Reviews of Sustainable Construction (Halliday 2018)
 
“It’s hard to know quite where to start to do justice to this book, especially as I have the prosaic language of an engineer and not the flowing prose of an architect. What is brilliant about Sandy is that she combines both the rigour of an engineer (which she is) and the eye of an architect (honed, no doubt through her many years with Howard Liddell) into one person. Combine this with a drive for perfection, a massive thirst for knowledge, a willingness to consult with experts in their own field and a desire to see truly sustainable solutions in the built environment and the result is clear to see - a book that draws on Europe and beyond to find some of the best examples of sustainable construction around.
 
There are twelve separate sections, including (unusually and massively welcomed) one on water and sewage management. Each section has a design checklist and rules of thumb, and a selection of inspiring case studies. As Sandy writes: There are many opportunities for water conservation and benign disposal, but with wide availability of mains water, sewerage and stormwater drainage connections, water issues have rarely been considered as serious concerns in building projects until recently … Using and expressing water in the built environment is an emerging area of interest because of the benefits to biodiversity and the creative opportunities it offers.. She follows this up with examples from Herbert Dreiseitl such as the Cloudburst project in Copenhagen, to smaller projects such as The Lost Effra  project in London, and Thames Water’s Water Efficiency in Schools Project of which ech2o are a proud part.
 
In this short video Sandy explains about why she wrote this book and what is covered in the 12 chapters. We reckon that every architect and design studio should have a copy.”
-  Cath Hassell ech2o consultants ltd
 
‘Professor Sandy Halliday’s Sustainable Construction, Second Edition is a robust examination of a vast set of issues that are especially important to today's construction practices. Her work takes on the social and political climate as well as the practice of building sustainably. To consider passive design strategies foremost is the guiding principle of the book—mechanical systems and alternative energy devices are considered back ups that can be reduced in size and expense by the effective use of passive strategies. The text is thoroughly illustrated with case study examples and images and illustrations. Both historic and contemporary issues and examples are presented. It's a tour de force in sustainable construction instruction.’
Bruce Haglund, Professor of Architecture, University of Idaho, USA
 
 
‘This encyclopedic view of sustainable development re/introduces giants upon whose shoulders we stand, their theories, experimentation, lessons learned, some forgotten, others adopted into our collective current understanding of environmental design. This is just what we need, succinct nuggets of information supported by a profusion of well-chosen images illustrating its core and many recent case studies. 10 years since the first edition, there is so much more to learn, and so much of this book has been updated. I need this edition too.’
- Brian Murphy, Green Building Encyclopaedia
‘This timely second edition of a foundational text on sustainable design and construction has been thoroughly updated with a glorious collection of 120 inspiring case studies based on best practice in relation to core principles. These are grounded in the deep wisdom of an author who really gets to the underlying issues. The unique guidance on cost and value as they relate to design is invaluable. This book is required reading for all those want to make a difference to our built environment.’ Professor Fionn Stevenson, The University of Sheffield School of Architecture, UK 
 
The time for a truly sustainable approach to construction is more important now than ever, this revised edition will help to further advance and inform the construction and design industry sectors. If we are to have any hope of remaining in equilibrium with what our planet can withstand the contents within this book should become standard practice. This updated edition builds upon known, tried and tested techniques, all of which can play their part in transforming construction into a truly sustainable endeavour. This book should be seen as a "go to" reference for all those involved in construction and design of new buildings who truly care about the impact we are having on our planet
Julian Brooks, Good Homes Alliance.
 
“Before Sustainable Construction was published the publisher sent me an un-illustrated manuscript to evaluate in hope that I’d provide an endorsement, which I did. An extract from that endorsement is quoted on the book jacket, “…a robust examination of a vast set of issues that are especially important to today’s construction practices…takes on social and political climate as well as the practice of building sustainably. It’s a tour de force…” Last month I received the fully illustrated and formatted final publication. Should I retract my praise? No, the book is even better than I imagined. Sandy’s perspective as a long-time researcher spans the disciplines in the sustainable construction arena and melds her words with images and graphics that speak to all those fields of expertise. It provides the historic context of what has worked and why as well as what should be done and how. I encourage you all to take the journey through its pages!”
- Bruce Haglund, Professor of Architecture, University of Idaho, USA