Green Architecture Green architecture is an approach to building which has become more popular in the last 25 to 30 years. Also known as sustainable design, green architecture is a method of design that minimizes the impact of building on the environment. Once thought of as unconventional and nonstandard, both regulatory agencies and the public alike are quickly accepting green architecture as a socially responsible and logical means of construction. The beginnings of today's green revolution can be traced back to the environmental awareness of the 1960s and European design. New construction techniques have lead to the development of innovative materials and design concepts. Green buildings are designed, constructed and commissioned to ensure they are healthy for their occupants. Successfully designed green projects can involve an extensive array of factors, ranging from the resourceful use of materials, to careful consideration of function, climate, and location. The concepts about green architecture can generally be organized into several areas of application. These areas include sustainability, materials, energy efficiency, land use, and waste reduction. Green buildings are not only designed for present use, but consideration is also been given to future uses as well. An adaptable structure can be "recycled" many times over the course of its useful life. If specific technical issues prevent use of the building for a new function, then the materials used in its construction are designed to facilitate ease of recycling and reprocessing of materials. Buildings consume a variety of materials in their construction. Green design reduces the dependence on resource intensive products and materials. Today, there are an increasing number of products available made from efficient, earth-friendly, or recycled materials. In a green building, consideration is also given to the construction process itself. Materials that minimize waste or can be recycled, help contribute to an efficient and environmentally sensitive construction process. Another important aspect of green architecture is the integration of energy efficient mechanical systems and conservation methods. Green buildings are designed to reduce or eliminate the dependence on fossil fuels. Additionally, green designs further help to minimize waste through the use of gray water recycling and other sustainable energy strategies. Grey water is conserved or saved to be recycled to water gardens. Land use and building orientation also plays a critical role in green architecture. A green building is located to take advantage of its climate and surroundings. These conditions not only affect the efficiency of a building, but of the community and society as a whole.
LEED, or Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design, is a certification program for green buildings with stringent requirements for building energy efficient and environmentally responsible structures. Some requirements of this program include specific building materials, smart grid capable, gray water reclamation systems, green space minimums, high levels of insulation and low thermal transfer glass (US Green Building Council). Green buildings are a must if we are to sustain our current level of growth. Despite the higher initial cost of these buildings, the long term energy savings make these buildings a smarter choice for
With the alarming growth in the energy costs and environmental concern in construction projects there is a continuous demand for sustainable buildings. LEED® evaluates the sustainable performance through a 69-point credit system which mainly emphasizes Indoor environmental quality, energy and atmosphere, sustainable sites, water efficiency, materials and resources and innovation in design (Azhar, Carlton, Olsen and Ahmad (2011)).
This paper will present an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) of a proposed construction project of a new recycling center in a rural area. The proposed project is to be built in a nonattainment area. The EIS will address land-use and development, social and neighborhood effects, economic factors, air quality, noise, and water resources as it relates to the proposed project. Included in the process will be three alternatives as well as a no build alternative. The Environmental Impact Statement will provide a detailed scoping of the project along with the alternatives that will ensure all potential impacts are addressed prior to project approval.
Green buildings incorporates the use of recycled materials for construction where possible, constructions of structures on in-fill sites instead of green fields as well as maintenance of energy and water standards. As such Fremont can massively reduce the footprint of new structures through adopting the use of green building. This move towards sustainability is adopted in the city’s General Plan 2030 (“Sustainability”). The plan dictates the need for the city to implement a green building policy and to constantly search for opportunities to turn existing building and new constructions into environmental friendly structures. As part of the city’s goal, the reduction of green house gas emissions is also included in the plan.
In architecture, the “hip” thing today as Bjarke Ingels puts it, is sustainability. The most popular definition of sustainability was defined at a 1987 UN conference. It defined sustainable developments as those that "meet present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs." While this definition is the most popular for sustainability it does not define any measurable parameters for modeling and measuring sustainable developments. One definition put forth by Vieria in, “A Check List for Sustainable Developments”, sustainability "identifies a concept and attitude in development that looks at a site's natural land, water, and energy resources as integral aspects of the development." Biomimicry uses a site’s natural environment to influence the design. Different environmental aspects play an integral part in the design of the form and function of a building.
To fully understand the story of sustainable architecture we trace it back from modernism to postmodernism.
Theodosiou, T. (2009). Green roofs in buildings: thermal and environmental behavior. Advances in Building Energy Research, 3.1, 271+. Retrieved December 1, 2010, from the Academic OneFile database.
D1 - Evaluate the environmental performance of modern materials and techniques used in the construction of substructures for low-rise domestic and commercial buildings, for two different tutor-specified scenarios
Sustainable design seeks to reduce negative impacts on the environment, the health and comfort of building occupants, thereby improving building performance. The basic objects of sustainability are to reduce consumption of non-renewable resources, minimal waste, and create healthy, productive environments (“Sustainable Design”). Focusing primarily on the sustainable design principles, there are five, including: low-impact materials, energy efficiency, quality and durability, design for reuse and recycling, and renewability. As sustainability appears to become the necessary trend in architecture, the question concerning the cost versus outcome of “going green” really an investment or a waste of time and money comes to mind. With our research provided below, we believe the expenses may truly be with the investment in the end.
Hopkins, Graeme and Christine Goodwin. Living Architecture: Green Roofs and Walls. Collingwood, CSIRO Publishing. 2011,Print.
Unites States Green Building Council. (2014). Leadership in energy and environmental design. Retrieved from http://www.usgbc.org/leed#why
... architectures would led to a more organic organization beneficial to the people that choose to make their lives in this city. Although this model of a sustainable city is not a perfectly closed loop, it lays the foundation for one that is. Over time, with constantly evolving and improving technology and new methods of design from the scale of products to buildings, the gaps in the loop could be closed, and a “true” sustainable city could be fully realized.
A green building (also referred to as sustainable building or green construction) is a structure that employs an approach that is responsible for the environment besides being efficient in regard to resources all through its life cycle: This is from selecting the site to designing it, constructing, operating, maintaining, renovating and demolishing it. To achieve this, the client, the engineers, the architects and the entire design team closely cooperate at all stages of a project (Yan and Paliniotis, 2006). Practicing Green Building complements and expands the conventional building design areas of comfort, durability, utility and economy.
Green technology is the technology whose main aim is reduce the impact of human activities on the environment. In other words the target of green technology is to consume less natural resources, reduce the emission, produce goods with energy efficiency, take care of health and safety issues and reuse and recycle the goods after their usage.