Download - Green Buildings
Ecological BuildingBy T A Vijayasanan
Term Project for ME 599Submitted to: Prof. Steven Skerlos
Contents
The term project what is the problem? why is it important? what has been done? what i am going to do?
Environmental impacts of building Sustainable built environments Attributes of environmental sustainability The technology of Ecological Building
Basic Principles & Measures Examples & Ideas
Introduction
Environmental considerations the primary driver for future architectural design
Buildings affect the ecosystem Since the end of WWII, there has been a high demand for new buildings, be it
urban, suburban or rural areas Construction of new buildings imposed a significant burden on the environment
A continuous and cyclical flow of resources occur in a building The input and output elements for a building include materials, energy, natural
resources like water, consumer goods, waste, etc. These input and output elements have diverse environmental implications
The term project
What is the problem? Human habitation is a prime reason for the irreparable environmental
degradation we are witness to today Built forms not only exhaust valuable natural resources but also pollute the
environment Poorly designed buildings result in a loss of the local eco-system Cities are responsible for the ecological damage on a regional and national scale
Lack of knowledge about the impact of design on the environment and a lack of enthusiasm among many architects to adopt sustainable methods
A probable reason for the lack of popularity of sustainable design is the ‘high-initial costs’ of design and construction
The term project
Why is it important? The sheer magnitude of buildings that have being constructed in every part of the
world, magnifies the impact architecture has on the environment Also, the rapid urbanization, especially in developing countries The effect of high concentration of built forms in urban settings add up on the
environment
The issue of environmental degradation due to built form, is critical because, its ill-effects drastically minimized by adhering to strong design principles, common sense & technological innovation
The term project
What has been done? There is a tremendous body of literature with respect to sustainable architectural
design In many universities and research organizations, sustainable design is a primary
thrust area There are a few architectural firms that practice architecture using sustainable
principles
Significantly, government bodies have put legislations in place that are the first steps towards sustainable human habitation
These efforts have been ably complemented by an informed media and public
The term project
What am i going to do? The first step is to understand the impact of built form and human habitation on
the environment A review of the relevant literature and research works in the field of sustainable
architecture/ eco-design A look into the principles, strategies and techniques adopted by sustainable
architectural practices
to present relevant material as an educational module
Environmental impacts of building
Environmental impacts of building
Shortage of building materials Historically, building materials like wood, brick, adobe were procured locally High construction volumes during the last 30 years have drastically depleted
naturally available resources Ex: due to scarcity of structural lumber, wooden architecture has become a rarity
Concrete-masonry structures represent the majority of low-rise residential and commercial buildings
Steel is used as the primary structural material in high-rise buildings
The substitution of natural materials like wood with materials like steel may solve the short term resource shortage problem but should not be considered as the ultimate solution
why do some buildings sit lighter than the others?
Environmental impacts of building
Noise, vibration, dust and traffic disruptions
Noise, vibrations and dust are major sources of environmental pollution due to construction activity
Building types such as industries and theatres must be zoned carefully to prevent adverse impacts on people working/living in the surrounding areas
Construction methods and design principles employed must ensure the above sources of pollution are minimized or eliminated completely
Environmental impacts of building
Food wastes In dense urban sprawls, the management of organic food waste is a major
problem and poses a challenge to the environment Grinding and disposing of food waste into the sewer increases the content of
organic materials so high that it becomes difficult to treat at water treatment plants
Releasing untreated/improperly treated sewer has adverse impacts on water bodies in the ecosystem
In many countries, it is required by law to separate organic food wastes from other domestic solid wastes
Methods, such as composting, to treat organic wastes in ways beneficial to nature must be adopted and improved further
Environmental impacts of building
Water pollution Single-family homes in rural communities, in
most parts of the world, are not connected to municipal water treatment systems
Sewer generated from these buildings reach creeks, rivers and lakes through surface run-off
The same water bodies may be the primary source for fresh-water withdrawal for major cities downstream
Currently most people in cities rely on bottled water for drinking as they cannot drink municipal water without domestic treatment
The release of untreated sewer from rural communities upstream is a major cause for this low quality water problem
Drinking water business is profitable these days
Environmental impacts of building
Disruption of the natural landscape
Buildings disrupt natural landscape
Many buildings are designed with complete disregard for its topography and surroundings
Although they may not cause physiological harm to people and the environment, they ruin the visual quality of nature
Building on sensitive natural areas must be judiciously regulated
F L Wright’s “Falling Water” is a good example of how to build in harmony with Nature
Environmental impacts of building
Disappearing green spaces in urban areas
Urbanization is a world-wide phenomenon with over 50% of the world population living in urban areas
Sub-urban farmlands and forests are encroached by ever expanding residential and commercial zones
Green spaces (parks, gardens) are becoming increasingly scares in urban areas
Lack of green space deteriorates the physical, visual and psychological well-being of human residents and immeasurably hurts the local and the regional eco-system
Protecting green areas must be high on our priority list
Destruction of ‘green spaces’ creates the ‘heat-island effect’
This causes night time temperatures remains uncomfortably high in many cities, causing an increase in electricity consumption for air-conditioning.
Sustainable built environments
Sustainable built environments
The flow of materials A building is a part of the global ecosystem There is a continuous flow of resources, natural and manufactured, through the
building The flow begins with construction and continues throughout the building’s
lifespan to create an environment for sustaining human wellbeing and activities
This flow of materials can be divided as ‘upstream’ or the input & the ‘downstream’ or the output
The materials going into a building will come at some point of time. This is called the ‘law of material flow conservation’
Eden Project by Architect Nicholas Grimshaw makes use of minimum material
input building output
The Building ecosystem
building materials
energy
water
consumer goods
solar radiation
wind
rainwater
used materials
wasted heat. CO2, CO, SO2
gray water, sewer
waste, recyclable materials
warm air
polluted air
storm water
Sustainable built environments
The flow of materials For any material, its form before entry into a building
after exit is different This transformation of material from input to output is
caused by many mechanical processes or human interventions
These inputs and outputs have diverse environmental impacts
Strategies to reduce impact on the ecosystem: - Input reduction methods that ensure minimal flow of non-renewable resources into a building. - Output management that include proper waste management like recycle, reuse, etc.
‘Paper house’ by architect Shigeru Ban uses cardboard and recycled paper
Sustainable built environments
Building material considerations Extraction, processing, manufacture and
transport of building materials are energy intensive processes
The energy consumed by building materials in these processes is called ‘embodied energy’
The use of alternative building materials having low embodied energy is one way of reducing a building’s environmental impact
In order to facilitate construction, temporary roads may need to be built
This causes permanent damage to existing vegetation, wildlife & topography
Architect Glen Murcutt’s house for an aborigine family in Australia
Building is lifted off the ground to minimize environmental impact. Sustainable methods
such as use of locally available materials employed.
Sustainable built environments
Energy considerations The building requires a constant flow of energy
Environmental impacts due to energy consumption by buildings occur primarily away from the building site: in the process of generating power and harvesting of energy resources
• coal-fired electric power plants emit pollutants such as SO2, CO2, CO and NOX into the atmosphere
• nuclear power plants generate radioactive wastes
• hydropower plants require a dam and a reservoir, the construction of which result in the discontinuation of the river ecosystem and the loss of habitats for humans, animals and plants
‘House R128’ by Werner Sobek in Stuttgart uses completely
recyclable materials, produces no emissions and is self
sufficient in terms of energy requirements
Sustainable built environments Water requirements
Water is required for the purposes of drinking, cooking, washing, flushing of toilets, etc.
Water supplied to the building requires treatment and delivery, which consume energy
Waste water or sewer from buildings can be classified as
gray water: does not contain high concentration of contaminants
black water: contains very high concentration of contaminants
Consequently, gray water requires minimal treatment before it can be reused
Installation of sanitary fixtures such as ‘low-speed showerheads’, smaller size toilet tanks and high-pressure flushing systems reduces water consumption
Innovative landscaping and drip-irrigation systems contribute to water conservation
Landscaping at the Salk Institute at La Jolla, CA by Louis Barragan, employs methods to
conserve water and achieves beautiful spaces
Impact of built form on the water cycle
Sustainable built environments
On-site natural resources Natural energy on-site, such as solar
radiation, wind, air, rainwater and ambient heat or cold has implications on the design process
These natural resources can be harnessed for optimal performance of the building
Incident solar radiation is the most abundant energy source for buildings and provides heat & light
Vernacular buildings reveal ingenious architectural solutions for dealing with the sun and other climatic conditions
‘Passive solar architecture’ offers design schemes to harness solar energy using building façades and structures
Prevailing wind conditions for cooling and ventilation has tremendous implications on architectural design
Rainwater harvesting can be beneficial in arid regions and urban areas
Well Articulated windows in ‘Hawa Mahal’, Jaipur provides cool
breeze in a desert area
These typical Kerala (India) houses use rainwater harvesting
methods and pitched roof for shading
Ecological Building
Ecological Building
• What can be learnt from history?• In the past, human beings lived in harmony
with their environment– Comfort requirements were different– Small population meant ample space,
modest requirements, low energy needs and emissions
– Waste products mostly recyclable & bio-degradable
– Mobile communities– Low threat to the environment
Nomadic life & sparse requirements drove the architecture of the past and
made it sustainable
Ecological Building
• Buildings in cold climates characterized by:– Small windows that allowed little light into spaces resulting in minimal heat
gains/loss and cooling/heating loads– Building mass with high thermal storage capacities – Low standards for heating and sanitary systems
These castles in Europe use small fenestrations to minimize heat loss
Ecological Building
• Buildings in temperate zones characterized by:
– Tendency to locate living areas underground to utilize coolness of the earth and create ventilation through buoyancy
– Small window & roof elements minimizing heat transfer
– Use of narrow courtyards to promote ventilation
– Fine grained cities that cause mutual shading
– Use of water as an architectural element
Ecological Building
• The Industrial Age is characterized by:– Migration of ever increasing population from
rural to urban areas– Extremely poor living conditions for most
people– Industrialization & rapid advances in
technology– Increased demands for energy met through
use of coal & gas– Sharp increase in emissions; indiscriminate
dumping of wastes– No efforts to protect environment, conserve
natural reserves– BEGINNING OF AN ENVIRONMENTAL
CALAMITY
Alarming number of industries, poor living conditions, deteriorating
environment mark the industrial era
Ecological Building
The early & mid 20th century is characterized by:
– Urbanization, technological development, industrialization, concentration of labor in cities at a frantic pace
– Concentration of workplaces in small areas– Shortening of distances for communication
& information– Maximized utilization of available spaces– An architecture & technology that pays no
respect to the environment & energy consumption
– A false sense of ‘Man has overcome nature’
– Skyscrapers, fully automated climate control
New York the city of skyscrapers
Ecological Building
Late 20th century architecture characterized by:
– Renewed search for elegant architectural solution with respect to energy use, environment & ventilation
– Facades designed for natural ventilation– Creation of climate buffer zones (halls
and atria)– Improved heat insulation & sun
protection– Implementation of energy recovery &
waste treatment systems– Major energy crisis in 1973– Architects, engineers & clients turn to
ECOLOGICAL BUILDING DESIGNCommerzbank headquarters
in Germany by Architect Norman Foster uses garden
terraces every 12 floors
‘Menara Mesiniaga’ by Ken Yeang in Malaysia is a revolutionary high-
rise building design using sustainable principles
All things are connected like the blood that unites us, We did not weave the web of life. We are merely a strand in it. Whatever we do
to the web, we do to ourselves.
-Chief Seattle