By Ricardo Alvarez-Diaz
04 Mar 2024, 10:15 AM EST
Architects and designers must work to balance the consumption and conservation of natural resources, since buildings and the built environment are responsible for approximately 40% of global carbon emissions. Let’s look at five ways architectural intentional design helps:
1. Carbon Neutral Buildings: To slow the rate of global warming, architects are implementing strategies to reduce carbon emissions. This includes reducing the operational carbon generated by the heat and energy consumed by buildings, and the carbon released by the extraction, manufacturing and transportation of building materials.
In the United States and Latin America, the use of sustainable materials such as stone, mud and bamboo, as well as traditional construction techniques, are being explored to develop carbon-neutral buildings adapted to local conditions.
2. Green design: They are designed, built and operated with a focus on energy conservation, ecological or recycled materials and the preservation of the area’s biodiversity. They also often include renewable energy equipment, adaptable business environments, and waste reduction methods.
In the US and Latin America, green buildings with integrated gardens are being designed to help eliminate air pollution. In São Paulo (Brazil), for example, the Pátio Victor Malzoni building stands out for its ecological design, with green roofs and garden areas that not only improve the energy efficiency of the building, but also contribute to the improvement of air quality in the city.
3. Water recycling systems: Responsible and sustainable architectural design reduces how much water is consumed and at the same time can restore natural systems. In many places, rainwater harvesting systems and gray water treatments are being designed.
The Bank of America Tower in New York City incorporates various strategies to conserve and reuse water. Allowing the building to significantly reduce its dependence on external sources of drinking water, thereby easing pressure on local water supplies and contributing to the conservation of water resources.
4. Biomimetic architecture: Biomimicry is the design and production of materials, structures and systems modeled on biological entities and processes to solve human challenges in a sustainable manner.
This has inspired projects that seek to integrate nature-based solutions to face challenges such as global warming and biodiversity loss. For example, the BioUrban project in Mexico City uses tree-inspired structures to purify the air.
5. Urban biodiversity: Since the pandemic, architects have recognized the importance of providing urban habitats that can support biodiversity and align human interests with nature. For this reason, they are working on solutions to the global biodiversity crisis, designing cities with green spaces to encourage urban biodiversity and restore local ecosystems.
The impact of construction on the environment is monumental. Addressing it through sustainable design strategies is more than an option, it is a responsibility.
Ricardo Álvarez-Díaz is co-founder of the largest architecture and interior design firm in the Caribbean, Álvarez-Díaz & Villalón. https://www.alvarezdiazvillalon.com