Open access · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Version 1.1
The knowledge exists.
The translation doesn't exist until now.
Twenty years of green building knowledge was written for people with budgets, consultants, and certifications in mind. Building Green, Made Simple is a 70-page illustrated guide for everyone else: homeowners, renters, community educators, and small businesses — across six climate zones, ranked by what you can actually afford.
Read the guide (free PDF on Zenodo) Find your climate zone →
Permanent identifier: DOI 10.5281/zenodo.20365825 · Pradeep Angiras with Ghazaleh Sodeiri Jalili
Three filters, in this order
① Economy
Under $50 first. $50-500 second. Over $500 third, with financing noted. Affordability is the binding constraint, so it leads.
② Ease of adoption
No trade skill first, one-afternoon effort second, professional install third. If it needs a consultant, the guide says so.
③ Climate fit
Every measure is flagged for the zones where it actually works — and flagged against where the physics turns on you.
Six zones, six different answers
The same chapter gives different advice in Mumbai, Jaipur, London, Winnipeg, Cusco, and Delhi because the physics is different. The guide treats vernacular building intelligence (Rajasthani jaalis, Himalayan Kath-Kuni walls, North African courtyards) as substantive knowledge, not historical decoration.
| Zone | Where | Primary indoor-air concern |
|---|---|---|
| HH Hot-Humid | e.g. Mumbai, Lagos, Singapore | Mould & dampness — cross-ventilation first |
| HD Hot-Dry | e.g. Jaipur, Riyadh, Phoenix | Dust-storm PM10 up to 20× WHO limit — filter and seal |
| TM Temperate | e.g. London, Vancouver, Melbourne | Condensation on cold surfaces — the hidden mould risk |
| CO Cold / Subarctic | e.g. Helsinki, Winnipeg, Ulaanbaatar | Airtightness vs. ventilation — you need both |
| HA High Altitude | e.g. Lhasa, Cusco, Addis Ababa | Cookstove smoke — PM2.5 up to 100× WHO guideline |
| MX Mixed / Composite | e.g. Delhi, Beijing, Madrid | Outdoor air can invert ventilation logic entirely |
Two free tools built from the guide
Climate Zone Finder
Type your city. Get your zone, its primary risks, and the strategies that fit it — by budget band. Works offline; no tracking, no account.
Climate-Zone Measure Picker
Filter every measure in the guide by zone, budget, and skill level — with honest payback bands, decision horizons, and the climate caveats built in.