By Nathaniel Rhine
Sustainable architecture or green architecture is the design of sustainable buildings, be they residential, commercial, religious or others. Sustainable architecture attempts to reduce the collective environmental impacts during the production of building components, during the construction process, as well as during the lifecycle of the building (i.e. heating, electrical use, carpet cleaning etc).
This design practice emphasizes efficiency of heating and cooling systems, alternative energy sources such as solar hot water, appropriate building siting, reused or recycled building materials, on-site power generation, such as solar technology, ground source heat pumps, wind power, rainwater harvesting for gardening and washing, and on-site waste management such as green roofs that filter and control storm water runoff.
The architects today who have sustainable design in mind are termed Green architects. Their objective is to provide wonderful designs for their clients, however, with a focus on achieving great design without causing harm to the planet and other living creatures.
In the future postings, I intend to write more about this subject matter for it is something that is being talked about as of late. Many people think that it is a fad or a phase that the world is going trough, however, many, including myself believe that it is the beginning of a relatively new philosophy that will bear fruits, worldwide. Once those fruits have been harvested, no longer will green design be a fad or a phase. Rather, it will become a way of life.
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