"That is certainly a valid concern these days, so it's hardly surprising to find people in the new-house market asking about such matters right up front. "

"But for an increasing number of North American housing customers, questions about sustainability go deeper than the monthly hydro bill. "

"They want to know about the fit of the house into the larger environment -- how much damage building the thing will cause, for example, or how natural light can be incorporated into the design. "

"They are interested in systems for capturing and recycling rainwater and "grey water" (from sinks and showers), and how low-emission paints and varnishes, carpeting and floor coverings can be put to work to ensure good air quality. "

"People with such queries, and everyone interested in what's possible in new, environmentally friendly residential design, should surely read "

" by Alanna Stang and Christopher Hawthorne (Princeton Architectural Press, $54.95). And for those who still think "sustainability" means living in a contraption of tubes and tanks, or a yurt, this book shows just how convenient (and classy) green living can be. "

"The knowledgeable authors -- Ms. Stang is a widely published architectural journalist and Mr. Hawthorne is architecture critic for the Los Angeles Times -- have gathered their 29 examples from a wide variety of places (cities, suburbs) and climatic zones (from the Atlantic shoreline of Nova Scotia to the mountains of Switzerland), which goes to show, contrary to a popular myth, that a house both handsome "

"The coastal Nova Scotia house, by Halifax architect Brian MacKay-Lyons, employs a number of strategies meant to lighten the load of the house on the environment. These include passive solar collection and in-floor radiant heating, and the use of locally available building materials. "

"The long, thin shape opens generously toward the water, but the double-height steel-framed windows (for passive solar) are braced against exposure to the harsh prevailing winds. There are no overhangs, which gives the building an appearance that is compact and streamlined without seeming austere. "

""With a regular if unpredictable freeze-thaw cycle, thanks to the warm gulf-stream air that runs through here," the architect explains, "overhangs create leaks." The result is a house that both looks and really is tight, bright and well-matched to its rugged environment. "

", though a beautiful six-storey townhouse in the Tribeca neighbourhood of New York City provides an especially striking instance of sustainable heating and cooling. "

"To provide for the energy needs of this building, architect John Petrarca sank a geothermal heat pump about 1,100 feet into the ground (that's nearly the height of the Empire State Building) where
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