Harmonious Living - The Four Goals of Green Architecture

The Four Goals of Green Architecture

David Lark, Buckmister Fuller Institute

Wednesday, 17 October 2007

Green Architecture is a growing trend throughout the world but what are principles behind it and what options are available to architects and home owners to make their buildings truly green? David Lark explains everything you need to know.

Green Architecture is largely driven by four goals:

Reducing impacts on the Earth from constructing buildings and their materials (mining and harvesting, embodied energy, pollutants in manufacturing).
Reducing impacts which arise during occupancy (fuel use, land pattern disruption, maintenance impacts).
Reducing the impact of the structure at the end of its life (whether decaying in place or joining a landfill).
Creating a more desirable human experience (natural materials have profound effects on people).

Although these goals are worthy, narrowly focusing on any one detracts from the larger goal of symbiosis with the earth, all life, and the universe. Sustainable Architecture implies an attempt to balance resource consumption and replenishment.

Natural Building refers to the use of primarily naturally occurring materials and human labour. You will encounter other terms that refer to pieces of the puzzle: specific strategies, materials, or viewpoints.

Energy-Efficient Architecture works towards eliminating dependence on external sources of energy:

Passive Solar involves using the building's elements to collect & store heat (sun shines through window onto rock, which re-radiates heat throughout the night).
It is typically used in conjunction with Passive Cooling strategies (strategic shading combined with ventilation and evaporative cooling).
Active Solar captures solar energy in specialized collectors, stores it, and uses it to heat or cool.
Earth Shelter places a portion of a building underground, reducing its heating and cooling load.
Roof Ponds are water storages which are insulated by movable panels (opened to the winter sun, and the summer night sky).
Superinsulation isolates a building so that body heat will heat it, and summer heat is kept out.

Energy Devices commonly integrated with architecture include:

Heat Pumps (refrigeration technology that moves heat into or out of the earth).
Photovoltaic Panels (generate electricity directly from sunlight).
Domestic Hot Water solar collectors.
Cogeneration (generates electricity and heat in one process).

All of these technologies are proven, and a competent designer will be able to accurately predict their effectiveness. Green Materials offer ecological benefits compared to "conventional" ones.

Earthen Materials include:

Cob (earth/straw mix, sculpted into walls)
Adobe (earth bricks)
various Rammed Earth systems
Ceramic structures
Earthships (earth-sheltered structures made of soil-filled tires)

Earthen structures reduce temperature extremes due to their large thermal mass, but should be insulated in colder areas.

Insulative Materials include:

Straw Bales (used like bricks to build superinsulated buildings)
Light Clay (a clay-straw mixture)..
Plant Materials like cattail down.
Manufactured Alternatives to standard construction for example Stressed-Straw panels.
Light Steel framing.

Lesser-known materials may pose problems in that their properties are not understood mathematically, so structural design is less precise, and getting approval from building officials may be difficult.

Alternative Lifestyles interrelate with architecture. Some choose to live in traditional Nomadic Structures such as tipis, yurts, etc. Others save resources by building smaller houses, or designing them to have a long lifespan.

Organic Architecture, which blends building with site, has both stimulating and calming effects on people. Greener buildings have been shown to boost workplace productivity.

Holism extends beyond architecture, integrating lifestyle, subsistence, structure, and ecosystem.

Buildings presently use large amounts of materials, energy, and landfill. Better ways of building can eliminate much needless consumption.

This article was first published in Biophile issue 6. For more information visit www.biophile.co.za

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Disclaimer: Harmonious Living is written for and read by a community of individuals with strong and independent opinions. While the publishers of Harmonious Living are dedicated to providing a forum in which views can be openly expressed, those views do not necessarily reflect those of the publishers.

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