Architecture: A Sustainable Solution

Mindra Okonski
January 17, 2017
Intern/Mentor GT Pd. 1
Mrs. Bagley
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As population grows, stretching Earth ever closer to its carrying capacity,

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

of sustainable architecture. Sustainable design can be divided into three categories:

environmental sustainability, social sustainability, and economic sustainability; however, this

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

incorporate the natural world into design.

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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

sunlight, a renewable resource, to control a buildings temperature and potentially to supplement

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

to shade a structure from excessive light (Passive Solar Design 1-9).

In addition to the prospect of solar energy systems as a means of achieving sustainable

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

window placement on their buildings to provide maximum natural ventilation. In a similar

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

be renewable, recycled or recyclable, durable, non-toxic, locally sourced, or natural as a whole.

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

with the ability to impede environmental degradation.

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

like environmentally friendly appliances, water-conserving washers, energy-saving light fixtures

can be used. Unfortunately, water, a valuable resource, is wasted by inefficient technology,

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

world, as sustainable buildings have the potential to prevent environmental degradation.

Moreover, this type of construction is often economically beneficial to clients, aesthetically

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

increase in the publics environmental awareness will spur a movement of nature-based

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.

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