Sustainability in any sector implies using better techniques and technologies to utilise the resources in an optimum way to sustain it for future generations. In building industry, sustainability has been a much-hyped topic for long and a number of organizations and green building associations have been discussing and providing information, technologies & education on it. This article will discuss the why, what and how of building sustainability.

Why the sustainable buildings?

Huge amount of resources like water, energy and materials are required for constructing and operating buildings, and in turn they produce large amounts of waste. These buildings affects the ecosystems in different ways depending upon where and how they are built. The buildings create new indoor environments bringing further new environmental challenges. The environmental impact of buildings have become more visible and pronounce, in the wake of that, a growing field called sustainable design is needed to reduce that impact at the source. The aim of this sustainable design is to create a healthier and resource efficient models of construction, operation, renovation, maintenance, and demolition, with the help of green building materials.

Sustainable buildings stands for_ _ _

Sustainable construction is defined as "the creation and responsible management of a healthy built environment based on resource efficient and ecological principles". The sustainable buildings are designed with an aim to lessen adverse impact on environment through energy and resource efficiency. The consumption of non-renewable resources should be minimized, the natural environment should be enhanced and the use of toxic materials should be eliminated.

Sustainable buildings are those buildings that produce minimum adverse impacts on the built and natural environment around the surroundings including the building itself and the broader regional and global setting.

How to make buildings sustainable?

There are not well defined rules that set the standard for creating sustainable buildings. However the efforts in constructing the buildings should be towards optimizing the resources and minimizing the effect on environment and surrounding.

• Rebuilding & demolishing of an existing structure should be done only when it is not practicable or economical to reuse, adapt or extend.

• The transportation should be minimized during demolition, refurbishment and construction. Entire processes should have a goal to reduce noise, dust, vibration, pollution and waste.

• Materials from non renewable sources should be avoided especially in short life structures.

• The building should be designed to minimise the cost of ownership and its influence on the environment over its life span. It should be made easily maintainable by combining innovative techniques and technologies for preserving energy and water and reducing emissions to land, water and air.

Factors affecting building sustainability

The location of a site is an important factor for creating sustainable architecture. Energy from natural resources like solar and wind energy proves effective to enhance sustainable buildings. The use of solar hot water panels, photo voltaic cells, and wind turbines are commonly implied to harness the natural energy from the sun and incorporate it into a building’s design.

Another factor is the type of building materials used. The sustainable building materials include blown-in fiberglass insulation, recycled denims, and fast-growing wood materials like bamboo. Toxicity of building materials is taken into account while considering its sustainability. Elements with very low toxicity levels like low and non-toxic paints and low VOC (volatile organic compounds) glues should be used.

The on-site use of waste materials produced can greatly enhance the idea of sustainability in buildings, during construction and even after that. Grey water systems for use on garden beds and composting toilets to reduce sewage are some of the examples.

Resources

Sustainable Housing

Green Building Associations

Green Building Books

Green Building Services

Greener Bathroom