What is Sustainable Architecture?
Before knowing what sustainable architecture is, let’s first know what is sustainability, it is what focuses on meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. ECONOMIC, ENVIRONMENTAL, and SOCIAL are the three main pillars of sustainability. Sustainable architecture designs and constructs buildings in order to limit their environmental impact, with the objectives of achieving energy efficiency, positive impacts on health, comfort, and improved livability for inhabitants; all of this can be achieved through the implementation of appropriate technologies within the building.
Zero carbon houses:
The annual net carbon footprint of the word zero carbon home is zero which means that it is so energy efficient. This type of home is so insulated at tight and low energy that they have become carbon-free then to these homes are still tied to the grid. They look like any other regular home there are also called zero-energy homes or net zero homes. Based on all the new smart Technologies and renewable energy that makes it possible, zero-carbon homes are a fairly recent notion. To study how feasible these homes are on the market in the last 10 years many countries around the world including the US has joined the net zero energy solar building research program. Zero-carbon homes a sustainable for obvious reasons. A home that doesn't contribute to climate change. These types of homes may not be all that unheard of in the future due to technology and Energy Conservation/energy harvesting programs grow. Producing renewable energy within the home is an eco-revolution with combining the strategies of saving energy, which will provide you with a quiet comfortable home.
Background
The Climate Change Act was introduced in the UK in 2008, setting a target of reducing carbon emissions by 80% compared to 1990 levels by 2050, with a reduction of at least 34% by 2020. A strategy for how this was to be achieved was set out in The Carbon Plan published in December 2011.
In December 2006, the Labor government committed that from 2016 all new homes would be ‘zero carbon’ and introduced the Code for Sustainable Homes, against which the sustainability of new homes could be rated. This commitment was affirmed in the Building a Greener Future: Policy Statement in 2007 which proposed progressive tightening of the building regulations to achieve the 2016 goal, first by 25% in 2010 and then by 44% in 2013.
The Labor budget in 2008 announced a further intention that all new non-domestic buildings should also be zero carbon from 2019. ("Zero carbon homes", 2021)
Definition
The first definition of zero carbon homes released was a home achieving Level 6 of the Code for Sustainable Homes. This included the emission of both regulated energy (space heating, hot water, lighting, and ventilation) as well as unregulated energy (such as appliances and cooking). But after in 2011 budget release, said that from 2016 all the homes constructed would be zero carbon as per the coalition government, which made it exclude the unregulated energy given in the definition.
In England, the definition of a zero-carbon home became one where CO2 emissions from regulated energy use were limited or mitigated by a combination of three factors:
1. Achieving minimum Fabric Energy Efficiency Standards (FEES) based on space heating and cooling.
2. Using low and zero-carbon technologies and connected heat networks to limit on-site built emissions.
3. Where it is not possible to reduce the regulated CO2 emissions to zero using these on-site measures, the remaining carbon emissions could be mitigated through allowable off-site solutions.
How to use the energy?
The size and types of house E.g., Terraced, detached, or ground floor flat, varies the amount of energy to be used in the house. The factor which will affect the overuse of energy is the number of people living in the house, their occupation type, and what appliances they use. A typical existing house will considerably use more energy compared to a typical new house built as per the standards.
Why reduce energy use?
The main cause of climate change is man-made CO2 emissions which are now generally accepted. A greenhouse effect is created in the atmosphere due to CO2 and to a lesser extent other gas such as methane and nitrous oxide. Man-made CO2 emissions must be reduced urgently, as scientists now agree that the higher CO2 concentration in the atmosphere and increasing global temperature are directly correlated to each other. Carbon Dioxide is produced due to the burning of fossil fuels like oil, petrol, gas, and coal. Carbon is released into the atmosphere when fossil fuels are used to build houses, heat our homes or generate electricity.
How can we reduce the use of carbon in the architecture field?
Materials and construction products cause carbon dioxide emissions in activities such as mining, transportation, and factories, and combining chemical products in the construction industries has a significant impact on the atmosphere. To avoid the consequences of the imbalance of the greenhouse effect carbon neutralization is an alternative, to a calculation of carbon emission. The materials you choose in the way you work with them also have a footprint that you should consider, even though the subject seems broad and almost always to us.
After the building is designed the use of the building of a good project can reduce carbon emissions. It is estimated that some percent of the impact in terms of energy consumption occurs in the design phase and construction while most of the percent happens in the phase of operation of the buildings, so it is really very important to consider how to influence the occupation and use of the building and infrastructure. What can greatly decrease the need of energy use later is thinking about proper insulation, natural lighting, and shading. It is really very necessary to understand the material specified in the project and where they come from. A tremendous amount of energy and carbon is used in the basic building materials in their extraction production and transportation. The impact of heavy machinery, transportation of materials, and waste generation as well as proper disposal is needed to address which is very important during the construction phase.
AUTHOR
ISHA RAUT
Bibliography:
Zero carbon homes. (2021). Retrieved 7 March 2021, from https://www.designingbuildings.co.uk/wiki/Zero_carbon_homes