sustainable architecture for sustainable future
Sustainable Architecture for a Sustainable Future
Our environment today suffers from many issues. The most important one from a constructor’s point of view would be the resources depletion problem. Freshwater resources are declining, the soil is loosing its fertility, and there is a crucial shortage in basic minerals such as zinc, copper, and phosphorus. These deficiencies would definitely lead to a slowdown in construction growth. According to Rehan Ahmed (2012) construction is the less sustainable business in the world because it uses around 50% of all non- renewable resources (8). Therefore, in order to be able to keep growing in construction, architects and contractors must change their approach, which would mean that they have to adopt a more eco-friendly vision in terms of architecture; “Green building”. The term is now frequently used by newspapers, online articles, or even on TV, but what does it really mean? In Building Green in Pennsylvania, a green building is described as “one whose construction and lifetime of operation assure the healthiest possible environment while representing the most efficient and least disruptive use of land, water, energy and resources”(1). An example of this type of buildings would be The Change Initiative (TCI) in Dubai, a flagship store where one can shop for green materials. The building is platinum certified by LEED, a non-profit organization dedicated to promote green buildings worldwide. TCI produces 40% of its own energy requirement, the water is reused, and almost all materials used inside are submitted for recycling.
After having been exposed to all of the positive impacts of sustainable architecture, one must surely consider green building as the definite future of construction.
The first and main reason for using a Green strategy in construction would be to protect the environment. Buildings and the Environment: A Statistical Summary shows that, in 2005, 38.9% of the energy in the US is consumed by
Our environment today suffers from many issues. The most important one from a constructor’s point of view would be the resources depletion problem. Freshwater resources are declining, the soil is loosing its fertility, and there is a crucial shortage in basic minerals such as zinc, copper, and phosphorus. These deficiencies would definitely lead to a slowdown in construction growth. According to Rehan Ahmed (2012) construction is the less sustainable business in the world because it uses around 50% of all non- renewable resources (8). Therefore, in order to be able to keep growing in construction, architects and contractors must change their approach, which would mean that they have to adopt a more eco-friendly vision in terms of architecture; “Green building”. The term is now frequently used by newspapers, online articles, or even on TV, but what does it really mean? In Building Green in Pennsylvania, a green building is described as “one whose construction and lifetime of operation assure the healthiest possible environment while representing the most efficient and least disruptive use of land, water, energy and resources”(1). An example of this type of buildings would be The Change Initiative (TCI) in Dubai, a flagship store where one can shop for green materials. The building is platinum certified by LEED, a non-profit organization dedicated to promote green buildings worldwide. TCI produces 40% of its own energy requirement, the water is reused, and almost all materials used inside are submitted for recycling.
After having been exposed to all of the positive impacts of sustainable architecture, one must surely consider green building as the definite future of construction.
The first and main reason for using a Green strategy in construction would be to protect the environment. Buildings and the Environment: A Statistical Summary shows that, in 2005, 38.9% of the energy in the US is consumed by
References: Brown, M. A., & Southworth, F. (2006). Mitigating climate change through green buildings and smart growth. Retrieved from: https://smartech.gatech.edu/handle/1853/23806 Buildings and the Environment: A Statistical Summary (2009, April 22) Gissen, D. ,(2003), Big and Green: Toward Sustainable Architecture in the 21st Century, United States: Princeton Architectural Press. Governor’s Green Government Council Kats, G. (2003). Green building costs and financial benefits. Boston, MA: Massachusetts Technology Collaborative. 5-7 Retrieved from: http://www.dcaaia.com/images/firm/Kats-Green-Buildings-Cost.pdf Kats G