Advancing Sustainable Housing Through Design, Construction, and Critical Code Insight
The built environment is undergoing a profound transformation—driven by climate imperatives, technological innovation, and a renewed emphasis on occupant well-being. Riley Carter’s body of work addresses this transformation head-on, offering professionals, educators, and students the technical guidance and design thinking needed to meet the demands of contemporary architecture.
Spanning six volumes in The Passive House Revolution series, along with targeted publications on residential codes and sacred architecture, these books reflect a holistic approach to building. Each title is deeply rooted in practice, supported by rigorous research, and informed by decades of experience at the intersection of sustainability, economics, and residential design.
From passive house fundamentals to advanced material systems, lighting design, ecological integration, and regulatory shifts, these works serve as a comprehensive resource library. Whether you’re designing a new home, retrofitting an aging structure, teaching the next generation of architects, or navigating evolving building codes, these publications provide practical insight without compromising depth or precision.
Explore the collection below to discover how thoughtful design and disciplined execution can shape healthier, more resilient, and more beautiful places to live.
7 Mistakes That Sabotage High-Performance Homes
This concise and field-tested guide identifies the most common pitfalls that compromise high-performance homes. Drawing from real-world cases, it helps architects, builders, and consultants recognize systemic failures in design coordination, envelope detailing, and mechanical integration. More than a checklist, this volume offers strategic insight into how small misalignments derail performance—and how to build smarter, simpler, and more resilient homes by avoiding them.
Passive House Design & Construction
This foundational volume lays out the principles of Passive House from both a technical and design standpoint. It guides architects and builders through airtightness, thermal performance, energy modeling, and integrated systems, offering a roadmap for creating durable, resilient, and deeply comfortable buildings in any climate.
Passive House Made Simple
Written for homeowners, renovators, and first-time builders, this book translates Passive House strategies into clear, practical steps. It balances technical rigor with everyday insight, showing how small improvements—well-sealed envelopes, strategic insulation, thoughtful ventilation—can make homes healthier and far more energy-efficient.
Architectural Lighting Design
Light is treated not as a finishing touch but as an architectural material. This guide explores lighting physics, perception, and energy-efficient technologies—helping designers shape environments that support human well-being, emphasize form, and minimize energy loads through integrated daylighting and smart systems.
Structural Design for Architects
Focusing on spatial logic and conceptual clarity, this book helps architects understand structure as an extension of design intent. It demystifies equilibrium, load paths, and material behavior—equipping designers to engage confidently with beams, trusses, and emerging structural systems from concept to construction.
Passive House Construction
This technical manual dives into materials, methods, and climate-adaptive construction practices essential to Passive House performance. It addresses insulation assemblies, airtight detailing, and moisture management, empowering teams to align design ambition with on-site reality and long-term durability.
Ecological Architecture
Extending beyond energy efficiency, this book positions architecture within broader ecological systems. It covers site-responsive design, biobased materials, water cycles, indoor health, and regenerative frameworks—equipping readers to create buildings that restore, not just reduce.
2021 IRC Updates
A clear, code-literate guide to the most significant changes in the 2021 International Residential Code. It covers updates in structure, fire safety, materials, and innovative methods like cob and 3D printing—bridging the gap between code compliance and practical implementation in modern housing.
The Architecture of the Sagrada Família
This architectural study unpacks the structural logic, symbolic program, and geometric experimentation behind Gaudí’s enduring masterpiece. It reveals how faith, form, and engineering merge in a basilica still under construction—offering lessons in timeless design and cross-generational vision.
Designing for Resilience, Building with Purpose
Architecture is not only about what we build—but how, why, and for whom. These books reflect a commitment to clarity, craft, and environmental responsibility across every phase of the design process. Whether you’re exploring passive strategies, structural systems, or code compliance, the goal remains the same: to create buildings that endure, enrich, and respond to the needs of both people and planet.
Thank you for engaging with this work. May it support your practice, challenge your assumptions, and inspire new pathways forward in the built environment.
Riley Carter