In the last two decades, the conservation of resources and the effective use of renewable forms of energy - in particular solar energy - have become central themes for architects and urban planners. Now a Charter for Solar Energy, which gives a new direction to the profession, has been drafted by a group of leading European architects. Within this context a survey of important buildings and projects from recent years provides concrete examples of the use of solar energy and often reveals entirely new interpretations of it. The work of some 50 architectural practices, which includes housing, schools, offices, exhibition centres and urban plans, is represented. The survey concludes with some of the latest products and skin systems which have been produced to meet the needs of solar architecture. Published to mark the occasion of the 4th European Conference on Solar Energy in Architecture and Urban Planning, held in Berlin in March 1996, this book is a guide and vital source of information for all those in the building sector with an awareness of environmental issues.