SUSTAINABLE ARCHITECTURE-IX

LECTURE-1
INTRODUCTION

PRESENTED BY: Ar. AASHNA ARORA

UNIT I: SUSTAINABILITY ISSUES

Need for sustainable development: population growth, carbon emissions, global

warming, climate change

Ecological balance, ecological foot prints, Historical background, philosophical

basis, social implications

Manifestoes: Brundtland report, Agenda 21, Kyoto Protocol, IPCC, Forum for
Future, complex rating systems

Role of architects: sustainable site, energy (operational and embodied), materials,

water and wastes

Green, eco, ecological, sustainable, bio-climatic, cradle-to-cradle, biomimicry,

restorative, regenerative design

Systems Approach: definition of system, types, characteristics, components,

behavior, integrated design
 WHAT YOU WILL LEARN TODAY ?

• To understand the history of environmental degradation and address ecological

issues like Emission of greenhouse gases, Global Warming, Carbon emissions
from the economic and transport sector, pollution from construction, Ozone
depletion etc. And their repercussions.
• Conceptualize strategy towards sustainable development.
WHAT IS ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION ?
 WHAT IS ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION ?
Environmental degradation is the deterioration of the environment through
depletion of natural resources such as air, water and soil; the destruction of
ecosystems and the extinction of wildlife.
 WHAT IS ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION ?
• Any change or disturbance to the
environment perceived to be deleterious
or undesirable.

• Environmental degradation is one of

the Ten Threats officially cautioned by
the High Level Threat Panel of the
United Nations.

• The United Nations International

Strategy for Disaster Reduction defines
environmental degradation as “The
reduction of the capacity of the
environment to meet social and
ecological objectives, and needs”.

• The primary cause of environmental

degradation is human disturbance.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbS1VJyonuA
A poacher catches a juvenile sunda pangolin in the early hours of the morning, Kalimantan,
Indonesia. The demand for pangolin meat and scales used in traditional Chinese medicine in
China and Vietnam is pushing the pangolin to extinction. Photo: Paul Hilton for WildAid
An egret settles on a pile of floating garbage near Lake Ulsoor
during sunset, in Bengaluru. (PTI
 EXAMPLES OF ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION IN INDIA

The heavily polluted Yamuna river

The frothy and petrifying scene of people

taking a dip for Chatt Puja in river Yamuna. The fruits and vegetables grown on banks of
river Yamuna
 Poor state of waste disposal system

Pollution levels in New Delhi reached a three-year

high in 2019. The state air quality index for the
city of 20 million people was at 436 — about nine
times the recommended maximum in November
2019.
• Domestic fossil fuel cooking
• Stubble burning
• Urban sprawl
• Pollution from factories

Unregulated pollution from factories

EXAMPLES OF ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION AROUND THE WORLD

Surfing on a wave full of rubbish in Java, National Willamette forest in Oregon - which
Indonesia is 99% deforested

An albatross killed by excessive plastic Melting of glaciers

ingestion in the Pacific.
EXAMPLES OF ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION AROUND THE WORLD

The Yellow river in Mongolia is so polluted A satellite image shows the extent of the Clyde
it’s almost impossible to breathe near it Mountain fire burning at Batemans Bay on the
New South wales south coast

Industrial sea overfishing Oil spilling in Russia

 HISTORY OF ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION ?

Water pollution causing harm to aquatic life and Cholera to humans

Air-Pollution

Noise-Pollution

Urbanization Inadequate sanitation facilities Poor living conditions

WHAT ARE THE CAUSES OF ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION ?
 Plastic and Waste
Overpopulation agricultural Landfills
Production
Pollution

Lack of
Deforestation CAUSES education

Consumption Illegal
Mining Resource Dumping
Depletion Behavior
 OVERPOPULATION

The rapid population growth and economic

development in country are degrading the
environment through -
a. Uncontrolled growth of urbanization and
industrialization,
b. Expansion and intensification of agriculture
c. The destruction of natural habitats.

Population is an
important source of
development, yet it
India supports 17 per cent of
is a major source of the world population on just 2.4
environmental per cent of world land area.
degradation when it
exceeds the thresh
hold limits of the
support systems.
 URBANIZATION
Lack of opportunities for gainful
employment in villages and the ecological
stresses is leading to an ever increasing
movement of poor families to towns.
Mega cities are emerging and urban slums
are expanding.

There has been an eightfold

increase in urban population over
1901-1991. During the past two
decades of 1971-91, India’s
It has widened the gap between demand and urban population has doubled
supply of infrastructural services from 109 million to 218 million
• Energy • Communication and is estimated to reach 300
• Housing • Education million by 2000 AD.
• Transport • Water supply and sewerage
• Recreational amenities
 POLLUTION FROM CONSTRUCTION

Air pollution Water pollution Noise pollution

. . .
The OECD (Organization for
economic Co-operation and
development) states that 32% of world
resources, including 40% of energy and
12% of fresh water are consumed by
buildings.
40% 40%
Pollution
Pollution, in whatever form, whether it
is air, water, land or noise is harmful to
the environment.
 DEFORESTATION
Deforestation is the cutting down of trees to
make way for more homes and industries.

Apart from that, the use of forest land for

agriculture, animal grazing, harvest for
fuelwood and logging are some of the other
causes of deforestation.

Rapid growth in population and urban Deforestation contributes to global warming as

sprawl are two of the major causes of decreased forest size puts carbon back into the
deforestation. environment.
 HIGH LEVELS OF CARBON DIOXIDE AND CLIMATE CHANGE
BY TRAPPING HEAT from the sun, greenhouse gases have kept earth's climate habitable for
humans and millions of other species. But those gases are now out of balance and threaten to
change drastically which living things can survive on this planet—and where.
 HIGH LEVELS OF CARBON DIOXIDE AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Greenhouse gas levels are so high primarily because humans have released them into
the air by burning fossil fuels. The gases absorb solar energy and keep heat close to
Earth's surface, rather than letting it escape into space. That trapping of heat is
known as the greenhouse effect.
 HIGH LEVELS OF CARBON DIOXIDE AND CLIMATE CHANGE

• Atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide—the most dangerous and prevalent

greenhouse gas—are at the highest levels ever recorded.

• Today, climate change is the term scientists use to describe the complex shifts,
driven by greenhouse gas concentrations, that are now affecting our planet’s
weather and climate systems.

• Climate change encompasses not only the rising average temperatures we refer
to as global warming but also extreme weather events, shifting wildlife
populations and and habitats, rising seas, and a range of other impacts.
Global warming designate the worldwide
phenomenon of rising temperature in the air
and oceans. Studied since our 20th century,
this change is mainly due to the high
trapped quantity of heat at the terrestrial
surface. This is provoked by the emissions
of greenhouse gaz (CO2, and others).

Here are some numbers to

keep in mind :
•India : +4,8%
•United States : +3,1%
•Europe : -1,3%
•Germany : -4,5%
An to give an idea of global
evolutions during the years :
CARBON EMISSIONS.
Emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) are either natural or anthropic (due to human activity).
• Natural emissions are ones from natural wildfire, animal breathing, plants, aquatic
microorganism, the ground or even volcanic origin.
• Anthropic emissions comes from heating, vehicles, voluntary fire, power generation
station of fossil fuels.
WHAT ARE THE CONSEQUENCES OF CO2
ON OUR ENVIRONMENT ?
In the oceans : It makes oceans more acid.
For birds and mammals : the carbon
Thus, numerous fish can wind up to the
can kill by asphyxiation at a certain
poles, where the water temperature change
level and time of exposition.
less rapidly.

•For the plants: With a low dose, the CO2

can permit growth of so many vegetal
species.
•After experiences, this has been proven, but
until a certain level. When this level is
overpassed, the growth of vegetal stabilize or
reduce. It’s for the moment difficult to see
what is the exact level that stop this growth
as it can change in function of the plant
species.
Video by NASA which showed how temperature has increased from 1800 to 2018
CONSUMPTION BEHAVIOR

EXCESSIVE EXCESSIVE EXTRACTION OF

CONSUMPTION RESOURCES
OUT OF GROUND

Our material goods have to be produced in industrial processes, which leads to the
emission of large amounts of harmful gases into our atmosphere.
WASTE PRODUCTION

• Our excessive consumption behavior also implies

the production of enormous amounts of waste.

• In order to get rid of this waste, it has to be burned

or disposed into landfills.

• Moreover, in some countries, waste is also dumped

illegally into lakes, rivers or forests, where it can
lead to significant water and soil degradation.

• Taking up the area of more than

40 football pitches, Ghazipur
rises by nearly 10 metres a year
with no end in sight to its foul-
smelling growth.
• According to East Delhi’s
superintendent engineer Arun
Kumar, it is already more than
65 metres (213 feet) high.
LACK OF EDUCATION ILLEGAL DUMPING IN THE RIVER

ENVIRONMENTAL
CONCERNS

AGRICULTURAL POLLUTION

• Since in agricultural processes, large amounts

of fertilizer and pesticides are used, the soil
can become degraded due to harmful
components in these substances.

• This can lead to soil pollution and may also

destroy the fertility of the fields in the long
run.
LITTERING
• We often see people dispose their
used cigarettes on the ground right
where they stand even if a trash bin
is just a few meters away.
• This can lead to serious
environmental degradation since
animals may try to eat the used
cigarettes and may die due to
that.
• Additionally, the disposal of used
cigarettes in forests is a main cause
for wildfires which also lead to
significant ecological degradation.
MINING

Mining can lead to a serious degradation of

the environment since for mining practices,
large areas of land have to be used. This
often also includes deforestation in these
areas and the related adverse effects. Thus,
natural habitats for many animals and plants
may be destroyed due to mining practices.

PLASTIC POLLUTION

The amount of plastic trash that is

produced each year is enormous. For
instance, it is estimated that worldwide,
we use around 500 billion disposable
plastic cups each year.
Effects of Environmental Degradation
1.Acid rain
2.Biodiversity loss
3.Floods
4.Landslides
5.Soil erosion
6.Endangerment of species
7.Natural disasters
8.Global warming
9.Public health problems
10.Loss of livelihood for many people
11.Famine
12.Conflicts
13.Spread of diseases
14.Loss in tourism
15.Economic effects
16.Impact on human health
17.Ozone layer depletion
NEED FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
 WHAT IS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT ?

The most common definition of sustainable development is one which was expressed
in a conference in Rio.

“Sustainable development is a development which provides the current

needs without compromising the ability of future generations in achieving
their needs and demands."
IMPORTANCE OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Assignment-1-
Prepare an A3 size poster highlighting the effects of environmental
degradation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfsWI8XgQyo
 ASSIGNMENT FOR TODAY !
Each student has to make an A-3 size poster (Preferably hand
drawing) highlighting effects of environmental degradation and
submit it by 5:55pm.