Sustainable Water Management. The Way to Better Living

The Academic Book named by its authors “Sustainable Water Management: a Way of Better Living” focuses on one of the most important and influential aspects of sustainable urbanism and architectural design. This original research report is Volume 4 of annual research publication drafted by the team of students of Architecture at Vilnius Gediminas Technical University. It continues the tradition of the Design Studio project “Recreation Complex in Natural Environment” to collect, analyse and present individual research material in a comprehensive publication and is performed by the students of Arfu-12 group at the Department of Urban Design at the Fall Term 2013. We strongly believe that the method of „learning through design“ brings new understanding, skills and professional capabilities for planning and designing recreational spaces and buildings of the most diverse function, structure and architecture in natural and rural sites of Lithuania. The group of students and their tutors had a pleasure of going through theory and practice of Sustainable Architecture as much as it concerns quality in terms of socio-economic and environmental benefits. This year’s series Vol. 4 “Sustainable Water Management” continues the department’s tradition as it is produced along with the design studio project. The topic of Sustainable Water Management is analysed in four chapters: historic development of water management; planning experiences and applications; design solutions; and technical principles, all seen as the way of better living for urban communities. The collected, reviewed and designed material with its texts, references and numerous pictures is a perfect study material for students, researchers and many of their senior colleagues architects as well as for the wider public concerned in sustainable urbanism and design to bring more understanding in making our environment more sustainable.Four working groups of students have generated the Chapters of this Book presented in an involving way. The study programme will cover more and more aspects of sustainability in the next study years of architecture at VGTU, so this book is a great jump forward by the second-year scholars in architecture that will certainly build up their professional career and shape personal life-style. Therefore the Book is a must reading for senior students in bachelor and master studies of Architecture, Urbanism, Landscape and related fields in all universities. The material presented herein is a peer-reviewed and co-edited study by the Editorial Board comprised of representatives of the working groups. Content of the book is based on the international experience of Sustainability in Water Management as this topic in Lithuania is still at its roots. The book reveals the multiple tools that should be applied in the project of the most different nature presenting healthy, environment-friendly and affordable aesthetics and helps to carry the ideas of sustainability from books to practice of urbanism and architecture. The authors will appreciate all comments and proposal from the interested readers on the topic of „Sustainable Water Management“ that will help to further improve skills of the authors and the knowledge presented in this Book. Prof PhD Gintaras Stauskis, Tutor and supervisorVilnius Gediminas Technical Universit