The Basics Of Green Architecture

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by: Elise.Fendmeyer
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You would have probably heard a lot about building ‘green’ houses, about using ‘green’ designs to conserve our natural resources and save money. And perhaps you wonder how? To have a clear appreciation we must ask the question how much do our average buildings consume? As a ballpark figure, in the US, normal commercial buildings account for about 18 percent of the total energy consumption and 33 percent of the total electricity consumption. In a year commercial buildings produce roughly 18 percent of the total carbon-dioxide emissions in the US. These alarming figures can be suitably trimmed by incorporating green designs.
Green designs approach the entire process of building houses in a holistic manner. The designers take into consideration the ‘lay of the land’, availability of local building material, suitable adoption of traditional green designs being used by indigenous people of that area, or from an area with similar weather characteristics, new breakthroughs in ‘green’ technologies and the best incentives the government can offer to produce a green building or a green township.
In designing green houses how do the architects use the terrain? Terrain mapping includes wind flow studies to arrive at the best optimum positioning of windows and ventilation shafts so as to use natural air and obviate the use of air conditioners. Terrain mapping also includes considerations of astronomy wherein the average annual day/ night hours are calculated so that the best optimum mix of solar technologies can be utilized. It does not stop at that – technology is further harnessed to control the electric supply depending upon the intensity of sunlight available. Terrain mapping also includes mapping the ground water resources and calculating the best harvesting methods required to recharge the ground water and make it available for the green project. Saving water by using smaller cisterns and recycling the water used in bathing for watering the gardens are some of the steps involved in Green Designs. Scientifically designed roofs, channel rainwater to soak pits, which help invigorate the underlying water table, are some other ways that are incorporated in green designs.
Some of the Green design concepts in vogue are Compressed Earth Blocks, Cob Houses, Earth Shelters, Straw Bale, Rammed Earth and Adobe construction. Each of these concepts has their range of applicability and pluses and minuses depending upon the likely are of use. The vital detail is that such designs are no longer the in the realms of conceptual art but are being used by mainstream architects. Additionally, almost every state in the US offers attractive tax benefits to go green helping save precious money. Green designs are truly the future of architecture.

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For more information related to green design, see aia.org.

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