CONCEPTS AND PRINCIPLES
OF GREEN ARCHITECTURE AS
APPLIED IN SITE PLANNING
AND LANDSCAPE DESIGN
Green Architecture
Green Architecture
Green architecture, or green design, is an
approach to building that minimizes harmful
effects on human health and the
environment. The "green" architect or designer
attempts to safeguard air, water, and earth by
choosing eco-friendly building
materials and construction practices
CONSIDERATION FOR GREEN
BUILDING
Green building involves consideration in four main areas: site development,
material selection and minimization, energy efficiency, and indoor air quality
• Consider site development to reduce the impact of development on the natural
environment. For example, orient the buildings to take advantage of solar access,
shading and wind patterns that will lessen heating and cooling loads.
• Carefully select materials that are durable, contain recycled content, and are locally
manufactured to reduce negative environmental impacts. A growing market exists of
quality recycled products at affordable prices.
• Incorporate energy-efficient design into buildings to create an efficient and
comfortable environment. Take advantage of the natural elements and technologies
to conserve resources and increase occupant comfort/productivity while lowering
long-term operational costs and pollutants.
• Design for high indoor air quality to promote occupant health and productivity.
• Minimize the waste in construction and demolition processes by recovering
materials and reusing or recycling those.
Water Systems
Water - often called the source of life - can be captured, stored, filtered,
and reused. It provides a valuable resource to be celebrated in the
process of green building design. The protection and conservation of
water throughout the life of a building may be accomplished by
designing for dual plumbing that recycles water in toilet flushing or by
using water for washing of the cars. Waste-water may be minimized by
utilizing water conserving fixtures such as ultra-low flush toilets and low-
flow shower heads. Bidets help eliminate the use of toilet paper,
reducing sewer traffic and increasing possibilities of re-using water on-
site.
Natural Building
A natural building is made up of a variety of construction methods and
materials that prioritize sustainability. Natural construction methods
emphasize longevity and the use of minimally processed, abundant or
renewable resources, as well as those that provide healthy living conditions
and preserve interior air quality while being recycled or salvaged. Human
effort, rather than technology, is used to construct natural structures. The
desire to reduce the environmental effect of buildings and other supporting
systems without losing comfort or health is at the heart of natural
construction. To be more sustainable, natural building uses primarily
abundantly available, renewable, reused or recycled materials.
Passive Solar Design
Passive solar design refers to the use of the sun’s energy for the heating
and cooling of living spaces. The building itself or some element of it takes
advantage of natural energy characteristics in its materials to absorb and
radiate the heat created by exposure to the sun. Passive systems are
simple, have few moving parts and no mechanical systems, require minimal
maintenance and can decrease, or even eliminate, heating and cooling
costs
Passive solar design uses that to capture the sun’s energy:
Solar passive features: Shape and form of buildings.
Orientation of the facades: Design of Building plan and section.
Thermal insulation and thermal storage of roof.
Thermal Insulation and thermal storage of the exterior walls
Living Architecture
Buildings' exterior walls and roofs have been greened throughout
history. Increased insulation (to keep cool in the summer and keep cold
out in the winter), improved aesthetics, improved indoor and outdoor
climate, reduction of greenhouse gases such as Carbon Dioxide (CO2),
Carbon Monoxide (CO), and Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2), and increased
ecological values by creating habitats for birds and insects were all
reasons for doing so.
Seven key principles of Green
Building Architecture:
Site and its surroundings
Energy Efficiency
Water Efficiency
Material Efficiency
Indoor Air Quality
Waste Reduction
Low maintenance costs
Site and its Surroundings | Siting
and Structure Design Efficiency
“Site and its Surroundings” is one of
the seven principles of Green
Building Architecture. In our earlier
articles, we discussed about
Sustainable Development.
For a better understanding and study of the concept,
we can divide the principle into three parts:
Selection of a suitable site
Site Analysis
Site Development
Selection of a suitable site
Selection of a site depends on the
type and the size of the Project. Our
aim is to reduce the consumption of
energy resources and still create an
efficient structure
Site selection is mainly based on
two factors:
Factors concerning “the before
construction of the project”
Factors concerning “the after
construction of the structure” (after
use efficiency)
Factors concerning “the before construction
of the project”
Availability of skilled labour
Availability of cheap labour
Transportation facilities
Availability of local or natural materials to reduce construction
and transportation costs
Rate of population growth and urbanization in that area
Town planning and environmental conditions
These are the factors that are to be examined and kept in
mind while selecting a site prior to the construction of the
project.
Factors concerning “the after construction of
the structure” (after use efficiency)
Access to Parks and Playgrounds
Agricultural potentiality of the land
Availability of Public Utility Services especially
water, electricity and sewage disposal
contour of the land in relation to the building
costs
cost of land
distance from places of work
ease of drainage
Factors concerning “the after construction of
the structure” (after use efficiency)
location with respect to schools, colleges and public
buildings
nature of use of adjacent areas
transport facilities
wind, velocity and direction
Site Analysis and Site Development |
Siting and Structure Design
Efficiency
Site Analysis is
followed by Site
Development. Site
Development can be
efficient only if the Site
Analysis is done correctly
and accurately.
Site Analysis
Once we are done with the selection
of the Building site, get the entire survey
of the site. The topography of the site
and the natural features present on the
site are to be studied.
A better and efficient way of
utilizing the site’s natural elements have
to be figured out.
Site Analysis
For examples, the existing
landscaping which would include tall or
shady trees or bushes can be efficiently
merged with the building design to serve
a purpose.
Swales and Wetlands can be
maintained and preserved if any on the site
and used for the filtration of the Surface
runoff. Site Analysis also includes the study of
micro-climatic factors which could influence
the design of the Project.
Site Development
Site Development scheme should be carried out
after having studied the site. This is the ultimate stage
where importance has to be given to the consequences
of the construction that is to be carried out onto the site.
This is something that will decide whether we were
able to successfully create a Green environment or not.
When we talk about Green environment, we are also
taking into consideration the ecological and
environmental impact that our structure would have on
the surroundings and vice-versa.