environmental sustainability – Page 2

Net-Zero Architecture: Creating a modern life with zero carbon footprint

Net-Zero Carbon sets a clear direction for new and existing buildings towards a zero carbon built environment.

The construction industry currently accounts for more than 40% of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions, and 11% of that percentage is the result of the manufacture of materials used in the industry, such as steel, cement, and glass.

Despite the global pandemic, CO₂ emissions are increasing day by day, and it was in 2020 that an all-time high was reached, according to the Global Buildings and Construction Report. And in response, governments, and businesses have adopted action plans to limit carbon emissions and ensure a sustainable environment through net-zero carbon, for that it is important to talk about net-zero architecture.

What is Net-Zero Architecture?

When speaking of net-zero architecture, it should be understood that net-zero is the act of negating or canceling the number of greenhouse gases produced by human activity, by reducing existing emissions and implementing methods to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

And a ZNC building is defined as a building with high energy efficiency that produces on-site, or acquires, enough carbon-free renewable energy to meet the annual energy consumption of the building’s operations.

In this type of building, carbon-based energy consumption is reduced first through building design strategies and efficiency measures, then through on-site renewable energy generation, and finally through the procurement of locally produced off-site renewable energy.

By establishing a net-zero balance of carbon-free energy consumption, this ZNC definition can be applied to all new and existing buildings, including those with limited on-site renewable energy capacity, such as buildings in dense urban environments.

Although net-zero buildings represent a fragment of new construction projects; the technology, tools, and knowledge that architects have acquired in recent years have made net-zero building design the new norm.

Therefore, Net-Zero Energy is when the building is able to offset or offset the amount of energy required to build and operate over its lifetime in all aspects of the site, source, cost, and emissions. In other words, the building can produce enough energy to cancel or “zero out” the amount of energy needed to operate on a daily basis.

Net-zero energy buildings are often designed with these three criteria: produce energy on-site through equipment such as solar panels or wind turbines, account for their energy use through off-site clean energy production, and reduce the amount of energy required through design optimization.

Therefore, net-zero carbon is achieved by reducing construction techniques and building materials that result in high carbon emissions. Simply put, Net Zero Carbon = Total Carbon Emitted – Total Carbon Avoided. Reducing embodied carbon through a concise selection of building materials and techniques often results in a decrease in the emission of harmful chemical gases, affecting occupants’ productivity and well-being.

Essential features of a Net-Zero building

Is it possible to create a Net Zero building from the design process and in the choice of solutions, materials, and products? Yes, it is possible, and here are some of the features that any Net Zero building should have.

Apply concepts of bioclimatic architecture

Designing projects connected to the climate and the local context can help save energy, which means using as much natural light as possible during the day while balancing thermal energy losses. The orientation of the frames, well-calculated solar protections, and absorbent and reflective materials in the right places, make the building able to passively take advantage of natural resources, according to the needs of each project.

Providing renewable energy in the building

Buildings can meet all their energy needs from non-polluting, locally available, and low-cost renewable sources, for example by harnessing the sun through photovoltaic panels or water heating panels. Or even using local wind systems or other renewable energy sources if possible.

Efficient lighting

When it comes to energy generation, it is impossible not to talk about the energy efficiency of appliances and lighting, and there must be a balance between generation and consumption, reducing losses and improving the efficiency of the equipment present in the building is vital. This means generating the same amount of energy with less natural resources or obtaining the same service with less energy with equipment that ensures efficient lighting.

Finally, the construction sector has currently implemented strategies to reduce CO2 concentrations, and one of these ways is the Net Zero architecture, which aims to reduce existing emissions and the implementation of methods to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through materials and construction techniques.

By Ingrid Luna

BIM and Sustainable Construction

Today, the word “sustainable” is used to mean so many things, but when excessive usage is removed and the core meaning of sustainability is observed, its value becomes apparent.

Sustainable construction aims to meet today’s needs for housing, work environments, and infrastructure without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs in times to come. It incorporates elements of economic efficiency, environmental performance, and social responsibility, and contributes most when architectural quality is included.

Therefore, this term goes beyond installing energy-efficient mechanical systems; it is a philosophy that affects all aspects of the design and construction phases, as well as the ongoing maintenance and operation of the building into the future.

The initial phase of sustainable construction involves issues such as building design and management; materials performance; construction technology and processes; building energy and resource efficiency. The importance of sustainable construction in the long term is important, as a building must be designed and constructed with the foundations of energy efficiency throughout the life cycle of the building.

What is the role of BIM in sustainable construction?

Building information modeling (BIM) is now part of the design and construction industry, and it makes sense that it can play a key role in achieving sustainable building goals. But how do the two relate?

Here are three ways in which they relate:

Increased transparency during the design phase.
Increased efficiency during the design and construction phases.
Greater control during the operations phase.

Increased transparency during the design phase

The use of BIM on a project, from design, allows for a transparent process, confirming that design data is aggregated into a shared model, and every stakeholder on a project can quickly and easily access a complete summary in real-time.

This transparency allows contractors, engineers, suppliers, and more to bring their knowledge and expertise to the overall construction and operation of the building from the beginning making the project more sustainable in the design phase before the money is spent on materials or supplies.

This ensures that the most environmentally responsible materials and methods are used during construction, it also saves time and money by avoiding rework and schedule delays during construction through better upfront planning.

Increased efficiency during the design and construction phases

The use of BIM results in 3D virtual prototypes that can be easily shared and used for real-time collaboration and simulation to test both construction logic and sequence.

From estimating and takeoff to design and ongoing project management, each step of the design and construction workflow is reviewed and improved as BIM technology is integrated.

Each step in the process where BIM saves time, improves efficiency, enhances the design, and reduces errors provides a measurable opportunity to minimize the lifetime environmental impact of the building.

Greater control during the operations phase

Thanks to the high level of detail and ease of sharing 3D models created with BIM, a wealth of information and operational data can be transmitted to the building owner and manager, enhancing their ability to run the building to its fullest potential.

This benefit of BIM fits perfectly with the philosophy of sustainable building, which goes beyond design and construction and extends to the long-term maintenance and use of the entire structure.

There may be other ways in which BIM technology and methodology can help improve the sustainability of construction projects.

The importance of sustainable building design

The increase in population in the world in recent years has caused the search for alternatives in the construction and functional improvement of different buildings, to ensure that natural resources such as water, land, forests, and minerals are not depleted.

The concept of sustainable construction arises to reduce the impact on the environment by promoting environmentally responsible building practices, improving energy and resource efficiency, and designing building plans to reduce the carbon footprint and establish a sustainable environment.

According to recent research, the operation of buildings consumes about 40% of the total global energy, and one option to mitigate this damage is sustainable architecture, which involves the entire life cycle of a building, taking into account environmental qualities, functional qualities, social and cultural factors, economic factors and future value.

Ecological architecture is based on the local natural environment, using the basic principles of ecology, technology, building science, and modern scientific and technological means to organize the relationship between buildings and other related factors rationally.

The construction theory of ecological buildings and ecological cities presented in recent years is based on the principles of natural ecology, exploring the relationship between people, buildings, and nature and creating the most comfortable, reasonable, and sustainable environment for human beings.

Consequently, ecological architecture is the development direction of architectural design in the 21st century. This type of architecture is also called a green building or sustainable building, as it involves a wide range of aspects, is the intersection of multiple disciplines and types of work, and is a comprehensive systematic project that requires the attention and participation of the whole society.

Thus, sustainability is a crucial solution for the construction industry and economic efficiency, protection and restore ecosystems, and improve human welfare, as it aims to: minimize the loss of materials and energy; reuse and recyclability of materials; human satisfaction; minimal environmental impact and incorporation of alternative energy sources.

The building sustainability involves a complex structure of interrelationships between built, natural, and social systems, requiring different priorities at each stage of a building’s life cycle. These can be continuously improved.

Consequently, the design of sustainable buildings is important because the achievement of sustainability goals depends to a large extent on it, especially the reduction of material and energy loss throughout the life cycle of a building, taking into account all social and economic factors, as well as the incorporation of alternative energy sources.

Sustainable building design can be defined as a building in which the structure and processes are environmentally responsible and resource-efficient throughout the life cycle of the building. That includes everything from design and construction, maintenance and renovation, to demolition.

Why is sustainable building design relevant?

Most of a building’s carbon footprint comes from its energy. Heating alone accounts for 10% of a country’s carbon footprint. Moving to sustainable architecture brings numerous benefits, not only for the environment but also economic and social, such as greater ecology and a reduction in energy use.

Other benefits include:

Protection of natural ecosystems and environmental biodiversity.
Improved air and water quality.
Competitive advantage, giving architects the opportunity to win business based on their sustainability commitments.
Improved living conditions, health, and comfort of building occupants.

Finally, sustainable building design helps to strike a balance between the environment and the construction industry, which overexploits natural resources and is a way to counteract the environmental impact.

By Ingrid Luna

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