Taperman articles

You would have probably heard a lot about building ‘green’ houses, about using ‘green’ designs to conserve our natural resources and save money. Ever wondered why? To have a clear appreciation we must ask the question how much do our average buildings consume? As a ballpark figure, in the US, normal commercial buildings account for about 18 percent of the total energy consumption and 33 percent of the total electricity consumption. In a year commercial buildings produce roughly 18 percent of the total carbon-dioxide emissions in the US. These alarming figures can be suitably trimmed by incorporating green designs.

Green designs approach the entire process of building houses in a holistic manner. To arrive at a green design requires a complete estimation of the terrain, availability of locally available construction material, suitable local green designs, application of relevant green technologies as also the sort of incentives offered by the government.

How do designers use ‘lay of the land’ for their green designs? Terrain mapping includes wind flow studies to arrive at the best optimum positioning of windows and ventilation shafts so as to use natural air and obviate the use of air conditioners. They calculate the annual duration of day and night of a particular place to determine the suitability of using various solar capture devices. It does not stop at that – technology is further harnessed to control the electric supply depending upon the intensity of sunlight available. Terrain mapping also includes mapping the ground water resources and calculating the best harvesting methods required to recharge the ground water and make it available for the green project. Water conservation is a key aspect of green designs wherein recycled water from the bathrooms is used to green the gardens. Roofs are so scientifically designed that they are able to route the rainwater to soakage pits, which helps in the recharge of ground water.

Some of the Green design concepts in vogue are Compressed Earth Blocks, Cob Houses, Earth Shelters, Straw Bale, Rammed Earth and Adobe construction. Each of these designs has its pros and cons and of course applicability depending on the area where one decides to use them. What is important is that such designs are no longer abstract art but are increasingly being incorporated by mainstream architects. Not only that, almost every state in the US offers substantial tax benefits to those who build using green designs resulting in appreciable monetary savings.

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