Sustainability is an environmental term describes how the bio systems stay diverse and productive over time. For human been, sustainability is the ability to preserve our life on the long run, this depends on preserve the natural world and the responsible use of the natural resources.
Sustainability is an environmental term describes how the bio systems stay diverse and productive over time. For human been, sustainability is the ability to preserve our life on the long run, this depends on preserve the natural world and the responsible use of the natural resources.
Sustainability became a wide scope term that can be applied on all life sides in the universe, from the local level to the global level and across different time periods. Wet area and natural forests are examples of the sustainable bio systems.
The hidden bio chemical cycles redistribute water, oxygen, nitrogen and carbon in the bio and non-bio system in the universe and preserved the live for million years. But as the increase of population in the universe, the natural ecosystem declined.
Sustainability term has been used since 1980's to express the human been sustainability on the planet earth. This paved the way for the most common definition of sustainability and sustainable development, as defined by the United Nations Commission for Environment and Development on March 20, 1987 as "the development that meets the present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs."
At the 2005 World Summit Conference, it was noted that achieving this requires reconciling social, environmental and economic requirements, which are the "three pillars" of sustainability. This view can be expressed using three overlapped areas, indicating that the three pillars of sustainability are not mutually exclusive, but rather mutually reinforced.
Sustainability is one of the most important directions of contemporary environmental architecture. Whereas the contemporary architectural though includes many directions, such as "deconstructive architecture," by which the late architect Zaha Hadid was famous, the direction of high tech, one of its most prominent pioneers is Norman Foster, the direction of sculptural formation, parametric, digital and dynamic architecture and finally sustainable architecture.
Due to the high standard of living, high temperature, climate change and increasing demand of energy sources, which constitute heavy burden on the world, there was the urgent need for building design that produce energy or reduce the need of it, and also depends on renewable energy sources, which is known as the direction of sustainable architecture.
Sustainability concept
It is the process of designing building in a way that consider the environment, taking into account reducing the consumption of energy, material and resources, while reducing the effects of construction and use on environment, while regulating harmony with nature.
Sustainable architecture
Sustainable architecture means designing building that consume as little water, energy and natural materials as possible by recycling wastewater and using to irrigate gardens to achieve sustainability. In addition to using the modern technologies to automatically save the energy used in the building for cooling, air conditioning and lighting, as well as using of building materials resulting from the recycling of previous products or that these materials itself can be recycled later when they are expire in the building.
The principles of sustainability in architecture
The healthy internal environment
It means that the building materials and construction systems do not emit any toxic gases that spread in the internal environment of the building, with renewing and filtering the inside air by plants and filters.
Efficiency of using energy
Taking into account all measures to ensure that the building consumes as little energy as possible in cooling, heating and lighting by using of the technical methods and products that preserve the available energy and prevent misuse of it
The materials that affect environment
It is the necessity to take into account using of products that reduce destruction of global environment. Wood can be tested, provided that it does not destruct forests, also taking into account the other materials in the term of non-toxicity of the materials produced by it.
The forming that related to the surrounding environment
It is the necessity of linking the building forming and designing with the site on which it built, area and climate, and providing methods for recycling wastes.
The good design
Having a design that achieves continues efficiency of the relation between the used areas, paths of moving, forming the building, mechanical system and building technology, along with the symbolic expression of the history of the region and land as well as the spiritual values and principles which must be studied.
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
It is an international system known as standard of designing, constructing and operating of building which take environment into account and with high performance. It provides rating and measures the effect and performance of any construction, which takes many points into accounts, including:
Choosing the site
Providing energy
Water efficiency and carbon dioxide emissions
Improving the internal environment of the design … etc.
This system developed by the US Green Building Council. LEED aims to provide a framework for building owners to identify and implement green building design, construction, maintenance process and its solutions.
Achievement sustainability
Due to the important effect of the building on environment, whether through its design, construction or even the method of manufacturing the materials it consists of, green building are for limiting the negative effect of buildings on environment, raising the efficiency of unsustainable buildings by interfering in their design, construction or even methods of operating them and making it environmental friendly buildings.
LEED rating levels
The building is awarded a certificate for each category it has achieved, then it classified according to the number of certificates it has obtained in the following order:
Certified rating
Silver rating
Golden rating
Platinum rating
LEED system established to classify the commercial and educational buildings and houses which depend on acceptable operating energy, environmental principles and achieving balance between the known and new building principles.
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)