Green design isn’t new-fangled, modernistic or part of a passing fad.
It’s classic architecture, as it was prior to and including the 1970s, before cheap fuel was discovered and incorporated into accepted design, materials and mode of construction, according to Marvin Malecha, dean of the College of Design.
“Ancient building principles have been brought back to our attention because they are inherently green,” he said. “It has only been during the last 50 years when buildings could be something other than green. They didn’t have cheap power. They didn’t have the ability to disconnect from natural systems like we do now. We’ve become hooked on cheap fuel.”
However, this new-found dependency on bargain materials and fuels has, he said, turned into one intensive carbon footprint — 70 percent of the energy generated by power plants goes to buildings and building construction.
And this leads to more than just a carbon footprint.
“If we don’t do something about our energy conservation, the middle class is not going to have their own homes in the suburbs because of high energy costs,” he said. “[Energy dependency] affects not only the environment but national security and the standard way of life.”
Green design, Malecha said, will help solve the problems caused by the superfluous consumption of cheap fuels.
“We will have less dependency on oil, a smaller carbon footprint, better air to breathe, less dependency on foreign oil — which threatens our national security,” he said. “It would give us a better quality of life.”
The College of Design is taking its own step toward reaching this quality of life. Faculty, Malecha said, are teaching architecture students principles that apply to sustainable design, such as keeping in mind from where prominent breezes originate and where the sun is located with respect to the house.
“A student who graduates from our school will have no problem adjusting to this new era of green design,” he said.
But architects don’t have full reign in the decision to conserve energy.
Even the consumption of resources such as water, Malecha said, uses an inordinate amount of energy due to transporting the resource from its source to a plant and finally, through an underground maze of pipes, to the consumer.
“When you conserve water, you use less energy,” he said. “That’s part of living a green lifestyle.”
But sustainable design, he said, is not composed solely of bulky solar panels and towering wind turbines. There are simple habits — such as buying compact fluorescent light-bulbs, watching the thermostat and turning the lights off in an unoccupied room — homeowners can learn that will conserve energy.
“Taking the time and being responsible about recycling and using our natural resources properly will make a huge difference,” he said. “What we do has an impact on energy, believe it or not.”
Green design on campus
Though no buildings have been LEED — Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design — certified, University Architect Michael Harwood said he architects on each project always shoot for a Silver LEED rating, which indicates the building has passed 50 to 60 percent of LEED’s prerequisites and credits. Architects use LEED guidelines to incorporate green elements into the building’s design, but don’t spend the money to get the building certified, he said.
“The strategy is to go ahead and make those decisions but then not to worry about getting the seal of approval,” Harwood said. “We know we’ve done all the right things, but we don’t need the U.S. Green Building Council to validate the appropriateness of our decisions.”
Instead, the money that would have been spent on certifying the building, he said, can instead be put toward projects that make the building more green. The University does commission a third party to study the both the design and the finished product to perform what Harwood called “quality control” — providing an unbiased observation about whether the design and building are appropriate.
One of the most utilized facet of green design on campus is controlling storm-water runoff. Sand filters, bioretention areas, rain gardens, storm water ponds and wetlands reduce runoff — which, in turn, reduces the amount of pollutants released back into nature.
“We go above and beyond what the statutes call for,” Harwood said. “They’ve become such a collection that it’s now a teaching tool for our faculty to demonstrate efficiency.”
The future of green design
Design, Harwood said, is cyclical.
And though cheap fuels influenced the disappearance of green design from the modern blueprints of the ’80s and ’90s, sustainable design principles have returned to most architects’ tables.
In the coming years, he said, though popular culture won’t see a pressing need for green design, architects will remember the lessons taught by energy crises.
“Popular culture always has a very short attention span,” he said. “As architects and engineers we need to remember those [past] lessons.
Even if the urgent demand for sustainable design diminishes, Harwood said, it wouldn’t recede to a point at which it doesn’t exist at all.
In fact, it’s just the opposite.
And as sustainable materials and methods become cheaper and more readily available, they will be used in as many design elements as possible, he said.
“Sustainability is really about doing the right thing — and it’s easy to do the right thing when it’s also less expensive,” Harwood said. “As we continue to advocate for green design it will become less expensive to be more sustainable.”
Harwood pointed to sprinklers, which are now typical in every home and building.
“They were expensive [to install] at one time because we had to choice to not include sprinklers,” he said. “But they save lives.
Sustainable design is the same way. It will become so commonplace that folks will build in a green or sustainable way because the cost premium [for the materials] will have gone down.”
Tips for conserving energy
Since heating uses the most energy, a well-maintained heating system will keep fuel consumption — and cost — low. Check the heating system’s filters monthly and clean them when they become dirty.
Insulate your walls, ceilings and floors well. Poor insulation leads to a significant loss of heat to the outdoors.
Storm windows and doors, by preventing warm air escaping outside, can reduce heating costs as much as 15 percent.
Letting natural sunlight in by opening curtains, blinds or shades covering windows that face the sun can keep your home warm and reduce the need for more heat.
On very hot days, conserve energy by closing the fresh air intake on your air conditioning unit. Cooling fresh, warm outside air requires more electricity than re-cooling the air that is already circulating in your home.
Avoid cooling rooms that are unoccupied, or purchase automatic timers that will turn on the air conditioning when you return home but allow the unit to remain off during the day.
Check the refrigerator door to make sure it is shut tightly.
Consider a high-efficiency model when purchasing a new refrigerator.
Keep refrigerators away from heating appliances, windows and heating ducts. Direct exposure to heat forces the unit to work harder and use more energy.
Run the washer only when you have a full load of laundry.
Since 90 percent of the washer’s efficiency goes toward heating water, use hot water for washing only heavily soiled laundry.
If you have more than one load of clothes to dry, try to do each load immediately after the previous one to utilize the remaining heat and increase the dryer’s efficiency.
Dry heavy and light fabrics separately — this will keep drying time to a minimum.
Remember to check the lint filter before each load.
Washing dishes by hand may actually use more energy since the manual practice requires more hot water.
Use the dishwasher only when full.
Source: http://www.reupower.com/
Calculating your carbon footprint
Visit http://www.carbonfootprint.com/ to recognize your impact on the environment and take steps toward reducing it.
Reducing your carbon footprint
1. Sign up to a green energy supplier, who will supply electricity from renewable sources (e.g. wind and hydroelectric power) — this will reduce your carbon footprint contribution from electricity to zero. 2. Turn it off when not in use (lights, television, DVD player, Hi Fi, computer etc.) 3. Turn down the central heating slightly 4. Turn down the water heating setting 5. Check the central heating timer setting — remember there is no point heating the house after you have left for work 6. Unplug your cell phone as soon as it has finished charging 7. Defrost your fridge/freezer regularly 8. Do your weekly shopping in a single trip 9. Hang out the washing to dry rather than tumble drying it 10. Go for a run rather than drive to the gym
Source: http://www.carbonfootprint.com/
Going all-green
To see the elements of green design for yourself, check out the N.C. State Solar House, which incorporates both active and passive energy conservation techniques.
The Solar House is located on Gorman Street, near the intersection of Gorman and Western Blvd.
Hours:
Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Sundays, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
