Green Building Design & The Future

What’s in store for the future of green building design? Dale Joinery explores ways the construction sector can be greener.

Being aware of the environmental impact that our lifestyles are having on the planet is one thing, working out a way to combat them is something else. A survey conducted by the Construction Industry Council revealed that construction and building alone are responsible for 38% of the world’s carbon emissions. Green Building Design, also known as Sustainable Architecture, looks to combine the way we live within more sustainable means.

What is Green Building Design?

Green Building Design aims to have as little impact on the environment as possible, taking into consideration construction, materials, building maintenance, renovation and demolition. Within this, it will also look to positively impact any green buildings energy statistics by neutralising energy consumed through natural and renewable energy sources.

When looking at green building design, it’s important to take into consideration natural materials. A large part of this concept is to be in-keeping with and protect the natural surroundings. Planning in the use of organic materials in the build, such as timber and stone can help reduce carbon emissions, but also leave the opportunity for any future green renovations to be made.

How To Design a Green Building

When looking to design a green building, there’s lots of elements to consider.

Materials

As this is where you start with the building process, we’ll start here as well. Using man-made materials can have such a negative impact on the environment, so when choosing materials, there are things to consider. Choosing your materials correctly can have an impact on our future generations and their choices in the future. Green, or organic, materials have often been found to be better in terms of strength and stability than their man-made counterparts, and therefore should be considered more than they already are. Some of the benefits of sustainable materials include: 

Allowing the use of the full product, minimising waste throughout the entire process.

The use of prefabricated building components can last much longer as they aren’t exposed to the weather. Additionally, the components can be used again and again.

Eco friendly materials such as recycled steel, timber, cork, straw bales and bamboo are widely used in green building design.

Emphasises the need for recycling and reusing materials, such as reclaimed wood and plastic, within the building phase.

Reduces energy consumption and brings natural resources into high contendership.

Has the ability to slowly improve air and water quality in the surrounding areas.

Using certain natural materials can, when carefully managed, improve natural habitats, such as forestry management for the inclusion of wood in green building designs. 

Using natural materials can increase the buildings’ monetary value.

Energy Conservation and Sources

It’s important to take energy sources into account when creating a green building design. Looking at the inclusiveness of renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind, will have a massive influence on our everyday lives as well as the planet. 

Here’s a few ways that we can look at energy conservation and including renewable sources into green building design:

Including solar panels into the building design as a renewable energy source for the property.

Look into the inclusion of wind electric systems into the open space as another source of renewable energy to help negate the effects of the energy consumption used to build the property.

Throughout construction, as well as after, look at introducing ways to reduce water consumption, such as motion-sensor taps to ensure water conservation. Rainwater harvesting systems are also a popular choice among eco-friendly builders.

Look into appropriate water collection systems that can be implemented into the functionality of the property, such as a collection trough and storage barrel to sophisticated cistern and filtration systems robust enough to provide large structures with purified and temperature-controlled water.

Heating and Cooling of Buildings

As a consequence of climate change, the planet’s demand for cooling solutions is looking to triple by 2050, according to an MIT Technology Review, so finding a way to do this sustainably is vital. Your typical air conditioning unit contributes to 6% of the USAs annual energy consumption, so finding alternative energy sources to ensure that we can stay cool, as well as power our homes is important.

When we started to use man-made materials for construction, the planet having stark weather and a change in seasonal weather wasn’t a problem, so having materials that store heat energy, such as bricks made from concrete worked well. Now, especially in the UK, our older buildings are not equipped for our new seasonal weather conditions, meaning that during our flash summers, we tend to get exceptionally warm buildings due to them being made with these man-made materials. 

Natural materials, such as timber, have evolved to be able to adapt and cope with various temperature and climate changes, meaning that they are more suitable to helping temperature control within buildings. 

Design

When it comes to green building design, all of the elements above need to be taken into consideration, but as well as this, the planning of green space within, or even on top of, buildings needs to be worked within this. Green spaces between buildings can be used to help reduce noise pollution between buildings, but also can aid in cleaning the air by removing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen back into the atmosphere.

The Future of Green Building Design

Traditional building design, as we can see from examples all around us, is monotonous, grey, and industrial. With more and more architects and home-owners alike becoming more conscious about their environmental impact and wanting to change this, integrating green building design elements into our everyday lives is bound to happen. A good example of a future green building design is Urban forest in Australia. Urban Forest is a proposal for a 30-story mixed-use residential high-rise in South Brisbane. The building implements plenty of green space with a vertical forest-style garden that covers the building with 1,000 trees and 20,000 plants, increasing biodiversity and offsetting the energy consumption and carbon footprint made to create the building.

Simpler ways that green building design elements can be included with future builds is to look into more sustainable and natural materials, such as timber. Using timber as an example, not only is it a natural and sustainably managed resource that adds to a properties aesthetic, but because of its quality and durability can add immense value to a build.

Dale Joinery Is A Certified Carbon Neutral Plus Organisation

Dale Joinery is a sustainability advocate in the construction industry. As a leading manufacturer of high-quality timber windows and doors, we have consistently demonstrated our commitment to reducing our carbon footprint and promoting eco-friendly solutions as we are a certified carbon neutral plus organisation. We off set our carbon emissions by planting trees in the UK!

From sourcing materials from sustainably managed forests to implementing energy-efficient manufacturing processes, we take proactive steps to ensure minimal environmental impact. Additionally, our dedication to crafting durable and long-lasting products reduces waste and encourages sustainable consumption among consumers.