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Green Architecture : Tips and Techniques

As more and more people become interested in the effect they are having on the environment, a chance to design and construct buildings which are energy efficient and environmentally friendly is becoming more important. El born area of design is known as green architecture and it is an increasing trend amongst those wanting to live in harmony using their environment and those wanting to conserve traditional energy resources.
Green architecture aims to work in harmony using the natural features that surround the location of the project, to use construction materials that may be easily grown or that have been recycled and also to maximise the energy efficiency of the building. This has benefits for both the environment and for the occupants from the building.Green architecture should make use of the natural ecology from the planet like a macro model and green architects must always keep the environment in your mind when making. Hearing a customer and transforming their needs right into a workable, energy efficient and environmentally friendly design is really a skill and one that you ought to ensure your selection of green architect has.A building designed using green architecture will reduce energy bills, use less water and can lessen the amount of waste being added to landfill sites. There are a variety of ways through which these savings are achieved.

One of the best known methods of reducing energy bills would be to have solar panels installed. There are many benefits to using solar panels ranging from low maintenance and versatility to it being non-polluting along with a renewable energy source. Following the initial installation, you will find relatively few ongoing costs. No moving parts mean low maintenance and also the heat and light from the sun is free of charge!
Permanently utilized in construction of green architecture is thermal mass. Insulated Concrete Forms (ICFs) create a framework when locked together much like Lego bricks. This framework forms a lasting and integral area of the building and is pumped filled with concrete that has been composed and cured to reduce its thermal conductivity. This produces the thermal mass necessary to reduce the effects of outside temperature fluctuations on the ambient temperature inside the building thus reducing energy bills.
Using recycled materials is becoming ever more popular, as is the use of green materials. Recycled materials include glass, plastic and tyres while green materials include wood, stone and earth. With such recycled resources reduces the waste being delivered to landfill sites and the utilisation of the green, natural resources helps our buildings blend more harmoniously using their environs.
They are just some of the ways that green architecture helps to create our buildings a lot more sustainable and eco-friendly. For instance water, mud, rammed earth and logs can all be utilised to provide thermal mass to some building rather than ICFs. Which suits your project ought to be based on environmental surroundings around the location of the building and the immediate ecology of the area. Discussions together with your green architect can help you decide how to proceed.
Other techniques involved with green architecture are maybe not very well known generally however your green architect should mention them as they all help to add to the energy efficiency of the project, for example:
Using locally sourced materials reduces the cost and use of fuel for transportation and when trees are felled to create room for your project than the wood could be put to good use in the development.
Recycling grey water (waste water from baths, showers and wash hand basins) can be captured, stored and treated to some standard ideal for WC flushing.
Rainwater harvesting is often as simple as a water butt within downpipe or perhaps a more complex over or underground tank based on your use for that water which can be anything from watering your garden or cleaning your car to flushing your toilet or having a shower.
Small scale wind generators can be used to generate energy to charge small batteries with applications for example lighting and electric pumps.
Many opportunities exists for all of us to start living in a way that is more in harmony with our surroundings. Whether you need to light your garden using solar power, generate wind energy to light your caravan or develop a home from scratch that is environmentally friendly, energy efficient and also at one with nature we are able to all increase the conservation in our planet.
Green architecture is the method to release ourselves in the grip of non-renewable fuels in to the hands of renewable energy, green architecture may be the way forward for us and of the earth.