The Challenges of Green Architecture

Green Architecture is a sustainable alternative to “standard” Architecture, which includes strategies for environmental preservation, such as managing energy, quality of life, and sustainability, reminding us that Architecture is the art of designing builds, monuments, and all constructions existing. These skills can influence the selection of decoration to a specific aesthetic, or the most important step, planning the construction further the more meticulous stages to guarantee safety, technology  requirements to prevent excessive maintenance expenses, energy savings to companies, residentials, and the environmental impact, however, the majority of buildings existing were not assembled in a way that would not harm the environment, on the contrary, mostly due:

The price of implementation

The challenge of implementing Green Architecture is the cost, ranging from 5% to 10% more than a conventional building, and adding the charges of qualified professionals is also an implication because not all architects have the necessary abilities. In addition, expensive energy resources such as solar panels can be a positive ally to decrease the footprint of energy consumption, that currently is responsible for 30% of world emissions. However, the elevated investments are a boundary for companies, residencies, and commercial establishments, costing around USD$ 5,400-18,000, varying depending on the amount of regional sunlight and political incentives.

On the other hand, these fees can be mitigated because the investment is expensive, but in the short time following Solar Reviews analysis, customers can expect to save 10%-30% compared with usual electricity bills. Another resource to reduce the costs of creating green buildings is the growing popularity of ecological construction materials such as bamboo, concrete, recycled wood, and steel, which have been in high demand for internal building structures and, since the 90s decade, the industry had reduced by 19% their emissions, being expected by 2028 gains of USD 610 billion.

To illustrate an example, the Bosco Verticale, Milan in Italy, is an outstanding vision of Green Architecture, with the giving name free translated “Vertical Forest” built from 2006 to 2014 with 260 and 360-feet towers (80 meters/116 meters) projected by Stefano Boeri to have a combination of trees and shrubs at each floor, being the structure made of a concrete balcony. Curiously they are 800 trees and 5,000 shrubs, that have an intelligent system of irrigation, maintaining these green areas health contributes to the photosynthesis production that absorbs Co2 gasses, mitigates the lack of green spaces in cities, moreover improves air quality, helps to prevent health diseases.

Bosco Verticale – Milan,Italy

Furthermore, Bosco Verticale expanded the visions since his construction to a new demand – being sustainable, costing EUR 40 million( around USD 44 million) in a developed city, Milan, that has an important influence in sectors such as Fashion, often not relevant that developing countries can not do the same, haunted by the lack of political and build infrastructure is another issue that involves the construction of any build, sustainable energy, plumbing, population, technologies and techniques, elements that need be count that increase the price of construction, consequently not allowing developing regions to use Green Architecture.

Demands

Moreover, to exist at a considered price is important to occur demands for sustainable alternatives. A clever manner to increase interest in green builds is the influence of developers/designers to show alternatives, although in many cases, even if they do not know other possibilities, it is crucial to disseminate and understand the benefits that Sustainable Architecture could bring. The ignorance of some individuals regarding the current environmental situation in their lives consequently influences them to choose between a conventional house rather than a Greenhouse for it being cheaper. Along with the economy of energy as a benefit due to research conducted in Chicago at UrbanLab concluded that thanks to their green studio construction, intended to use the sunlight in winter and shading during the summer, beyond taking precautions not to retain water and increase the consumption and affect the city’s supply, in conclusion, these experiments both from Bosco Verticale and UrbanLab reflect that it is possible to build an effective green policy of architecture.

Author: Eduarda Ketlen

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