[ECO]7 Remarkable Eco-Innovations Shaping Green Architecture

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7 Remarkable Eco-Innovations Shaping Green Architecture

The built environment contributes a large portion of global greenhouse gas emissions, both during the construction phase and across their useful life cycle. Green architecture strives to lower the carbon footprint of such structures, striving for net zero while reducing emissions as best as possible with existing technologies.

Such projects also pioneer new ideas that can advance sustainability efforts when adopted elsewhere. They are both laboratories and proving grounds. What’s on the horizon, and what should other builders and city planners consider when planning renovations and new construction? Here are seven remarkable eco-innovations shaping green architecture. 

What Is Green Architecture? 

Green architecture refers to building designs that minimize their impact on the surrounding environment. They do so in several ways: 

• Using sustainable materials, including those free of harmful toxins, recycled and repurposed items, and those that readily regrow, aren’t overly rare and have a low overall environmental impact. Cork is such an example, as you need not ***** the tree to harvest the usable material. Cork forests act as carbon sinks to reduce levels of greenhouse gas in the atmosphere. 

• Utilizing renewable energy sources, such as solar and geothermal, to meet heating, cooling and lighting needs. 

• Improving energy efficiency by preventing leaks, improving building envelopes and HVAC systems, and using passive solar to maintain interior temperatures while drawing less power. 

• Considering the building’s entire life cycle from its inception and planning for easier future conversions. 

7 Green Architecture Innovations Everyone Should Know About

Green architecture consists of many moving points. Builders should consider the following seven innovations when planning renovations or new construction to make their projects as sustainable as possible. Although they may not integrate all these concepts in each design, every improvement has a long-lasting impact on overall emissions and contributes to a greener future. 

1. Green Energy Generation 

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from renewable sources, largely geothermal and hydropower? The ******* States can do the same, but conversion here requires private property owners to invest in the necessary infrastructure to transform their buildings. 

Geothermal energy relies on the stable temperatures just beneath the Earth’s surface, transferring this heat into the building during cold weather and sending radiant heat back underground in the summer. It’s useful for heating individual buildings and provides an inexhaustible source — there’s enough geothermal energy beneath the planet’s surface to fulfill the nation’s requirements. 

Solar power is another eco-innovation shaping green energy, and architects can now do much more than rooftop panels. Covering parking lots in panels provides shaded parking spaces while cutting some of the urban heat island effect from asphalt and concrete. Such projects can power neighboring buildings, provide charging spots for electric cars, and make it more comfortable for residents, customers and guests to climb into their vehicles amid rising temperatures. 

Outdoor seating areas might feature picnic benches

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instead of umbrellas. Such designs provide powered outdoor workstations for employees while generating electricity for adjacent buildings. Covered walkways between structures prevent people from sweating when racing from meeting to meeting. Although solar windows aren’t yet as powerful as their photovoltaic counterparts, they can run computers and printers. 

Green architecture can function as a mini power station, providing needed energy while sending excess to the grid. When enough buildings convert, it strengthens and secures the nation’s grid. Additionally, renewable power lowers utility costs. While those with converted properties benefit the most, eventually, prices could drop across the board. 

2. Green Roofs 

Green roofs consist of a waterproof liner with a layer of soil and vegetation on top of the underlying roof structure. These designs

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, keeping the building beneath cooler and improving energy efficiency. However, that’s not their only benefit. 

Green roofs provide valuable nature exposure, especially in urban areas lacking green space. They offer relaxation, walking paths, and outdoor seating spaces for employees and residents. Additionally, they create habitats for birds and pollinating insects while reducing stormwater runoff. Buildings with restaurants below can use their rooftops to grow organic produce for use in their kitchens. 

3. Bringing the Outdoors In 

Spending time outdoors improves human health in many ways, but there’s often nowhere safe to go in urban areas. Rising temperatures can make daytime excursions sweaty and dangerous, and ****** keeps many indoors after dark. 

Buildings that bring the outdoors in increase green space exposure while promoting safety and beautifying the environment for occupants. For example, the GlaxoSmithKline building in Philadelphia features a large center atrium and open, loft-style offices. About

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sufficient natural light to avoid flipping on the switch, and occupants inhale 30% more fresh outdoor air than required by code. 

4. Rain Capture

New construction and retrofitted buildings benefit from rainwater harvesting systems

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while conserving existing groundwater. Facilities can use this precious resource to maintain their landscapes or treat it for human consumption. They can even use solar power to facilitate such treatments, increasing sustainability. 

Such designs typically involve storage containers attached to a building’s drainage system. While blue barrels can look unsightly, architects can design containment systems that match the structure’s overall aesthetic while maintaining the safety of the water supply. 

5. Radiant Heating and Cooling 

Traditional HVAC systems rely on forced air, meaning much energy gets lost through leaks in ducts and elsewhere in the building envelope. Conversely, radiant heating systems warm surfaces, such as the floor or walls, instead of the air. Radiant cooling is similar, using cool water instead of electricity to drop interior temperatures. 

Such systems preserve indoor air quality — there are no ducts to foster mold growth or harbor germs. Additionally, they operate

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than forced air systems. Builders typically install radiant systems in individual zones, meaning you can

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only the portion of the building currently in use. 

6. Recycled Materials 

Some materials lend themselves to recycling. For example, you can recycle steel and other metals indefinitely without losing structural integrity. Here’s where planning for the building’s life cycle increases sustainability by making it easier to recapture such materials during demolition. 

New processes make it possible to recycle more building materials than ever. For example, engineers recently unveiled an energy-efficient way to recycle polystyrene, one of the most commonly used insulating materials. Before this innovation, it often ended up in landfills, as the process of reusing it was too costly. 

7. Smart Technology 

Smart technology goes a long way in improving overall energy efficiency. Simple motion detectors can dim lights in unused building areas, and master switches can power down multiple pieces of equipment at day’s end. Smart thermostats let residents adjust their dial from anywhere or shift it to saver mode during certain hours automatically. Sensors on washers and dryers detect load size and use only enough water and power necessary to get things clean. 

Embracing Green Architecture Innovations 

The built environment contributes a considerable portion of total greenhouse gas emissions. Green architecture combats this trend and aims to make buildings more sustainable. Builders and architects can draw inspiration from the eco-innovations when planning renovations and new construction.

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