What Is Sustainable Architecture?

Sustainable architecture is a general term that refers to buildings designed to limit humanity's impact on the environment. An eco-friendly approach to modern-day building encompasses every aspect of the planning and construction process, including the choice of building materials; the design and implementation of heating, cooling, plumbing, waste, and ventilation systems; and the integration of the built environment into the natural landscape. 

The Benefits of Sustainable Architecture

The benefits of sustainable architecture are multiple. Chief benefits include reduced carbon emissions and the conservation of precious natural resources in the age of a climate emergency. Sustainable architecture can also have a positive effect on human health in that it improves clean energy efficiency which reduces indoor air pollutants.

Characteristics of Sustainable Architecture

Sustainable architecture focuses on reducing human impact on the environment. It seamlessly blends and integrates the building into the surrounding landscape.

Eco-Friendly Energy and Water Usage

Eco-friendly energy and water usage is a primary component of sustainable architecture. The goal is to minimize wasteful, harmful energy consumption by using renewable energy sources, such as solar panels, natural heating and cooling, and ventilation systems. In designing a sustainable building, the architect seeks to have one that produces at least as much energy as it consumes for a net zero effect. Water conservation systems, such as rainwater collection and gray water recycling are also implemented.

Use of Regenerative and Eco-Friendly Materials

Sustainable architecture incorporates the use of renewable, regenerative, and eco-friendly materials, such as bamboo, hemp, cork, flax, soy, recycled and upcycled materials, and eco-friendly insulation. Replacement of conventional materials can be achieved with sustainable alternatives in both architecture and home decor. For example, concrete can be replaced with hempcrete (made from hemp, lime, and water). Conventional plastics can be replaced with innovative bioplastics made from algae.

Adaptive and Modular Spaces

Another aspect of sustainable architecture is the use of adaptable, modular spaces, many of which are made from natural materials that can be easily broken down and repurposed or recycled. Tiny houses, micro-apartments and other small structures that help address the appetite for more sustainable housing and use less land mass and energy are examples of this. Alternative housing solutions, such as homes and apartment buildings constructed from recycled shipping containers are also sustainable. Floating architecture on waterways around the world can help address housing shortages in dense coastal areas.

Incorporation of Plants and Nature

Incorporation of plants and nature via living walls, tree-covered residential towers, and green roofing materials to help cool existing buildings and create healthy biophilic environments for humans is another primary characteristic of sustainable architecture. Native plants play a vital role in the landscaping of sustainable architecture. They promote local biodiversity, reduce soil erosion, and require less maintenance because they already grow in their native environment.

History of Sustainable Architecture

Many of the practices and principles used in sustainable architecture are rooted in ancient building techniques that were transformed with the rise of modern materials and mass production in the industrial age. The modern consciousness about the need for sustainable architecture has increased with the rise in the number of people who want to live sustainably. It can be traced back over 50 years to the first Earth Day, the international environmental movement, and the ensuing legislation that it sparked across the globe. 

But the world is now in the midst of a climate change emergency, and environmental laws are always in flux. This makes it even more imperative for designers, architects, builders, and consumers to demand better building practices to help combat the damage caused by one of the most polluting industries on the planet. In the United States, for example, buildings account for 39 percent of carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions.

Sustainability has become an important element of contemporary architecture. Environmental standards such as BREEAM and LEED offer guidelines for sustainable building. Responsible architects with true sustainable practices strive to meet these standards and gain the associated certifications for their projects.

Examples of Sustainable Architecture

Wood might be an ancient building material, but cross-laminated timber, made by gluing layers of lumber together, has become a sustainable alternative for city towers and prefab houses in Europe and the United States. If the 20th century was defined by the steel and glass skyscrapers of cities like Chicago and New York, the 21st century might come to be defined by the timber skyscrapers like Mjøstårnet by Voll Arkitekter in Brumunddal, Norway.

Even recycled materials can become the building blocks of structures large and small. Pritzker Prize–winning Japanese architect Shigeru Ban uses recycled cardboard tubing to build emergency shelters. He utilized the same material to create his world-renowned Transitional Cathedral, built in 2013 in Christchurch, New Zealand. 

Another example of cutting-edge sustainable architecture is CopenHill in Copenhagen, Denmark, which bills itself as "the cleanest waste-to-energy power plant in the world." It includes a façade built for climbing, a roof you can hike across, and an actual ski slope.

The Future of Sustainable Architecture

Despite innovations, advancements, and increasing public awareness about the need for greener building practices, sustainable architecture still represents a small portion of overall global construction. Furthermore, many experts believe that the concept of sustainability is outdated given the current state of the planet. Instead, they insist that the way forward lies in regenerative architecture and design, a much more progressive holistic approach that focuses on tapping into the world's natural resources to create buildings and systems capable of regenerating themselves and breaking down completely when they've served their purpose.

It's known that climate change affects disadvantaged individuals and communities most severely, and regenerative design integrates social equity into its practices. For example, the International Living Future Institute Living Building Challenge includes a mandatory social-equity component. This represents an important step beyond the basic principles of sustainable building to help alleviate social problems while addressing environmental challenges.