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The principles of sustainable architecture

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Normal 0 14 false false false IT X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable mso-style-name:"Tabella normale"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0cm; mso-para-margin-right:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0cm; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;The concept ofsustainable architecture was born at the beginning of the Seventies: followingthe energy crisis of 1973, in Germany some experts began to study the methodsto live in an eco-friendly way and trying to save energy. Energy-savingbuildings, as well as many other solutions that are becoming more and morepopular, are the result of those first studies, which have been deepenedthrough the decades.

One of thefirst fields of study of sustainable architecture, which can been defined asthe discipline that is aimed at building trying to maintain the balance betweenthe wellbeing of people and the health of surrounding nature, was that ofrenewable energy sources, alternative to oil, like solar energy. The firstexamples of green buildings, which appeared in Europe and in the States in theEighties, highlighted the attempt of searching for new methods to produce andnot to disperse energy. With the passing of time this trend and the studies inthis field have been deepened, while environmental problems, which arewell-known by us all but seem to be impossible to be solved, have become moreserious. Terms like external wall insulation, dehumidification, natural light have become part of the vocabulary of architecture and construction, and havebegun to be used to describe new types of houses and buildings.

Sustainablearchitecture includes many sectors, from building materials to designing, fromenergy sources research to the insulation of buildings. As far as buildingmaterials is concerned, sustainable architecture is meant to use highperformances, low environmental impact materials, which are not too expensive.This means avoiding to use materials that can be dangerous for our health, likechemical glues and paints, and replacing them with natural materials. Choosingmaterials for green buildings also means limiting the use of resources, perhapsusing recycled or light materials, which can be more easily transported. As faras the designing stage is concerned, sustainable architecture is very focusedon environmental impact, and tries not to change the habitat where the buildingwill be built. First of all, architects need to consider the location of thebuilding, which should be able to benefit from solar light and otheratmospheric factors. Secondly, green buildings are meant to maintain thenatural peculiarities of the place where they will rise, which also implies afocus on landscape projecting. As for energy sources, it is self-evident thatgreen buildings are focused on energy saving. This results in a higherattention on alternative and renewable energy sources (in this sense solar andphotovoltaic panels play an important role), but it also means using householdappliances that consume less and studying some methods to avoid dispersingenergy. In this sense, it is very useful to insulate buildings, using specialwalls, windows and doors that limit heat loss and the use of air conditionersand heating systems, which enormously contribute to air pollution.

If we allfollowed all of these and other principles of sustainable architecture, theadvantages for the environment, as well as for our health and for our wallet,would be numberless.



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