Future – MARQ eec

Sustainable Architecture

Sustainable architecture and environmental issues are now on the agenda of companies and organizations seeking to mitigate the impact of climate change on the environment through green buildings.

The word “sustainability” and the expression “sustainable architecture” are spreading in the world of design and architecture for two main reasons: functional and formal. Any object that is considered sustainable must show ecological awareness, and its functionality must be linked to its relationship with the environment through its appearance.

In recent years, a modern building must encompass all aspects of the planning and construction process from an ecological approach, including the choice of building materials; the design and implementation of heating, cooling, plumbing, waste, and ventilation systems; and the integration of the built environment into the natural landscape.

What is sustainable architecture?

Sustainable architecture refers to the practice of designing buildings that create living environments that work to minimize the human use of resources. This is reflected in the materials and methods of construction of a building and in the use of resources, such as heating, cooling, energy, water, and wastewater treatment.

Technically speaking, sustainable architecture means that the structures thus designed “sustain” their users by providing healthy environments, improving the quality of life, and avoiding waste production, in order to preserve the long-term survivability of the human species.

Hunter and Amory Lovins, co-founders of the Rocky Mountain Institute, mention that the goal of sustainable architecture is to “meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”.

The term is used to describe various aspects of building design and use. For some, it applies to the design of buildings that produce as much energy as they consume. Another interpretation calls for an awareness of the spiritual significance of a building’s design, construction, and location. Likewise, some argue that buildings should promote their users’ spiritual and physical well-being.

Sustainable architecture designs and constructs buildings to limit their environmental impact, achieve energy efficiency, to positively impact the health, comfort, and improved livability of the inhabitants; all of this can be achieved through the implementation of appropriate technologies within the building.

It must be able to meet the demands of consumers, taking into account the time and natural resources required from the early stages of the project, entering the context in the most natural way possible, planning ahead, and making the space and materials used completely reusable.

Principles of sustainable architecture

The United Nations lists the following five principles of sustainable architecture:

Healthy indoor environment: All possible measures should be taken to ensure that building materials and systems do not emit toxic substances and gases into the indoor atmosphere. Additional measures should be taken to clean and revitalize indoor air with filtration and plants.

Resource efficiency: All possible measures should be taken to ensure that the building’s use of energy and other resources is kept to a minimum. Cooling, heating, and lighting systems should use methods and products that conserve or eliminate energy use. Water use and wastewater production are minimized.

Environmentally benign materials: All possible measures should be taken to use building materials and products that minimize the destruction of the global environment. Wood shall be selected based on non-destructive forestry practices. Other materials and products should be considered in terms of toxic waste production. Many practitioners cite an additional criterion: that the long-term environmental and social costs of producing the building materials must be considered and shown to meet sustainability goals.

Environmental form: All possible measures should be taken to relate the form and plan of the design to the site, region, and climate. Measures should be taken to “heal” and enhance the ecology of the site. Adaptations should be made for recycling and energy efficiency, and measures should be taken to relate the building form to a harmonious relationship between inhabitants and nature.

Good design: All possible measures should be taken to achieve an efficient, durable, and the elegant relationship between area use, circulation, building form, mechanical systems, and building technology. Symbolic relationships to appropriate history, earth, and spiritual principles should be sought and expressed. Finished buildings should be well constructed, user-friendly, and beautiful.

The future of sustainable architecture

Despite innovations, advances, and growing public awareness of the need for greener building practices, sustainable architecture still represents a small portion of overall global construction. In addition, many experts believe that the concept of sustainability is outdated given the current state of the planet. Instead, they insist that the way forward lies in regenerative architecture and design, a much more progressive holistic approach that focuses on harnessing the world’s natural resources to create buildings and systems capable of regenerating and decomposing completely when they have served their purpose.

The future of architecture

Architecture has always been a mirror of the historical stages in which human beings have developed. Its function has been to protect and safeguard society, and technological evolution has been reflected in buildings and constructions, originating in what is known as architectural trends, which have changed with the passing of time.

Architecture also became an artistic manifestation, through its architectural designs, which is why this discipline goes hand in hand with technological advances in favor of society. Every day poses new challenges and challenges, to which it must respond with viable solutions.

Thus, it can be affirmed that the architecture of the future must favor the development of society and at the same time help it to continue developing. Therefore, some academics agree that the work of the architect in the future must be reconsidered because it is uncertain and there is the possibility of other pandemics and diseases that could spread rapidly. Hence, it is necessary to rethink a new lifestyle.

People today have realized that human beings have destroyed much of the environment and life itself, so in the future, (not so distant) architecture should maintain a close relationship with nature and even stop the deterioration of the ecology with solutions inspired by sustainable architecture, and in some places are already implementing sustainable solutions that are friendly to nature and human beings.

Within sustainable construction, materials and technologies are a mix of ancestral techniques and industrial methods, since the energy and environmental efficiency of existing buildings and houses must be increased, solar panels must be installed, and energy-efficient lighting and appliances must be installed.

Urban centers should also be self-sufficient and have everything needed for their inhabitants to live fully, such as stores, parks, recreational areas, sports facilities, health centers, and roads for cycling or walking, thus reducing long commutes.

Today more than ever, sustainability, quality vision, and energy efficiency are shaping construction, and the future of construction.

By Ingrid Luna

The importance of architecture in the metaverse

Architecture is a half art and half science, it shows a form of creative expression that allows society to look at its environment and also responds to the needs of society, currently the metaverse is a space where users develop through virtual avatars and where architects must create spaces for the development of human activities in this virtual world.

What is the metaverse?

The word Metaverse appeared for the first time in 1992 thanks to the American writer Neal Stephenson in his novel Snow Crash, which describes a collective virtual space compatible and convergent with reality. In the book, people use digital avatars of themselves to explore the virtual world and escape from their reality.

Several movies such as Matrix or Ready Player One took up this concept, where people require an avatar to access the virtual space, but where the creation of original characters was limited by a few elements. On the other hand, the video game Fornite began to exploit in a certain way the interaction between people and technologies to create experiences similar to those of the real world, where interaction and communication are essential elements.

Currently, the technology communities consider the metaverse to be a developing idea that is seen as a new version of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), where entertainment, work, and academic activities will be possible.

The metaverse is the digital realm in which any idea that can be created can exist, so for architecture, it represents an opportunity to create “a parallel world”, an area of possibilities, without any restrictions with a massive demand for content to generate the rise of digital architecture and create virtual spaces such as stadiums, entire cities or recreate buildings that exist in the real world.

Architecture in the metaverse

Architecture in the real world is responsible for the construction of spaces where human social activities are developed, such as housing, leisure, and social entertainment, so it is one of the basic elements of the metaverse world since in this virtual space people can interact, and it is here where architecture becomes important to develop the spaces of coexistence in the metaverse, as it is the cultural expression of the moment.

In addition, the three-dimensional characteristics and design methods of construction determine the natural connection between construction and 3D visualization technology, since virtual constructions existed before virtual worlds. In the construction industry, design software is used to make three-dimensional drawings, which could be an antecedent of virtual architecture.

However, the difference between virtual construction in the design process and virtual construction in the context of the metaverse is the interactivity, so in this space, architects will not only have to create plans but also integrate their knowledge to develop different projects, since the creation of the digital environment where the interaction between avatars will take place will test the design of space for avatars, with needs different from those of people in the real world.

Thus, architecture takes on great relevance in the metaverse because there are already real estate and real estate development companies that are promoting the acquisition of land in the virtual world, so the architect plays a very important role in collaboration with professionals from various branches of visual development, within the metaverse to create a space where users, through avatars, can access a parallel world very similar to the real one.

The first virtual building in the metaverse

A Danish architectural firm designed the Viceverse building for Virtue Worldwide, the creative agency powered by Vice Media Group, considered the first virtual building in the metaverse.

This virtual office is white, with a corrugated facade and multiple levels that can be accessed through a central tunnel, employees are planned to work through NFTs, and clients will attend presentations and demonstrations of recent projects.

Architecture is one of the main axes in the development of digital environments for the metaverse.

By: Ingrid Luna