Green architecture. This is something that not too many people are familiar with, but has interested me for a number of years and has sparked my previous desire of becoming an architect. Being a green architect entails one to come up with a design that is not only unique, but also a design that will benefit the client in an environmentally friendly manner while using earth conscious materials.
Some may think that green architecture is easy, but the architect has to spend an ample amount of time pondering not only the aesthetics of the building, but the sustainability factor as well. Window placement is extremely important when it comes to designing a house. Making sure that natural light is able to filter through during certain times of the day is important so that it can cut down one’s electricity bill. There are many elements to be considered when designing “green.” Architects examine the relationship between aesthetics and ethics by referring to the dictum “less is more.” Green architects are often inspired by nature when designing which contributes to their abstract designs.
The Loblolly House located on Taylors Island in Maryland, is a perfect example of green living. The materials used to construct this were loblolly wood, cedar wood, aluminum, and fiber-cement panels. The fascinating elements of this house include the garden roof that provides natural cooling during the summer and insulates the home in the winter. Aside from that cool feature, there is even a semi-open atrium of bamboo that represents the house being in tune with the environment.
As we move into this generation of “going green”, the act of sustainable living is becoming more prevalent in today’s society. We are all considered consumers, and we often times have to think about how our lifestyle decisions impact the environment whether it be positively or negatively. However, people are slowly becoming more aware of environmental problems that we are facing and are becoming more earth conscious.
If you ever consider building your own home, I suggest that you consider hiring a green architect that will aid you in a design that will be not only energy efficient, but sustainable too. You would be surprised how much money you can save by having solar panels on your roof, and windows that are able to filter through enough natural light so that you won’t need to turn on any lights during the day. Living in an environmentally friendly home not only has its benefits economically, but it also expresses the creativity of the designer as well as the owner. As we discussed previously in class, buildings can teach you things. In this case, eco-friendly homes are teaching us how to live “greener” lifestyles.
9 comments:
Nice blog Jill! I used to watch hgtv back when I had a t.v. in my room, and they had a lot of green episodes. It was fun to watch them remodel houses uses "green" materials. One episode remodeled a house so that it not only used green materials, it tried to make the house "closer to nature" by designing the structure of the house so that the people living there could feel like their house could "flow" into the surrounding woods.
I have always been interested in designing my own home. The idea of designing the space that I will live in for years and grow a family in is quite romantic in my eyes. I would have the ability to decide how many rooms there would be and how they would be set up and I would also be able to set aside most of the outdoor space for a gigantic garden and pond (complete with coy fish). Even more ideal would be to design my own "green" house. However, my only concern would be the logistics of such a dream home. How could I pay for an expense so large? The romantic idea of a "green" house is lovely but not many people have the resources or funds to build one, especially people who have families to care for. So, my question is, how can we make sustainable homes more affortable? Is it possible or will they always be a luxury to those few people who can afford it?
Green homes are often times more expensive than traditional homes, but it is worth the investment. Not only will you be helping the environment, but you will also be saving on your utility bills. It's almost like buying a hybrid car. It's more expensive than a regular car but doesn't need as much gas, which saves you more money in the long run.
Jill, thanks for this interesting post. New construction really gives architects a chance to create sustainable design from the ground up, and it's an exciting field these days. Tiffany, in response to your question about cost, the least expensive way to create such a home is to retrofit an existing building. Modifications cost less than a new building, require fewer resources, and with a relatively modest investment, the changes will pay off in many of the same benefits.
My mom and I redid our house a couple years ago, and we didn't make the whole thing green but we did get solar panels for our pool, and it turned out to be amazing. We can swim throughout the entire year without turning the heater on. It totally pays off in the end, and i can see how the more expensive the actually architecture is, the more it will pay off in the end. The houses in those pictures are so cool looking, I wouldn't mind living in one!
Hi Everyone,
Great post, Jill, about a topic I'm very interested in. While it's true that some "green" features are more expensive than their conventional counterparts, some end up paying for themselves over time because of the energy saved. One of the "greenest" things you can do (if you are set on building a new house) is to build small. A smaller house requires fewer materials to build and less energy to heat and cool.
This reminded me of my high school, because it is currently being redone and redone in a way so that it has less impact on the environment. The classrooms have lots of windows so that more natural light is used instead of artificial light and uses a lot of energy efficent appliances and eco-friendly materials. I liked this blog a lot, it certainly taught me a thing or two about green architecture.
Great post, it's nice to see concrete ways in which people are working towards sustainability. The houses seem to be a very viable way to limit one's personal impact on the environment in a broader sense than simply using a different lightbulb. Regardless of the environmentally conscious aspect of this whole green architecture movement, the houses are much more desirable in my opinion because they offer a change from the typical mundane houses that line the suburbs of America. The only bone I have to pick with this green architecture movement is the same one that I have with this whole greening, sustainability movement in general. It's all well and good to promote sustainability, but when it's only attainable by those with fairly deep pockets, the solution isn't really a plausible one. Cynical as always haha. In all seriousness, the only reason the green materials and sustainability services services such as those involved in green architecture are so expensive is that our capitalist economy simply is not geared towards them. If consumers were to assert their power and direct the economy towards sustainable efforts such as this, then the movement would probably become more affordable as demand would increase supply and lower prices. This is all speculation. Anyways, great post, I enjoyed reading about green architecture.
Before I geniusly forgot to post y last blog I also wrote about green architecture. So Jill, I' really glad you wrote a little about it. I'm glad you addressed how time consuming green architecture really is and the extra effort that architects need to go through when working to design a green building. Back during my junior year of high school I took a tour of a "green" school. This school is called Chartwell in Seaside CA and is absolutely amazing. The entire building is self sustainable and even produces more energy than it needs. I encourage anyones who's interested to check this school out a little more. Here's a little video on the school.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_0SCnC6efI&feature=related
Mr. Atkins was the leader of the tour I went on and is my neighbor! If anyone ever finds themselves in Seaside you should try and get a tour, it's fascinating.
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