Environmental Building Design
Green consciousness has taken on increasing prominence as a design principle in recent years. Outside of how we transport ourselves from one place to another, there is no area as where we have a greater choice in terms of living at odds or in harmony with the environment, than in our choice of building design. The hallmarks of a sustainable building design are energy efficiency and building materials and home furnishings that are environmentally friendly and healthy – i.e. devoid of toxins. On this page we will look at some of the things that need to be incorporated into an environmental building design. Probably the most obvious design aspect to consider is size. Large houses require more energy to heat and cool so it follows that smaller houses are by their very nature are more environmentally friendly. Also, the larger the building the more materials and energy required for its construction. As a rule, an environmentally friendly building design will be of a sufficient size to house its occupants and accommodate their activities. It is required that space be used efficiently, things organized well and possessions kept at a manageable level. The second thing that an environmental building design should incorporate is that great lump of natural energy source called the sun. A good passive solar design aims to provide just enough sunlight into the rooms to be absorbed by the surrounding thermal mass. The thermal mass can be viewed of as a kind of heat battery that absorbs warmth during the day to keep things from getting too hot and then gives that heat back to the room when the sun goes down. Equally important to thermal mass is insulation (e.g. straw bales) that will ensure that the heat remains on the inside. Following hot on the heels of passive solar heating, is making maximum use of renewable energy. Solar power (obtained by placing photo voltaic panels on the roof) is probably the most accessible form of alternative energy but wind and water can also be used. Irrespective of whether you’re planning to draw your electricity from alternative means or off the grid, great thought should be given to always using energy efficient appliances. As to how your home will use water also needs to be given consideration. Using low water capacity toilets and flow restricted shower heads are measures that are now actually quite common. But the theme can be taken even further by diverting grey water from clothes washing and bathing facilities to watering plants; catching rain water from roofs for use inside the house and switching to composting toilets. Landscaping with drought tolerant plants can also save an enormous amount of water. Sustainable homes will strive to use eco-friendly building materials and furnishings and will incorporate leftovers wherever they can. An environmental home design will make use of materials that are renewable and long lasting. Durability is a key tenet of sustainable building. The less often you have to replace the material, then the less material and effort that needs to go into maintaining it, resulting in a diminished cost of upkeep and less frequent replacement. Cork, bamboo and eucalyptus are examples of earth friendly and renewable materials that feature prominently in environmental building designs.
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