Sustainable architecture

Sustainable Architecture in Architecture Projects

With the Industrial Revolution, more specifically during the present century, we see an increase in power widespread purchase in the population and consequently an increase in energy consumption.

This change in habits has led to an increase in consumption of raw materials/energy, launching us into a global environmental crisis impossible to ignore, desertification and felling of forests, the increasing levels of carbon dioxide caused by emissions from heating systems in buildings, and other contributions. It is mainly for environmental reasons that ordinary citizens ask for solutions that meet higher standards of design in buildings.

Sustainable architecture is today an unavoidable path and brings with it numerous advantages. The ongoing financial savings that can be achieved with an energy-efficient design can be of vital importance in everyday life. Costs for heating in winter and cooling in summer months represent a significant part of household income. Buildings with natural light are generally more pleasant than those that are lit by artificial means;

As the reduction in the consumption of energy used is the most important factor in the sustainability of our buildings, strategies are also needed to reduce the environmental impact in other areas of the design, construction, and use of the building.
The latter comprises the production of waste, materials, and construction systems, as well as the consumption of natural resources, namely water, vegetation, and soil.

While several factors exert their influence on the different phases of a building’s lifetime, it is during the design and construction phase that almost all of them are fundamentally defined. Decisions at this stage will reduce the degree of resource consumption during future stages such as maintenance, renovation, and upkeep.

There are five issues that should be considered are divided:

Energy consumption – use of materials – use of water – waste management – noise control.

We will briefly cover the five main categories
Materials

The criteria for selecting materials and components play an important role in determining energy behavior. The energy embodied in a concrete structure can be high, but if planned to use passive solar heating or cooling, it can easily contribute to a symmetrical reduction in energy consumption within a few years of use. As for other components, such as low-emission glazing and efficient heating and lighting installations

Water

Careless use of water gives rise to several environmental problems. At issue is either the water supply to be used in buildings, or the conduction and treatment of surface water and sewage in built-up areas. Waterproof urban surfaces speed up the runoff of rainwater, reducing natural evaporation, causing soil erosion in green areas and on the banks of the natural waterways.

Trash

The design team can contribute to sustainable practices by the owners and users of buildings, planning the safe and adequate storage of different types of garbage. This is the phase that precedes recycling or safe disposal and efficiency.

Noise

The increase in high densities, together with mechanization and urbanization, contribute to noise being a problem serious in most human establishments around the world. The effects are more local than global, but it has a significant impact on the quality of life in the affected areas.

Energy

In a conventional building, the amount of energy consumed in use is still the most important thing to consider today, from an environmental point of view. However, this situation is changing as buildings become more energy efficient. Replace conventional energy sources with renewable sources such as solar energy, biomass, wind energy, among others.