Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Mindra Okonski
January 17, 2017
Intern/Mentor GT Pd. 1
Mrs. Bagley
Okonski 2
industrialization runs rampant and development continues at a feverish pace. Consequently, the
planets once plentiful resources now dwindle, and environmental health suffers. Buildings create
around 40% of CO emissions in the United States and account for approximately 41% of the
countrys total energy consumption. With such massive waste comes immense potential for
improvement in the architectural field. Thus, green building certification organizations like
LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) strive to improve and expand the field
paper will focus primarily on the environmental aspect, as does LEED. In comparison to un-
certified buildings, LEED-certified structures expend 25% less energy, use 11% less water,
release 34% less carbon dioxide, and prevent an immense amount of waste from going to
landfills. Green building can achieve a positive impact on nature through a large variety of
mechanisms including eco-friendly fixtures, thoughtful use of natural resources, and innovative
materials. For example, installing water efficient fixtures in one out of every one hundred homes
could reduce greenhouse gas emission by 80,000 tons, which would be the same as removing
15,000 cars from the roads for a year (Benefits of Green Building 1-3). Given these statistics,
clearly, environmentally sustainable architecture has merit and will be a valuable weapon in the
ongoing battle against environmental degradation. Architects play a crucial role in environmental
health and conservation, as they utilize structure orientation in relation to natural resources,
apply materials which reduce buildings environmental impact throughout their lifecycles, and
A crucial component of the architectural design process is the site selection stage, in
which a particular plot of land is chosen for a project. The natural characteristics of an area such
as topography, sunlight, rainfall, wind patterns, and vegetation provide massive potential for
architectural sustainability. The architect can design a building which utilizes its orientation
within the landscape to facilitate environmental conservation. In creating such a building, the
architect may first consider the prospects of passive and active solar design, which both utilize
non-renewable power sources (Ragheb 1-9). Active solar heating techniques such as solar panels
focus on converting sunlight to usable energy and electricity, while passive solar energy utilizes
the absorptive and reflective properties of materials to control building temperature. In either
case, it is important that the architect orients the building so that the side that should receive the
most solar exposure is facing south and that the structure is extremely well insulated. This way, it
receives the most direct sunlight, and its solar technologies may effectively and efficiently do
their jobs. Commonly, passive design involves strategically placed windows that can be opened,
thermal chimneys which aid in cooling structures and materials with high thermal masses which
retain heat in order to minimize temperature fluctuations within a building. In order to further
conserve energy, an architect may consider adding strategic overhangs or utilizing tall vegetation
structures, one may utilize wind as a resource that, when considered in relation to building
orientation, can conserve energy. For instance, architects can consider wind patterns in relation to
sense, stack ventilation is driven by temperature differences, which cause hot air to rise and cool
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air to filter out of a structures base. This method can be achieved through techniques such as
adding skylights, creating ridge vents, and strategically positioning opening for air to enter and
exit a building, These, along with similar techniques allow for an effective natural cooling
system, and may supplement the use of fans and environmentally harmful mechanical
technologies (Ragheb 1-9). Natural ventilation and heating system which take building
orientation into consideration can be made even more effective through the calculated use of
green materials.
Passive solar heating, along with other green building techniques are extremely
dependent on the materials used in a buildings construction. Materials are further important to a
buildings environmental impact from its construction to its demolition and beyond, as they can
As previously mentioned, materials with high specific heat values retain more heat, so when used
in construction, they are able to aid in temperature control. Some common thermal mass
materials are brick, stone, tile, concrete, and concrete masonry units (CMUs). By incorporating
such materials into a building, the architect can strategically use solar geometry to eliminate
energy consumption and harmful emissions. Natural materials such as adobe (a mixture of dirt,
water, and various fibers) and cob are not only beneficial as a result of their thermal masses, but
also due to their local sourcing and low toxicity. Building components that can be derived from
and manufactured in local areas aid the environment, since they eliminate emissions of long
distance transportation vehicles. Their use also benefits local economies. Bamboo, for example,
is an extremely useful building material, for it is fast growing, flexible, weather resistant,
biodegradable, and surprisingly strong (Hart 1). Fascinating projects such as the sustainable
bamboo dome in Iran designed by Pouya Khazeli demonstrate the effectiveness and
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sustainability of this material (Mahdavinejad et al. 1-11). Similarly, rammed earth, compressed
raw material, is entirely natural and composes the building in which half of the worlds
population lives or works (Ragheb 1-9). In contrast, materials such as Portland cement, certain
paints and plastics, wood containing toxic chemicals, and lumber are harvested in a non-eco-
friendly manner. To combat the use of such harmful products, architects can use innovative
materials like autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) blocks, which combines lumber, drywall,
insulation, and house rap into one product or Durisol blocks, which are composed of wood
shavings and cement. Durisol is not only a stable and effective material, but it is also completely
recyclable and consists of 78% recycled matter (Alternatives to Wood 1). The use of recycled
and recyclable materials ensure that a building is sustainable throughout the entirety of its
lifecycle. Clearly there is a massive variety of construction materials that provide architecture
The natural world and its principles serve as a fantastic model for architecture. Thus,
architects can use these concepts to inspire sustainable design. Architects can utilize green roofs
and walls, heating and cooling system that minimize electricity consumption, unique shading
appliances, and water conservation technology. In addition to employing natural solar and wind
temperature controlling system, one can utilize geothermal cooling and heating technology, in
order to conserve energy and reduce harmful emissions. Therefore, air is brought underground,
where earths natural temperature cools it, and it is then filtered into a building. Similarly, objects
architecture, and human behaviors; however, one can conserve this resource by incorporating
rain water collection systems, irrigation systems, and dual plumbing into architecture. Natural
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irrigation can not only be used for on-ground vegetation, but also for green roofs and walls,
prime examples of the merging of nature and structure (Ragheb 1-9). Green roofs and walls
entail the creation of gardens on buildings and are extremely beneficial, since they help to
insulate buildings, they increase an areas biodiversity, are aesthetically pleasing, and connect a
buildings inhabitants with nature, which has been proven to ameliorate human psyche (Ogden
2). Last, structure can become further connected to the environment through biomimetic
architecture, a practice in which nature is used to inspire building shape and function. For
instance, the Gherkin building in London mimics the inner workings of sponges to create an
amazing and effective natural ventilation system similar to sponges water filtration system.
These, amongst countless other incredible buildings, along with the sustainable solutions
previously described demonstrate the powerful potential of architecture when combined with the
natural world.
There is no doubt that green architecture will play an increasingly crucial role in the
pleasing, and encouraging of positive social environments. Thus, it will soon become popular
with general public, just as solar panels have. Strategies such as natural solar heating and
cooling, natural ventilation, and water conservation systems may someday be installed in every
household and sustainable materials will surely become more popular. It is possible that an
architecture, which could include biomimicry, green roofs and walls, geothermal temperature
control, and energy conserving fixtures. Clearly, sustainable building will benefit the
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environment, since architects can utilize natural energy systems in relation to building
orientation, green building materials, and the concepts and inspiration provided by nature itself.
Bibliography
"Benefits of Green Building." UGSB, U.S. Green Building Council, 1 Apr. 2016,
www.usgbc.org/articles/green-building-facts. Accessed 10 Jan. 2017.
Ragheb, Amany, Hisham El-Shimy, and Ghada Ragheb. "Green Architecture: A Concept Of
Sustainability." Procedia - Social And Behavioral Sciences 216.Urban Planning and
Architectural Design for Sustainable Development (UPADSD) (2016): 778-787.
ScienceDirect. Web. 9 Oct. 2016.