Is There Anything More Natural Than Nature? Our Readers Weigh In On “Green” Houses

In many cases, I have not been able to determine if a building filled with trees fits into the “sustainability” category. In fact, I often had to make the argument that such a building is far from it.

The vast majority of contemporary marketing of sustainable architecture appears to operate under the guise of green washing. Moreover, the line between what really creates healthier and more sustainable living spaces and what is often blurred.

To find out how blurry that line is, we asked readers to think about what makes a home “green.” Are they able to trace the source of your building materials and know the people who harvest, process and sell them? Is it the ability to meet the daily needs of the population using renewable resources?

We got an astonishing number of responses and after reading and compiling all the comments by building professionals, students, and architecture enthusiasts, we noticed that the following three opinions were the most prevalent regarding what makes homes “green”: they should operate under an efficient cycle, they should teach us to be more Conscious of our influence, and must be conducive to livability. Take a look at the responses below.

Opinion 1: They must have an effective course

“Is there anything more natural, than that Green colorFrom nature itself? Consider how a tree blooms in the spring and shares its new beauty with everything that surrounds it. Then, in the fall, their leaves fall off, feeding a plethora of microorganisms that will later return nutrients to the earth and keep the life cycle going. This, in essence, is an effective course. What first appears to be waste is really essential materials to fuel future growth. Apply this to architecture, and we not only have the reuse of buildings and spaces, but their materials.” — Architecture student from Uruguay

In large cities, this means focusing on rehabilitating buildings and implementing the environmental design of new buildings, especially when deciding what materials will be used and the energy needed to produce and apply them. “The greenest energy is the unused energy.” An architecture enthusiast from Spain.

Opinion 2: They should teach us to be more aware

“Years ago, when you went to the music door to get a CD, you first had to find the genre section for the band or music you were looking for, which often meant browsing through several sections if you weren’t sure of the artist’s name over time, while the main differences persisted Between genres of music, some elements have been mixed and borrowed, blurring the lines between styles of music and breathing new life into many of them.This same concept can be applied to architecture;not necessarily drawing lines between this or that architectural style, sustainable or unsustainable, but Rather take the useful and “green” elements from each and apply them to the rest. Of course, this cannot be done effectively without taking into account history, customs, climatic conditions, and everything related to the environment that defines architectural styles and traditions. Current trends require that architecture, like most Other professions, in a more ecological way in any way possible, whether that means planting a tree and being self-sufficient and not leaving a carbon footprint.

“The truth is that there is only so much that homes can do to reduce their emissions and consumption of energy, water and electricity. Only a portion of their materials are reusable and there is no guarantee that their waste will be reused after they are out of use. This begs the question – what makes a home ‘green’ “What makes a home sustainable? Currently, it appears to be just the way of life of its occupants and their conscious efforts to reduce their impact. It is the creation of new paradigms regarding life and responsibility.” An architect from Mexico.

“I believe that there should be a harmonious and controlled intersection between green building and green living. We are making all these efforts to improve resources and reduce their environmental impact, thinking of them as a series of life cycles necessary to sustain life on our planet. In this way, it is important to highlight that In order to make a connection between living and green building, it is necessary to analyze the structural element, an element that is constantly changing in response to the environment around it and these changes are shapes their effect on this environment. It is up to public policy to direct these changes in a way that favors the environment of our only planet.” – Architect from Chile.

Opinion 3: It must be conducive to living

“The problem with ‘green’ planning, is that it tends to oversimplify the importance of plants, without considering the entire biosphere. What’s the point of going green when it doesn’t support life outside the yard or yard? So going green really means supporting life, Hence a home that claims to be green must be a home in which plants not only serve to decorate or make spaces more harmonious and sustainable (which they do) but also to be part of that home a living being that has needs and also adds to the well-being and happiness of other residents.” – Professional from Venezuela

We distinguish ‘green architecture’ with prefixes such as ‘bio’, which is a root word for ‘life’ and ‘eco’, a root word for ‘home’ or ‘home.’ By applying these terms to products and adding an element of green, we are calmed In the false security that they are, at best, “good” for the environment, and at worst, not as harmful as other alternatives. In this, the fault lies in our reasoning. If we can combine these prefixes, we get a word with the same meaning as “ecosystem” Roughly, where the biotic and abiotic components come together and exist in equilibrium with each other. Architecture must strive to embody this. It is a vague idea, but architecture must belong to an environment without affecting it, not by filling itself with plants, but by acting as one” . A reader from Colombia.

This article is part of the ArchDaily topic: Green. Every month we explore a topic in depth through articles, interviews, news and projects. Learn more about our monthly topics. As always, at ArchDaily we welcome contributions from our readers; If you would like to submit an article or project, contact us.