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


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?


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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.


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


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

Green buildings

Education

sustainable built environments

ecological building buildings

urban areas

human habitation

sustainable design

environmental impacts

energy consumption

term project