Sustainable design is the art of designing physical objects and the built environment to comply with the principles of economic,social, and ecological sustainability. It ranges from the microcosm of designing small objects for everyday use, through to the macrocosm of designing buildings, cities, and the earth's physical surface. It is a growing trend within the fields of architecture, landscape architecture,engineering,graphic design, industrial design, interior design, and fashion design.
The essential aim of sustainable design is to produce places, products and services in a way that reduces use of non-renewable resources , minimizes environmental impact, and relates people with the natural environment. Sustainable design is often viewed as a necessary tool for achieving sustainablitly. It is related to the more heavy-industry-focused fields of industrial ecology and green chemistry, sharing tools such as life cycle assessment and life cycle energy assessment to judge the environmental impact or "greenness" of various design choices.
Sustainable design is a reaction to the global "environmental crisis", i.e., rapid growth of economic activity and human population, depletion of natural resources, damage to ecosystems and loss of biodiversity.Proponents of sustainable design believe that the crisis is in large part caused by conventional design and industrial practices, which disregard the risks and environmental impacts associated with goods and services. Green design is considered a means of reducing or eliminating these impacts while maintaining quality of life by using careful assessment and clever design to substitute less harmful products and processes for conventional ones.
The motivation for sustainable design was articulated famously in E. F. Schumacher's 1973 book Small is Beautiful. Finally, green design is not the attachment or supplement of architectural design, but an integrated design process within architectural design.
Sustainable Design Group: Mission
The mission of Sustainable Design Group is to build homes and communities that are in complete harmony with man, nature and the spirit of the place. We call them Earth Homes (tm). In addition, Sustainable Design Group works to facilitate global sustainable development and energy independence through the design, development and deployment of sustainable communities and technologies.
The home not only provides shelter from the elements but it must also give you the feeling of comfort, security and balance. That comfortable feeling comes from careful design and sensitivity to proportion, materials, texture, light and color. The use of natural materials and good ventilation assures the healthiest quality indoor environment. State of the art heating and cooling systems and energy efficient construction provides uncompromising comfort and energy efficiency. Earth Homes feel like home.
Harmony With Nature
“The earth does not belong to us. We belong to the earth” - Chief Seattle
We believe that it is our responsibility to respect nature and do nothing to consciously harm our environment. Earth Homes and Communities are built with a deep respect for and in complete harmony with nature and the environment. Earth Homes and communities reflect this in every detail. Earth Homes work in harmony with the forces of nature. The sun is an integral part of the home design, heating the home naturally in the winter, shaded in the summer to keep the home cool and providing daylight year around. We use solar energy to generate much of the electricity for the home and to heat water where applicable. The natural flow of water is taken into consideration to keep the foundation and site dry and to prevent excessive runoff to nearby streams. The air flow around the building is carefully considered to avoid cold air in winter and to channel cool breezes in summer. We use natural local materials were ever possible. The wood used in Earth Homes is certified to have come from sustainable managed forests. We maximize energy and water efficiency to minimize pollution and depletion of our resources. Our communities are laid out in harmony with the natural energy flows of the landscape and oriented to the winter sun. Only native species of plants are used in the landscaping and roads and site work are designed to minimize run off to the streams. While most developments have a negative impact on the local environment and contribute to global warming due to excessive energy consumption, Earth Homes and Communities strive to improve the local environment and build on the natural beauty of the place.
Harmony With Spirit Of The Place
Every place has its own unique beauty that comes from its history, its people and the natural beauty of the landscape. At Sustainable Design Group we are committed to being a positive influence on the people and natural beauty of the place while respecting the region’s culture and history.
Journal Three.
The Sustainable Design Resource Guide is the next website I visited.Their goal is to find the most suitable materials and available products that help sustain the earth and human health. Until now, it has been difficult to find sources for suitable materials and products from local or regional sources. Through the leadership of two local organizations, a multi-disciplinary group of building professionals created this Sustainable Design Resource Guide. The Denver Chapter of the American Institute of Architects Committee on the Environment and the Colorado Chapter of Architects, Designers, and Planners for Social Responsibility have worked together to provide a convenient resource and to fill a need not covered by other guides.
What they had to say about concrete:
-Consider using concrete as the finished surface, by specially forming, coloring, or etching the face. This allows concrete to be used efficiently as both a structural and architectural element.
-On exterior applications concrete can be used to reduce the heat island effect (caused by dark heat absorbing materials such as asphalt) and is less costly to illuminate1 due to its reflective nature.
-Consider using stay-in-place insulated concrete forms (ICF’s) in foundation walls. ICF’s can also be used for walls above grade. Use of these forms can reduce the amount of concrete needed and provides insulation value as well.
Woods and Plastics...
Both wood and plastics are building materials commonly used because of their versatility, durability, availability, and cost. In the past, these materials have been used with little thought to their origin or the impact of their use on the environment. Concern over preserving our natural resources is influencing our selection of wood products. The new wood and plastic products being developed augment the selection process, but careful consideration must be given to their content.Use engineered lumber and laminated wood products.
-Use salvaged lumber.
-Specify composite lumber and/or finger-jointed lumber.
-Specify formaldehyde-free wood products; or specify exterior-grade products for finish carpentry with all surfaces sealed.
-Specify products made from recycled paper or wood fiber in place of lumber.
-Specify wood materials that originate from sustainably-managed sources.
-Specify recycled plastic products.
-Specify that lumber waste on the job site be recycled.
Electrical...
-Incorporate daylighting and energy-efficient lighting systems to improve visual quality, productivity, cooling load, and energy costs.
-Specify premium efficiency motors and variable speed drives with induction-duty rated motors.
Journal Four.
Going green around the house. Steps to help be green!
-First and foremost, when in doubt, try not to throw it out. Don’t buy things only to throw them out later. Our land fills are full enough. Buy quality items that will be long-lasting. Green furnishings are furnishings that last a long time.
-Make choices that keep your air clean. Try to stay away from materials that produce poor indoor air quality. Avoid oil-based paints, and anything with vinyl — flooring, window coverings, fabric coating. They off-gas. Stick with paints with low or no VOCs (volatile organic compounds) Large, national suppliers such as Sherwin Williams and Benjamin Moore are now offering quality paints that are easy to find
-Keep your forests growing. If wood is a component, try to find products that are made from sustainable woods and forests. Try reclaimed wood flooring or wood that comes from a supplier that can verify that original trees are from sustainable forests.
-When in doubt, go natural. Natural products in the same category are often safer bets than their synthetic counterparts. Wool or sisal flooring, for example, can be a greener choice than nylon carpet. Buyer beware though: the word “natural” can be just “green-washing,” or a misleading marketing tactic to make you think the product is green. You see, there is no one regulating what “natural” or “green” means. So while you might think your beautiful handknotted carpet it green because it’s made with wool, it may be washed with harsh chemicals, like acid or chlorine bleach.-Ask and you shall receive. The more we ask for recycled and sustainable products, the more the market will respond. Recycled glass tile for your kitchen or bath is beautiful, very stylish and many manufacturers make it with different finishes and colors. More good news, it’s been aroud for a while so it’s reliable and the price point similar to the non-recycled kind
Sustainable design seeks to reduce negative impacts on the environment, and the health and comfort of building occupants, thereby improving building performance. The basic objectives of sustainability are to reduce consumption of non-renewable resources, minimize waste, and create healthy, productive environments.
Sustainable design principles include the ability to:
- optimize site potential;
- minimize non-renewable energy consumption;
- use environmentally preferable products;
- protect and conserve water;
- enhance indoor environmental quality; and
- optimize operational and maintenance practices.
Utilizing a sustainable design philosophy encourages decisions at each phase of the design process that will reduce negative impacts on the environment and the health of the occupants, without compromising the bottom line. It is an integrated, holistic approach that encourages compromise and tradeoffs. Such an integrated approach positively impacts all phases of a building's life-cycle, including design, construction, operation and decommissioning.
GSA and Sustainable Design
GSA is committed to incorporating principles of sustainable design and energy efficiency into all of its building projects. The result is an optimal balance of cost, environmental, societal and human benefits while meeting the mission and function of the intended facility. It is GSA's intent that sustainable design will be integrated as seamlessly as possible into the existing design and construction process.
GSA and LEED
As a means of evaluating and measuring our green building achievements, all GSA new construction projects and substantial renovations must be certified through the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) Green Building Rating System of the U.S. Green Building Council. Projects are encouraged to exceed basic LEED® green building certification and achieve the LEED® Silver level. LEED® consists of a set of prerequisites and credits with specific requirements for obtaining points in order to become a certified green building.
Journal Six.
The GreeNOLA plan calls for six houses and two multifamily units which employ energy-efficient appliances, solar power and recycled building materials, in addition to providing social services such as child care and a community garden. This proposal is designed to cut pollution and decrease operating energy use by 50 percent to 60 percent compared with traditional homes.
Journal Seven.
Tthe ‘sunbird’ features:
| • | Climatically appropriate passive design |
| • | Extensive use of sustainable harvested timbers from the Atherton Tablelands |
| • | Selection of other materials on the basis of low embodied energy |
| • | Solar energy installation generating approximately 100% of power needs |
| • | Solar hot water unit |
| • | On-site collection and storage of 70% of domestic water needs |
| • | Appliances and technologies to reduce water and power use |
| • | A composting toilet to reduce wastewater and nutrient outputs. |
Journal Eight.
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