Eco Design - Sustainable Design

Today one of the most important things is to try to evaluate our actions so we can make less impact on the planet that we live in. During the years, some developments made a negative impact on this planet that make a direct negative impact on our lives. As designers especially during the recent years, several designers are trying to take a different approach to design to improve the way we think and develop new ideas which can make less impact on the environment.

A movement which started to take this new approach was the organic design. A movement which started to take into consideration the environment during the design process. One sector which is important to take into consideration and develop sustainable design is architecture. This sector makes a considerable amount of impact on the environment. Some characteristics of sustainable design in architecture are –

“Ventilation systems designed for efficient heating and cooling

Energy-efficient lighting and appliances

Water-saving plumbing fixtures

Landscapes planned to maximize passive solar energy

Minimal harm to the natural habitat

Alternate power sources such as solar power or wind power

Non-synthetic, non-toxic materials

Locally-obtained woods and stone

Responsibly-harvested woods

Adaptive reuse of older buildings

Use of recycled architectural salvage

Efficient use of space”

A key element of sustainable architecture is to be self-sufficient. Residential homes alone consume the majority of energy which is produced. By using renewable energy for our homes, we are creating less impact on energy consumption which is produced by fossil fuels.

In architecture, a characteristic which was introduce in movements such as the international style and Bauhaus was the introduction of large windows. By installing large windows, natural light will pass to the inside of the buildings lighting the interior space. By this characteristic natural light can be used instead of artificial lighting. One important element is that the glass has some type of double glazing so heating and cooling can be controlled inside the building.

Another feature in the design process which can be considered to be more green is the decision of materials. Some materials are too toxic to manufacture and build with so other alternatives has to be used instead. The introduction of new materials is now common in construction especially that which is made from recycled material. Recycled material is now being more developed to be used in construction. One example which is very common is the use of old recycled newspaper as insulating material. The old newspaper is treated before used as insulation. It is treated to become fire retardant to minimize the fire hazard even in emergency situations.

Now a day it is very important that designer think greener in their designs as the approach that they take in the design today may heavily impact our living place tomorrow.

Reference : 

Why Architects Must Lead on Sustainable Design | ArchDaily. 2014. Why Architects Must Lead on Sustainable Design | ArchDaily. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.archdaily.com/351167/why-architects-must-lead-on-sustainable-design/. [Accessed 26 January 2014].

What is "Sustainable Architecture"?. 2014. What is "Sustainable Architecture"?. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.eslarp.uiuc.edu/arch/ARCH371-F99/groups/k/susarch.html. [Accessed 26 January 2014].

sustainable.to | Architecture + Building. 2014. sustainable.to | Architecture + Building. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.sustainable.to/. [Accessed 26 January 2014].