The ‘Go Green’ trend has found its way into the field of architecture as well, with lots of new residences, commercial establishments and business properties striving to follow appropriate green measures to become more sustainable. Accordingly, here are some of these green, sustainable architectural ideas that everyone can learn from for a brighter future.
Homeless Center in Portland, Oregon
A center for the homeless in Portland, Oregon has adopted what it calls social sustainability with the use of private green outdoor waiting areas, day lit apartments, solar hot water and graywater recycling measures among others. The building has been designed in such a way to increase energy efficiency, and saves up to $60,000 in energy related costs every year.
Adam Joseph Lewis Center for Environmental Studies, Oberlin College
Image Source : oberlin.edu
This building is a LEED Platinum certified structure and integrates its systems completely with the surrounding landscape. The north side of the building features a soil embankment upon which rests an apple orchard, with both factors providing natural insulation.
Bricks constitute the indoor insulation for the north side, while argon windows are fitted on the south end. Solar arrays located on the top of the building as well as the parking lot supply power to the entire establishment.
The building utilizes what it calls a Living Machine (a row of large sized tanks) that makes use of plants and bacteria to clean waste as well as gray water and repurpose the same on the on-site wetland.
Federal Building, Colorado
Another example of sustainable architecture can be found in a Federal house in Grand Junction, Colorado, which uses solar as well as geothermal energy to power the establishment. In addition to this, the building uses a series of wireless controls, LED lighting options and energy recovery procedures to reduce energy usage and become a net-zero energy structure.
Health Clinic, Arizona State University
The Arizona State University decided to transform an old, unwelcome and sterile health clinic into a green zone. The building is now LEED Platinum certified and is very energy efficient, housing green spaces for meditation and yoga among others.
Bank of America Tower, New York
This is the first skyscraper in the US to attain LEED Platinum Certification and can be considered as a landmark in green architecture. The building has been constructed using locally sourced/recycled materials, and gets its energy from an on-site plant. It also utilizes floor to ceiling insulated glass panes to provide natural lighting as well as passive heating/cooling options. Furthermore, it makes use of recycled water (collected from wastewater in the establishment itself) in its air conditioning system.
SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, New York
This is another LEED Platinum Certified building that in addition to being energy efficient, produces surplus power that can easily meet over 20% and 60% of the entire campus’s power and heat needs.
Queen’s Botanical Garden, New York
Considered to be the greenest building in the entire city, the Queen’s Botanical Garden processes its own waste in addition to recycling its water. It also utilizes a nearby wetland to process graywater, which is then used in on-site landscaping. Over 20% of the building’s energy needs are met by a solar array affixed to the structure.
University of Baltimore, Maryland
The University of Baltimore in Maryland has recently built a new law school which is the first sustainable approach taken by the university towards its goal of attaining climate neutrality. The law school building has been designed in such a way that it is able to function with 43% lesser energy consumption as compared to another building of the same size.
Summary
Sustainable architecture is gaining a lot of prominence these days. The buildings mentioned above prove how sustainability can be integrated into the integral design of the structure without compromising on its appearance or function in any way.