Sustainable architecture is one of the concepts that every designer should adopt as a principle today. Many global warming and air pollution problems can be prevented or completely stopped with environmentally friendly approaches. We can start adopting sustainable architectural practices right now to have a better future.
Recycled Materials
Recycling is one of the easiest ways to put sustainable architecture into practice. Thanks to recycling, it is possible to construct structures that are less costly and more environmentally friendly. We should note here that not every material recycled can be fully sustainable. However, materials that are already produced and still in good condition and do not harm users can, of course, be re-evaluated within the scope of sustainable architecture. Thus, we can spend much less of the energy on the same building from scratch is consumed.
The range of materials that sustainable architecture uses in recycling is extensive. It is impossible to list all of them entirely because there may be differences from project to project. However, container houses are a recycling project in their own right. Also, it is possible to see that wood or stones recovered from the old building were used in some renovations. Finally, we can create wonders with materials such as chipboard or plywood, especially in sustainable furniture designs.
Another pillar of material selection in sustainable architecture is local materials. Choosing local and, if possible, natural materials contributes more to sustainable architecture in the long term. These kinds of choices keep the region’s culture alive, and they are preferred in sustainable architectural applications since there is no need for energy-consuming stages such as transportation.
Clean Energy and Carbon Footprint
Sustainable architecture is a vast discipline. Of course, it is not possible to have a command of every point in a single article. However, if we are to make an initial level of information, we can say that the material choices alone are not enough to continue the sustainable architecture.
Materials with low carbon emissions produced under ethical conditions can only build a “good candidate” in sustainability. Because our old type heating and energy systems still do not have enough environmental awareness.
To fully implement sustainable architecture, it may be necessary to make quite technical analyses. (Heating systems, how much energy the building will consume or how much carbon will be emitted) These are critical data for sustainable architectural application because ‘sustainability in construction is only possible if the building is self-sufficient and does not harm the environment.
The scope of sustainable architectural applications aims to reduce the building’s carbon emission after the new generation of clean energy sources is preferred. We can reduce carbon emissions to zero in some well-planned projects. Thus, the relevant structure becomes somewhat neutral. Thanks to the developing technology, today’s sustainable architectural applications have gone beyond this. It is possible to talk about the buildings that produce as they do not consume any energy and transmit them to the facilities that need them.