Over 15 billion trees are cut down each year across planet Earth. Since the dawn of mankind, experts estimate that the total amount of trees across the globe has halved.
The construction industry is one of the biggest consumers of lumber. Most of the homes in the United States have a wood-frame construction.
Sustainability In Design is an emerging concept. It may be able to help stop the global destruction of our forests.
But design sustainability has much more far-reaching implications than curving lumber consumption. Read on to find out how we can build a greener tomorrow.
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It All Starts With Eco Friendly Materials
Sustainability In Design starts with the right sustainable building materials. Wood is still a viable option, provided it is harvested sustainably. That said, there are much better, more eco friendly building materials available.
Wood is expensive and wood buildings are susceptible to disasters such as Wildfire. A better material for creating sustainable buildings is low carbon concrete.
Concrete buildings more impervious to Wildfire. They also produce fewer carbon emissions during production than wood buildings.
In addition, by not chopping down forests for lumber, you are leaving a natural carbon sink intact. Forests absorb carbon dioxide as trees respirate in the opposite fashion of humans. Trees inhale carbon dioxide and exhale oxygen.
Construction sustainability has a lot to do with how sustainably sourced building materials are. Another important aspect is the sustainability of the building’s design engineering.
Sustainability In Design Engineering
The way a building is designed is as important as the materials used in its construction. Sustainable engineering practices include creating buildings that don’t require much energy to heat or cool.
Some designs are better than others at insulating a building. For instance, passive solar heating is a great way to keep your building warm in the cold winter months.
All you need to do is incorporate large glass windows on the appropriate facing aspect. This creates a greenhouse effect and heats the interior of your home with the sun’s energy.
Engineering designs such as this can influence how sustainable overall a building is.
But sustainability in design engineering includes other aspects as well. It means incorporating things such as solar panels, wind turbines, and geothermal heating.
It also means building durable, long-lasting structures. The more structurally sound a building’s design is, the less often it will need to be repaired and maintained.
The less upkeep a building requires the fewer resources it will be consuming over time. As a result, the less environmental degradation it will cause.
Build a Greener Tomorrow
The concept of Sustainability In Design is the key to building a greener tomorrow. By making little changes in sectors of the economy, such as construction, we can learn to live in harmony with our planet.
Learn more about sustainable construction by doing research using the information you read in this article. For all of your other important news and information, make sure to check out the rest of our site.
