Sustainability must be present in architecture, as well as integrated into future projects. The base of sustainability relays on some basic concepts that should be taken into account at the time of evolving in architecture.

+3 PILLARS: Socio-cultural – Environmental – Socio-economic

Green and circular economy:

-The circular economy mainly focuses on the resource cycle and is a model against the use of virgin raw materials.

-The green economy improves human well-being and social equity. At the same time, it reduces environmental risks and is resource efficient. It is a model that integrate the conservation of ecosystems.

+4 OPERATIONAL PRINCIPLES: There are also 4 operational principles to which architecture should be strictly required to fulfill.

  1. Impact of human beings on natural systems must not exceed the carrying capacity of nature
  2. Use of renewable resources must not exceed their rate of regeneration
  3. Use of non-renewable resources must be compensated by the production of renewableresources
  4. The emissions into the environment must not exceed the absorptive capacity of the receivers

ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT: land and water area needed to generate the resources we consumed and to absorb the waste we generate

MY ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT IS 4.9!!

BIOCAPACITY: biologically productive area available to provide the resources we use and to absorb our waste.

Spanish biocapacity is 1.37!!

This means that I am a environmental debtor of -3.5. I consume more or less 3.5 football pitches.

3R’s: Reduce, Recycle, Reuse

Reduce non renewable materials.

Recycle to allow another use in the production cyrcle.

Reuse to give another ”life” in order to not produce trash.


2. HEALTHY BUILDINGS

Connection between human biology and the environment.
Therefore, buildings must allow:
• air quality
• water quality
• use of natural light
• thermal comfort
• noise protection

Phsycological Aspect: Relationship with nature influences positively on the superior nervous functions, determining sensations of wellbeing,

Sick-building syndrome: SBS is a combination of symptoms associated intrinsically with a built place that can degenerate into a state of chronic illness of its inhabitants

SBS diagnosis focuses on the study of the health risk
factors associated with a building, such as:
• biological factors
• chemical factors
• physical factors
• psychosocial factors

3: CLIMATE AND HUMAN BEING

-The energy and health of human being largely depend on the directeffects of the environment in which he lives.
-The atmospheric conditions stimulate or depress the physical and mental
work of man.

-That conditions are at an optimum point within a range of specific climatic conditions.
-The human being is a thermal machine that transforms chemical energy into mechanical energy with great heat dispersion due to its metabolism.

Human comfort also depends on:
• characteristics of clothing
• characteristics of the type of work

There are environmental conditions that are
fundamental in the interaction of the building:
• temperature
• sunshine
• prevailing winds
• rainfall
• snow
• relative humidity

4. SUSTAINABLE DESIGN

Bioarchitecture: aims to minimize the negative impacts on the health of the occupants and
on the environment.

Bioclimatic architecture: focuses more on the design of abuilding, in order to take advantage of the environmental conditions for the benefit of users.

CONSTRUCTIVE SOLUTIONS:

The control of the microclimate can be achievedthrough active systems as:

  • hindering direct solar irradiation through windows
  • adequate orientation of the building
  • type of building favoring natural cross-ventilation
  • use of clear finishes to promote maximum reflection
  • thermal inertia of the building.

We can also use Traditional Materials.

5. MATERIALS

The globalization of sustainable constructive solutions that are applied indiscriminately inmany contexts does not consider the cultural aspects, local materials, the specific environmental conditions of each site.

recycling would be the last option within a group of more sustainable variants such as repair, rehabilit.