetic.

Rather than treating solar integration as a rigid engineering burden, the volume acts as a highly practical resource for innovative urban design and climate-responsive architecture. Hermannsdorfer and Rüb pack the book with real-world case studies, clear architectural cross-sections, and product metrics that bridge technical performance with structural beauty. Published in cooperation with the International Solar Energy Society (ISES), this scarce reference book remains an essential addition to professional design libraries, helping creators transform the built environment into a permanent sanctuary of sustainable, energy-generating efficiency.

Perfect For: Architects, civil engineers, and sustainable designers looking for an empirical, data-dense textbook to master building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV); students studying ecological urbanism and green technology metrics; and library collections anchoring their architecture sections with definitive technical reference manuals.

Published 2006 by JOVIS. 

Architecture & Design / Sustainable Architecture & Eco-Design / Solar Engineering & Technology / Urban Planning & Green Building / Technical Design Manuals / Architectural References