Unit 2 - Environment

Assignment: Sustainable Architecture - Essay

Florencia Rodríguez
CeRP del Este
Language II
Prof. Mauricio de Vasconcellos
11th June, 2018

Sustainable Architecture

Due to serious problems that are common nowadays as global warming and
pollution, more people are becoming environmentally aware. Buildings
contribute to almost a half of greenhouse emissions (Davidson, 2014). Apart of
recycling and reusing, there is also a new trendy way of helping the
environment: it is called sustainable architecture. According to Erzsébet Lányi:
“Environment-friendly is the building that employs such functional and technical
solutions that, together with the use of the building, is in harmony with the
recovering capacity of the environment, matches the cyclical processes of
nature [and] does not harm health” (2007). The main characteristics of this kind
of buildings are the use of ecofriendly building materials, the aim for energy
efficiency, and the smart distribution of space (RISE, 2015).

To build from a sustainable perspective, it is necessary that the elements with

which the building is going to be built are carefully chosen. The most preferable
ones are the natural ones. However, even when building with natural elements
as wood, stone or even mud or straw is less harmful for the environment and for
people’s life, there is another variant to take into account. The architect, or the
person in charge of the building, should first assure that these elements are
obtained in a responsible way to avoid land exploitation. In addition to that, the
distance between the place of building and the place where the materials are
taken from should be as short as possible to avoid unnecessary pollution
caused by means of transport. Finally, as in some big cities it is difficult to
include natural materials, it is also accepted to use recycled and renewable
ones, avoiding synthetic and toxic components.

Energy efficiency is achieved, in this kind of architecture, by the use of

alternative energy sources. Renewable sources as wind and sun are the ones
chosen to preserve the environment. Nonetheless, other factors as sun position
are taken into account to predict the orientation of the windows (and
consequently of the rooms) and take advantage of natural light and heating. In
this way the house will need less artificial heating and lighting devices, wasting
less energy. Apart from installing energy-efficient appliances, it is also important
to conserve the right temperature, so here insulation plays a huge role as it
avoids wasting more energy to re-heat or re-cool the house while preventing
humidity and its consequences.
Finally, the distribution of the space is also an important factor that helps in
building a sustainable house. The main idea is to create a healthy indoor
environment that influences positively the way people feel and behave. Usually
the size of the rooms in an eco-friendly building is small (or not too big at least)
in order not to waste energy and to maintain a comfortable temperature for
human beings. This leads to fewer rooms without a specific purpose,
decreasing the size of all the building. In addition to that, as explained before,
rooms are distributed according to the sun, and it has been proved that being
exposed to it for a few minutes improves our mood. Adequate ventilation is
expected as well as it allows air movement and prevents humidity. Lastly, plants
are a huge important factor in green buildings as it is the main visible factor
when distinguishing this kind of architecture, they can be translated into roof
gardens or they can be seen in balconies as well.

To conclude, sustainable architecture is becoming a pertinent way of helping to

take care of the environment while improving people’s lives. It basically consists
of choosing natural materials that are taken away carefully and planning the
spaces actually needed by the users to take energy advantages.
References

Davidson, B. TEDxRenfrewCollingwood (2014) Green buildings are more than

brick and mortar | Bryn Davidson | TEDxRenfrewCollingwood Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEUShQ7r_tE&t=0s&index=33&list=WL

Lányi, E. (2007) The basic principles of sustainable architecture. Retrieved from

https://pp.bme.hu/ar/article/download/46/40

RISE Design Studio (August 26, 2015) Sustainable architecture principles:

environment, energy, efficiency. Retrieved from
https://risedesignstudio.co.uk/blog/index.php/2015/08/26/sustainable-
architecture-principles/