The case for sustainable architecture
I didn’t see a single Sasquatch in the three weeks I spent in the Pacific North West. Instead, I saw some of the most environmentally friendly cityscapes.
We had barely left the bus terminal when our guide cheerfully boomed into his headset, “Some of you might have heard a faint buzzing since you got on the bus. If not, take a listen.” He paused. “Now you hear it, right? Because we have the lowest noise pollution of any large city you can hear the four beehives at work on the Vancouver Convention Centre’s green roof!”
This was the first of many progressive, city-sponsored sustainability efforts pointed out on that tour. And rightly so – Vancouver has plenty of awe-inspiring marvels in its cityscape.
After announcing their Greenest City 2020 Action Plan in 2012, Vancouver’s council has been pushing initiative after initiative aimed at growing and supporting their city while downsizing its environmental footprint. From funding sustainable architecture and creating green jobs to zero waste and zero emissions programs to sourcing renewable energy, Vancouver is treating climate change with the urgency it requires. As many cities inch towards a greener future, only a handful are as aggressive in implementing the policy and structural changes so desperately needed.
Even New York City with its plentiful and successful green policies isn’t fully meeting the mark. While the City’s Parks and Sustainability Departments planted a million trees and added 60 acres of green roofs, they remain hyper-focused on incorporating sustainable elements into pre-existing structures rather than starting anew. In 2019, Mayor DeBlasio passed the Climate Mobilization Act. This Act sought to reduce emissions by 40% in the next decade by requiring buildings larger than 25,000 square feet to be retrofitted with more energy-efficient windows and insulation. Additionally, in accordance with Local Laws 92 and 95, new construction and renovations must allow for vertical and horizontal structures over the roof deck to install solar panels or green roofs. By all accounts these steps are great. However, with the current inefficient high rise buildings accounting for over 70% of greenhouse gas emissions will these measures be enough?
A city-wide implementation of sustainable architecture as the backbone of green policies is the much-needed game-changer in tackling rising emissions.
Sustainable Architecture in Action
Sustainable architecture is just that. Architecture that is sustainable. It is a modern design driven by efficiency, innovation, and synergy with the ecosystem. Structures created using this approach can see drastic decreases in traditional energy use and pollution. By trapping heat in during the winter through the ceiling to ceiling windows or keeping in cool air with living roofs these buildings are blending functionality with environmentalism. The beauty of this architectural movement is that it isn’t just lush vegetation on balconies or a few solar panels here and there — it’s a holistic and multi-faceted approach that can be incorporated into any cityscape.
In some aspects the Bosco Verticale, or Vertical Forest, in Italy with its overflowing shrubs and trees feels like it was plucked out of a post-apocalyptic movie after every man-made structure has been reclaimed by the earth. Designed by Stefano Boeri, Bosco Verticale are two apartment buildings in the design and pollution capital of the world, Milan. His mission when creating Bosco Verticale was simple: reduce air pollution and increase population density. Annually, the 20,000 trees and plants that drape the sides of the building convert 44,000 pounds of carbon dioxide from smog and pollution into fresh oxygen. Meanwhile, the one hundred apartments add to the population density. The idea behind this combating emissions is that when people live in cities they are more likely to walk, bike, or take public transportation over driving fuel-inefficient cars.
While some sustainable architects value greenery, others focus on form. Two shining examples of sleek, modern form and function are the Bahrain World Trade Center 1 and 2 and Shanghai Tower in China. Both feature glassy designs that funnel wind down to wind turbines beneath the structures that supply 10–15% of their energy usage.
The Bahrain World Trade Centers 1 and 2 harness the natural power of the Persian Gulf through innovative design. By positioning the two sail-shaped towers north, the direction the wind comes in from the Gulf, at 45’, the wind forms an S-curve as it funnels into the two wind turbines beneath the buildings. Through this design the buildings potential to create green energy is drastically improved.
Likewise, the Shanghai Tower design is a sustainability marvel. As it rises, it twists 120' which funnels wind into turbines as well as reduces construction steel usage by 25% compared to similarly sized buildings. Additionally, the building has double paned windows that keep in cool air thus reducing the need to use energy to air condition the building, uses geothermal heating methods, and collects and purifies rain water for usage in-house.
The Case for Sustainable Architecture
No matter how many solar panels and green roofs are added to a building they will never be as efficient as a structure designed with sustainability in mind. This is in no way saying that installing these fixtures is a waste. These measures play a key role, especially in outfitting older and historic buildings. New construction, however, shouldn’t have the same regulations of already standing structures. They should be encouraged if not required to go beyond.
Cities can take notes from places like Vancouver that require new builds to follow net-zero regulations. By focusing on the building of sustainable architecture in addition to altering pre-existing structures, cities can aggressively battle climate change while supporting the people by adding green jobs and reaching their green goals sooner.
Sustainable architecture works in four ways:
- Reductions in construction. The use of sustainable design means that individual elements in construction are recycled, repurposed, or, in other ways more sustainable. This can mean less waste produced or, in the case of the Shanghai Tower, require significantly less steel.
- Reductions in operation costs. By incorporating green elements that utilize renewable energy into new builds, the structure can drastically cut their utility spending. Additionally, sustainable architecture also focuses on sturdier elements. This means that in the long run, these structures will require fewer repairs with fewer future costs associated.
- Reductions in community sprawl. Creating structures and spaces that can more comfortably house dense populations with necessities and amenities nearby is huge for lowering greenhouse emissions. This population density means that people can forgo fuel-inefficient vehicles for public transport.
- Reductions in everything else. This is closely related to reductions in operations costs, however, it focuses on the true greenness of the architecture. By relying less on traditional energy and more on renewable energy or geothermal heating/cooling, the high emissions of buildings would be a thing of the past.
Making the switch to sustainable architecture won’t happen overnight. It’s going to take time, resources, money, and governmental support. This will not be an easy feat, but, with this struggle comes to the promise of positively transforming our cities while tackling the biggest emitters of greenhouse gases in our communities.
