Nowadays, there is a big awareness about being sustainable. But what does it means to become sustainable? Sustainable in this context means to us humans fulfill our needs in this planet without compromising the ability for the next generation to fulfill their needs in the future. So it basically means to live without damaging the planet so the future generations can still enjoy it. Then if we apply it in the architecture context, sustainable architecture is architecture that apply that concept of minimalizing the damage we done in to the environment when we made or design the building, and when the building is still in use.
Several ways you can achieve sustainable architecture
If you’re considering to make your own living space sustainable there are several ways you can do it. Heres what we compile on how you can make your own house or building sustainable.
Harness the Power of the Sun
This can be achieved by placing photovoltaic cell in places where the sun shines so you can convert solar power to electricity. This can be a great way to become more independent from the grid. Even though you have can only generate electricity when its sunny, you can store excess power to a battery so you have power to use when its cloudy, raiing or at night. Beside raising the value of the house, having solar panel installed on your building can also become a way to gain some income. Because you can also supply the grid with your excess power generated from the sun. So you can reduce the amount you need to pay for electricity if you’re still dependent from the grid.
More From Us Easy Steps to Make your Private Villa Sustainable and Eco Friendly
Installing Better Window Panel and Frame
Beside as a source of natural light and for letting the wind through to the house, a high quality window can become a great insulator. Low quality windows transfer heat easily, so you heat from outside can easily heat your air conditioned room, making you set it colder, hence consuming more power. Proper window framing and better quality windows can help you insulate your house, hence saving power you would consume otherwise.
Greywater Recycling
There are 2 kinds of waste water that come from a typical home. Black water, which is water waste that has toilet waste mixed in. Next is greywater, which comes from shower, sinks, and washing machine. Greywater can still be treated and later reuse to flush toilet and water plants. If you want to implement this, it’s better to consult a contractor with prior experience with greywater recycling.
Beside greywater recycling, you can also reduce clean water consumption by collecting rainwater.
Using LED Lights Instead of Conventional Lights
To save power consumption, we recommend installing LED lights in your house instead of the other lighting methods. Why so? Because LED is more efficient than previous generation of lights the fluorescent, consume less power, brighter, and last longer. You can also get a directional light effect unlike fluorescent light that throw light to all direction. You can also get LED in more color temperature, so you can light your house with various way to match your theme.
