Green Building Architecture

Principles of Green Architecture and Sustainability

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Green Buildings and Infrastructure

“Green Buildings for creating a Green environment” is what I would say. Generally, the term “Green Buildings” is understood in a wrong way. As in, the people have a wrong understanding about the term “Green Buildings”. Green Buildings does not just imply on creating huge lawns and making the building look green in colour.

 

CII, Hyderabad (Example of a Green Building in India)
CII, Hyderabad (Example of a Green Building in India)

It is all about making the environment green and create a healthy atmosphere inside the living space which also has an impact on the outside surroundings.

Vegetation, Landscaping is definitely a part of Green Building Design but that is not all which would make the building green.

In this article, we are going to discuss the goals of Green Buildings or rather I should say the “Principles of Green Buildings”.

If we are successful in achieving these principles, we will definitely be able to successfully design not just “A green Building” but also create a Green environment.

Earlier we discussed, various Passive and Active features of Green Building Design. Passive Features form an indispensible part of Green Building Design. That is the most primary and important step to be achieved in order to create a sustainable and Green environment.

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Passive and Active Features in Green Building Architecture | Sustainable Development

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Green Building Architecture | Sustainable Development

Green Building Architecture is not only about using expensive products that minimize the use of electrical power which in turn would save oil and contribute to sustainable development.

There are various design features that are to be incorporated while designing a green building. After designing the building block in a way which offers a comfortable living space along with reduction of power and usage of energy intensive materials; our next step would be towards outdoor planning which is also as important as the planning of the building itself.

Green Building Architecture
Green Building Architecture

Two major processes of Green Building Architecture

  1. Active Process
  2. Passive Process

Active Features

  • Use of Solar Photovoltaic Panels
  • Wind Energy
  • Wave Energy
  • Use of Solar Energy

Passive Features

  • Use of thick walls
  • High ceilings
  • Ventilators
  • Skylights
  • Coping
  • Necessity of Parapet
  • Cornices in the exterior facade

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Contemporary Designs and Sustainability | Green Architecture

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People all over the world are realizing the need for the conservation of natural resources that are being used for the sake of creating spaces that involve use of materials that are energy intensive and are expensive.

Green building Organization in America
Green building Organization in America

Green Building Architecture is all about a building’s entire life cycle from siting to design, construction, operation, maintenance, renovation, and deconstruction. People are now concerned about factors such as economy, utility, durability, and comfort. The practice of Green and Sustainable design is growing throughout the world making people concerned about various issues regarding building design and have achieved quite a lot of success.

Every country in the world has their own traditional architectural styles. Traditional architectural styles involve the use of materials that are locally available and are available in abundance. But lately, after the industrial revolution and creation of energy intensive materials, the mindsets of people have changed drastically. They crave for more of fancy designs that involve the use of materials that are not available locally but are imported from different cities of the country or altogether different nations of the world. This style is called “Contemporary or Modern Design.”

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Building Green Architecture | Sustainable Design

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What is “Green Approach”?

It is difficult to define Green building Architecture. Although we could define what the green approach could be like. It takes into consideration the impact of design of buildings on the environment. Constructing a building requires resources. For example, materials for construction, fuel, users engagement in design etc. All of these factors are considered in Green building architecture. They form the backbone of this type of approach.

the Blu Homes mkSolaire, a green building designed by Michelle Kaufmann
the Blu Homes mkSolaire, a green building designed by Michelle Kaufmann

Designing green buildings has become a motto to many design companies and individual designers. It is important to pay attention to the conflicting issues that arise out of design. Every design decision needs to be thought with depth since it has environmental implications which could be harmful to us.

Measures for green buildings can be divided into four areas:

  1. Reduction in energy consumption
  2. Environmental damage prevention by reducing external pollution
  3. Reduction in embodied energy and prevent resource depletion
  4. Indoor air quality (and hence maintain good health)

One of the excellent examples of Green Architecture is “Aliens Space Station”.

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