Green architectural practices are a necessity, not a fashionable trend

The term “green architecture” has become part and parcel of our daily lives. With the green movement being experienced across the world, more and more corporations and individuals are altering their domestic and commercial expectations in regard to the buildings they inhabit.

While the term only came into use in the 1990s, the movement’s roots can be traced back much further than that. For example, Crystal Palace in London and Milan’s Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, built in 1851 and 1877 respectively, made use of roof ventilators and underground air-cooling chambers to regulate the indoor temperature.

Many believe the current enthusiasm for green architecture has its origins in the energy crisis of the 1970s, when architects began to question the methods behind building enclosed glass-and-steel ‘boxes’ that required outrageously large heating and cooling systems.

While the term refers to the creation or restructuring of buildings so that they have a minimal impact on the environment, the associated knock-on effects in relation to factors such as energy costs are very much defining the manner in which building designs evolve within the current market.

While there are a number of different approaches to green-themed architecture, the main focus involves the recycling of existing resources, along with the efficient use of environmentally friendly systems, to provide services such as water and power to buildings created using a sustainable design.

In perhaps one of the most fundamental shifts in thinking from an architectural standpoint, the movement marked for the first time that architects began to explore designs focused on the long-term environmental impact of maintaining and operating a building, as opposed to only the initial costs of building a structure in the first place. This approach has been formalised over the years, leading to assessment and rating systems such as the BRE Environmental Assessment Method standard introduced in the United Kingdom in 1990 and, most famously, the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standards developed in the United States in 2000.

With the trend’s popularity, it is hardly surprising that there are a large number of innovative design practices being implemented to improve the environmental sustainability, as well as efficiency, of building structures.

In one of the most common practices, both commercial and residential buildings are turning to solar panels in an attempt to become more “green”. The use of solar panels is a common practice with the panels and storage tanks, making it possible to store energy for electrical needs such as cooking, maintaining comfortable temperatures in a building, as well as the running of necessary equipment and appliances.

With this surge in popularity, building designers and operators have sought to couple a solar energy system with that of a wind system – drawing on two renewable resources to create the majority of energy required to power a house or building.

Another fascinating trend has been the rise in demand for collection vats in modern structures. This makes it possible to collect rainwater, and is especially useful in residential or agricultural type buildings where water can be used for tasks such as watering lawns, growing crops or operating sewage systems. This simple piece of green architecture has resulted in an ease on the demand for municipal purification systems, reserving purified water for essential practices such as drinking and cooking – particularly useful in developing nations such as South Africa.

Not all changes need to be implemented through the purchasing of equipment. More and more experts are now emphasising the importance of the strategic placement of windows around the facing of a building. In an ideal scenario, the windows are now placed so that the most efficient use of sunlight occurs during the day. This is done so that, in addition to decreasing the demand for artificial light during the daytime, the windows can serve as a means of allowing the natural sunlight to provide a degree of warmth to the interior of the building. In turn, this makes it possible to utilise less of the stored solar or wind energy in order to keep a space at a moderate temperature.

More and more countries not only promote the implementation of green architecture, but also that of enhancing materials efficiency. Governments are now attempting to make use of sustainable construction materials and products by evaluating characteristics such as reused and recycled content, emission releases, toxicity levels as well as durability and longevity of materials.

These practices are clearly not restricted to materials, as seen by the placement approaches being highlighted by global architectural experts.

Depending on the location of the building and its intended purpose, placement is very much at the forefront of any decision regarding the building of a structure. For example, the building may be recessed partially into the side of a hill, providing natural insulation – and, in turn, saving the building owner tens or even hundreds of thousands of rands over the lifetime of the building itself.

While the process of creating green structures may be more difficult in some areas than others, there is little doubt that just about any structure can be altered or designed to become more environmentally friendly and more energy-efficient.

Green building practices and design techniques have opened up an exciting new era to the potential of resource-efficient buildings through an integrated approach to design.

The investment in a green building may increase initial capital laydown; however, it clearly provides a long-term return on investment that is proving to be lucrative at the commercial and residential level.

These practices are helping shape the way this world will progress though the promotion of resource conservation, including energy efficiency, renewable energy, and water conservation features. Add to this the positive effects of waste minimisation, the reduction of operational costs, and the creation of a healthy and comfortable environment, and the picture becomes clear.

The question now is not how long building owners can afford to put off green architectural practices, but rather how much longer they can

Adam Currie