Architecture : from prehistory to climate emergency / Barnabas Calder.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction -- Life with less energy -- Farming, the city and monumental architecture -- Us and them : the Parthenon and Parsa -- Energy booms : the Roman Empire and Song-dynasty China -- 'A proportional indicator of power'? : tradition, energy and mosques -- Plague and prosperity : medieval and early modern Europe -- The march of bricks and mortar : coal and the city -- 'That which all the world desires' : Victorian Liverpool -- Form follows fuel : industry and construction in the USA, 1850-1920 -- 'The beauty of speed' : the rise of oil and electricity, 1914-39 -- 'Too cheap to meter' : the post-war boom, 1939-90 -- Today's great energy revolution -- Conclusion.

"Reducing energy use is the single biggest challenge facing architecture today. From the humblest prehistoric hut to the imposing monuments of Rome or Egypt to super-connected modern airports, buildings in every era and place have been shaped by the energy available for their construction and running. This original and compelling survey tells the story of our buildings from our hunter-gatherer origins to the age of fossil-fuel dependence, and shows how architecture has been influenced by designers, builders and societies adapting to changing energy contexts."--Publisher's website.