Essay about Glimpses of Green Architecture

Submitted By z945680566
Words: 1024
Pages: 5

Glimpses of Green Architecture
Sometimes Architecture could be as small as the paper box; sometimes it could be as big as The Burj Khalifa Tower. But Green architecture is the practice of building homes which are environment friendly and also resource efficient throughout its life time. And more of that, it is a way of reacting to environmental issues, growing human population, destruction of natural resources and the loss of biodiversity. To be more specific, there are three factors, Recycle, Energy Saving and Green, which should not be ignored while we are looking at the green Architecture,
While people are approaching to the core of green Architecture, the first thing has been found out is the background of the green Architecture. Perhaps it seems like the green Architecture started only a few decades ago when environmentalists and conservationist were given life, but the fact is that ancient people put it up to use already way back in their own times. The Anasazi Indians, for example, had built their homes in the path of light during the day. This provided them with enough heating and sunlight for their plants. Moreover, they have “tanks” which capture rainwater. This stored water will then be used for irrigation. More importantly their houses were only made of stones, woods and mud which are not harmful to the environment. According to some, green architecture probably started long ago, when electricity wasn’t present. That way, the people would utilize the use of their surroundings. An example of this is planting plants and trees around their abode to provide cool ventilation. Either way, green architecture for the older generation was used, because of the lack of technology. In the modern times, green architecture gained popularity, because of the high costs of energy dependent lifestyles and the increasing environmental awareness.

However, when it comes to the modern society, we consider the green Architecture in various ways to fit the main stream of the technology services. There are many masterpieces projects in the society which really stand out protecting the environment of the society. One of them is relating to the article “Forest house in the city”. The author evaluates the architectural design of a residence in Toyokawa, Japan and that was designed by the architectural firm Studio Velocity. There are lots of interesting opinions in the article, for example, Plants make decisions about where to unfurl their leaves and extend their branches according to the presence and position of plants and other objects in their environment, they were interested in designing architecture that exhibits a similar quality. (p. 69) I personally found this point interesting comparing his opinion to the green roof system, both them share the same strategy for the future’s green architecture. And this is the right path, not just for the building itself, but also for the people, and the improvement of the green recycle systems of the architecture. Another thing is many points in this book enhance the green theory of Architecture, this is crucial in 21st century, at the same time to increase people’s confidence that city building may be a role as a cleaner instead of pollution, just like plants in the nature.
Furthermore the Green Architecture is from the architect journal. The author discusses the architectural design of Orchard, a carbon neutral house in Gloucestershire, England conceived by the architectural firm Paul Archer Design. The author Paul’s opinion is that the house and landscape have been designed with the specific intention to reduce energy consumption: a wood-burning Srûv stove is the only heat source; For example, the water is supplied by a 93m-deep bore hole; thermal solar panels on the roof yield heating for 80 per cent of the house's water; and photovoltaics provide all electrical energy when calculated over the yearly cycle. (p. 46). I found out similar points between japan and England. The orientation