Green Architecture

by Patali CHAMPIKA RANAWAKA
 

Green Architecture structures

After assuming duties as the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources, more often than not, I was compelled to be confined to a traditional office of the Ministry at Battaramulla. It is a fully air conditioned office with hanging curtains from ceiling to carpet and in the absence of natural lighting it is illuminated by fluorescent lights. Also, for reasons of security and to keep the air conditioning effective its windows are eternally kept closed. However, when I visited India recently, I saw my counterpart occupying an office with glazed partitions and see through doors, symbolizing his transparency.

As the Minister of Environment, I have been attending a wide variety of meetings and seminars held in 4 and 5 star hotels which are well illuminated and air conditioned by external power sources. As these buildings are designed to suit fossil fuels based comforts, they are devoid of natural lighting and cross ventilation. Having seen these buildings and also being the Minister of Environment, I myself had to ask a very pertinent question. Why shouldn't we go for environment friendly buildings? After all, we should practise what we preach! I was determined to initiate the process of constructing a green building for the Ministry of Environment.

The subsequent consultation we have had with the faculty of Architecture of the University of Moratuwa - my alumni, convinced me that it was possible to put up an environment friendly building complex. As our Ministry had reached the required financial self sustenance, we decided to build a much needed Ministry office complex and it has to be nothing but a green building complex.

Our Ministry website carries the following description pertaining to the proposed building. "The design team worked towards a green building - a green building is one that is highly responsive to its surrounding environment, provides the inhabitants with a comfortable atmosphere inside to live and work, facilitates environmentally sustainable practices, optimizes the use of energy sources, built of eco friendly material and devices with environmentally sustainable construction methods."

When in use the building can be mostly lit by natural day light.

Natural air circulation is encouraged through the building to reduce the need for artificial ventilation. Low heat gaining, material planted terraces located at different floor levels and extensive tree planting will reduce the heat load inside the building. The rain water that fall on to the building will be diverted for different purposes, while waste water will be purified and reused. A considerable share of energy required will be obtained from solar panels built in to the building shading devices cladding material finishers and many other components will be out of recycled building material."

Internal deco, furniture and other equipment and accessories will be eco friendly and used as carbon storages. The environmental charter and ethics will be practised when this building is in operation. It would be a polythene and plastic free building and a strict code of ethics which is relevant to building maintenance will be imposed.

I am hoping for the best that my dream will come true by next August, when Sri Lanka could experience the first post modern bench mark green building based on green architecture.

Buildings and built environment cause impacts on the environment.

Buildings account for land use, energy and water consumption, changing air quality, an impact on bio diversity.

Filling of wetlands and clearing of wildlife habitats would cause serious adverse effects on other species. If we consider the so-called developed world, people are concentrated in cities and buildings consuming over 40% of the total energy. Exploring sustainable or green design practices, sustainable or green architecture, sustainable or green landscaping providing sustainable or green domestic - office, machinery and furniture are of paramount importance. Scarcity of building materials and fossil fuels, environmental pollution - specially global warming have forced us to practice the above mentioned sustainable practices.

The sustainable design is generally defined as a philosophy of designing buildings and build environment to comply with the principles of economic, social and ecological sustainability. In order to achieve this sustainability there are a few common principles that are being adopted.

Using of low impact material - non toxic, sustainably produced or recycled material which requires little energy to process.

Emphasizing the less energy usage and comply with the renewable energy sources.

Enhancing the quality and durability

Harmonizing the ecological stability so that eco boundaries could be used as building parameters enabling constant reuse of material.

Enhancing the renewability so that materials should come from nearby environment and could be simply reused or recycled when its usefulness is exhausted.

Improving the healthiness of the building emphasizing the air quality, noise and other health problems.

Eliminating the concept of waste

Respecting the relationship between spirit and matter.

Based on these principles sustainable or green architecture is being evolved. The aim of the green architecture is to design sustainable buildings. It tries to reduce the collective environmental impact, during the design stage, sighting of the building, production of the building material, construction process, and maintenance of the building and finally the demolishing stage after the life cycle of the building.

Nowadays we could see zero emission buildings which generate their own energy.

On site power generation using solar technology, wind power, ground source, and heat pumps are now commonly available. The rain water harvesting for washing, gardening and even recharging and making green roof that simply filter and purify water and control the storm water run-off are now developed.

Planning of outdoor space in a sustainable manner could be termed as sustainable landscape architecture. Another important field is natural architecture which constructs structures using organic material which are finally decomposable and create living landscape. Natural architecture is a very skilful art which harmonizers our soul and ecological phenomenon in an aesthetic manner.

Sustainable production of domestic machinery and furniture could be another important aspect when we are talking about green buildings.

Furniture, home appliances even automobiles should be designed to recycle and reuse.

The manufacturing of such machinery and equipment should focus on energy efficiency, their carbon foot print and reusability of material used. Various other things like newspapers, detergents and other things should also be designed in a way that they could be simply disposed and decomposed.

If we are to integrate the build environment with other eco systems we should be inspired by nature. These buildings should be healthy conserving and diverse and also it should have the ability to unfold like an organism from the seed within. It is a continuously evolving phenomena and not a static object.

So there is no doubt that green architecture could make sustainable lifestyle possible without sacrificing the modern day comforts and a stylish home.

(The writer is the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources.)