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Green Architect Projects Gaining Ground

By Terry Lamb

Republish: EasyPublish™ Published: 31Jul2009 Word count: 427 Viewed: 156 time(s) Get Free Content For Your Site

Just what is green architecture, and why are we hearing so much about it? Green architecture projects represent an approach to building that's been growing in popularity for nearly three decades. It concentrates on minimizing the environmental impact of creating a building.

While green architecture was once viewed as highly unconventional, it's getting a lot more acceptable and popular. The public and regulatory agencies are beginning to recognize the real benefits of this method of construction.

Today's green revolution can probably be tracked back to 1960s social awareness and the adoption of different methods of design. However, it's come a long way since then. New techniques have been developed, new, innovative concepts and materials invented, and buildings have gotten greener.

A successful green project will reduce waste, use non-toxic materials, and pay close attention to the location and function of the building, as well as the climate that surrounds it. That's a far cry from "one size fits all" building methods of the past.

What makes a building green? There are a number of concepts that make up a green building. The main ones are energy efficiency, use of land, reduction of waste, materials used and the sustainability of the project. Projects must use energy efficient mechanical systems when possible, especially when it comes to heating and cooling. Gray water recycling, passive solar design, and the use of renewable power are all elements of this.

Structures should be built to match their sites, rather than dictating changes to the site. Buildings should be located and oriented to take maximum advantages of their surroundings. This improves energy efficiency and makes the buildings more pleasant to use. Land use planning needs to include transportation and parking concerns, too.

Ideally, all this should be done using materials that allow the building to be reused for other purposes later, and with the minimum of waste. Green architecture should reduce the dependence on wasteful and toxic materials and products, which is becoming much easier as the industry grows. Some buildings even reuse parts of other buildings, or waste materials such as old shipping containers.

Of course, not all projects labeled green are really green. Some are "greenwashed" - ordinary projects given a green veneer for respectability purposes. Others are built with good intentions but poor planning. That's why it's important that all green projects be examined carefully to see if they're really as environmentally friendly as claimed. Helping the environment is complex, but it's worth it in the long run, with buildings being more usable and more sustainable years down the line.

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