According to the UN, “The world’s population is expected to increase by 2 billion persons in the next 30 years, from 7.7 billion currently to 9.7 billion in 2050.” As the population grows, they must transform natural lands into cities and other human habitats.
Development requires energy, which is mostly produced by burning fossil fuels emitting CO2 and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, resulting in global warming.
As international coalitions across industries are trying to decrease these emissions, construction is no exception. Reducing carbon emissions is one of the main purposes of green architecture and architects are already taking these trends into consideration in their design philosophies.
Is green architecture entirely new ?
A building working harmoniously with nature is not an entirely new idea; in fact, it is very ancient. In most traditional and vernacular architecture, different strategies and techniques are used to live with the rhythms of nature.
Webmaster: Kunnapat Sukantawong M.5/1 No.9
Reference:
https://www.novatr.com/blog/green-architecture
https://www.iberdrola.com/sustainability/sustainable-green-buildings
The modern green building architecture
In modern times, advancements in technology have enabled us to control conditions inside our buildings, albeit at the cost of destroying the planet. We forgot most lessons our ancestors learned long ago, ignoring millennia of green architecture. But looking back at what our ancestors achieved using simple technology, perhaps we can achieve much more today, given we think more analytically from the design stage of a building.
In 1962, the book Silent Spring by Rachel Carson was published. It was about the horrible effects of chemical pesticides widely used in agriculture at the time, initiating the environmental movement. This social trend inspired architects to experiment with eco-friendly architecture. In the 70s, some innovations like the Trombe wall and passive heating became novel hot topics. Nowadays, these and much more are common as part of architectural education.
In the late 80s and early 90s, new guidelines were devised for green architecture by a collaboration between the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the Environmental Protection Agency in the U.S. The result was COTE or AIA Committee on The Environment, one of the oldest organizations in the U.S. dedicated to sustainable green building.
An important milestone of the modern green building architecture is the formation of the U.S. Green Business Council (USGBC) in 1993. They are also founders of the most important licensure of sustainable green building: LEED (or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). It is the world's most widely used rating system for green architecture.
Principle of Green architecture
What is LEED?
LEED has been the primary rating system that developers and architects can apply for certification. They acquire a rating level according to their adherence to prerequisites and credits that address carbon, energy, water, waste, transportation, materials, health, and indoor environmental quality.
Cradle-to-grave principle
When trying to build sustainable green building design, the important not just from the day you start constructing but – from material production, transportation, design and facilitating building site to construction, operation of the building and its eventual demise and dismantling. Thus, green architecture covers a holistic approach called “Cradle-to-grave”.
BIM technology
BIM technology could be very useful when designing a sustainable green building. It is a methodological system to increase efficiency at every phase of building from the design to construction to post-construction operations and maintenance.
Benefits of Green Architecture
1. Comfort
Because a well-designed building puts a great deal of thinking into providing comfort without harming the environment, the green building architecture is very pleasant to live in. Besides, there is a naturalness to these buildings, making them calm and cheerful places.
2. Economy
Utilizing passive systems, and self-sufficiency in producing required energy in green buildings decrease the rising costs of living while conserving natural resources. Utilizing these passive design systems more efficiently provides added benefits towards comfort.
3. Fresh Aesthetics
The lush and full appearance of green architecture changes the grey and dull tones of most modern cities. The dull cities can be turned into man-made forests with walls made of plants and dropping vines over the edges. Even if they don’t employ greeneries, their alignment with natural elements like wind and sun provides a very attuned life with natural rhythms, making the space, and life, more bright and enjoyable.