What are Sustainable Construction solutions for the next generation?

A sustainable construction solution or environmental architecture is designed and constructed based on ecological considerations and using indigenous and local materials. The application of the concepts of sustainability and sustainable development in construction has created a topic called sustainable architecture,

the most critical issues of which are "Eco-Tech Architecture," "Architecture and Energy," and "Green Architecture." Sustainable construction, a subset of sustainable design, is one of the critical contemporary currents that is a logical reaction to the problems of the industrial age. For example, 50% of fuel reserves are consumed in buildings, leading to environmental crises. Therefore, you can see the necessity of creating and developing the sustainability category in construction as much as possible.

Principles of sustainable construction

Sustainable architecture, like other categories of architecture, has specific principles and rules and includes these three stages:

Saving resources, designing for returning to the life cycle and designing for humans, each of which has special strategies. Knowing and studying these measures will lead the architect to understand better the environment he must design.

• Economy of Resources

This principle deals with properly exploiting non-renewable resources and energy, such as fossil fuels, to reduce consumption. On the other hand, it pays serious attention to controlling and using natural resources as renewable and permanent reserves.

For example, one of the abundant and immortal resources is the energy from the sunlight, which we use today by photovoltaic technology to provide water and electricity consumption in the building.

To control resources, you can consider three strategies: energy conservation, water conservation, and material conservation. As you can see, the focus is on these three resources because of their importance in the construction and management of the building.

• Life Cycle Design

The second principle of sustainable construction is based on the idea or theory that material can be transformed from one usable form to another without harming its usefulness. On the other hand, due to this principle, one of the designer's duties is to prevent environmental pollution. This theory examines the building in three stages to achieve this purpose. These steps are, respectively:

• Pre-construction stage 

• Construction stage 

• Post-construction stage

You should note that these steps are related to each other, and there is no clear boundary between them. For example, you can use recycled materials in the post-construction phase of one building as raw materials in the construction phase of another building.

• Humane Design

The design principle for humans is the last and most important principle of sustainable construction. This principle is rooted in the needs necessary to maintain the chain elements of the ecosystem. They, in turn, ensure human survival. This principle has three strategies of conservation of natural resources, urban design- site design and human comfort, which focus on increasing the symbiosis between the building and the environment outside it and between the building and the people using them. To achieve a sustainable construction solution, the designer must include these steps and principles in design, which define a primary framework for sustainable construction.

Definition of sustainable building

Sustainable buildings also refer to functional buildings designed as green or high efficiency. Providing good environmental and economic performance and increasing efficiency as a result of saving energy, water, and other resources are from this attitude. The decoration of sound and quality interior spaces, the environmentally friendly use of materials, and the education of building residents about productivity and protection are the main characteristics of Green University.

An example of sustainable construction is Hearst Tower: this building is located in New York, designed by Norman Foster, a very famous architect, and is a clear example of a sustainable building. By choosing a unique design for this building, the architect has reduced the steel used in its construction by 20%. This building emits 22% less carbon dioxide because it uses the air outside the building as an air conditioner most of the year. Also, the facility is equipped with sensors sensitive to sunlight to adjust the necessary lighting in the interior spaces.

Examples of green architecture and construction sustainability

1. Use of natural energy in daily use
2. The use of waste and especially the use of sewage in the production of water needed for irrigation of green spaces
3. Applying appropriate methods to reduce wasted energy or control it and optimize energy consumption
4. Using non-chemical recyclable materials that do not conflict with human health.
5. Design and construction with materials close to nature
6. Preventing the adverse effects of the building and its products on the environment
7. Using natural plants as living design inspiration in commons
8. Avoiding damaging the condition of the land to gain more profit
9. Achieving the highest quality of life in the shadow of relying on the environment
10. How to use land
11. Paying attention to the ecological character of the area
12. Attention to the climatic properties of the region
13. Special attention to the effect of light and air in the design of the whole complex and the arrangement of public and private spaces
14. Attention to mobility and life in the open environment
15. Increased comfort, livability and productivity
16. Improving durability, quality and maintainability
17. Stability of the internal environment
18. Saving money by reducing the cost of living
19. Using building options with high solar performance
20. Choosing the field of green building materials to play your role in helping protect the environment
21. Consumption of fewer energy resources
22. Use of renewable materials
23. Protection and supply of energy and its complete recycling without causing pollution
24. Wise use of land
25. Minimizing the exploitation of non-renewable resources
26. Improving the quality of the natural environment
27. Eliminate or minimize the consumption of toxic substances
28. Promote healthy living
29. Economic construction or restart of a building
30. Using natural and bio-cycle energies
31. Prevent noise pollution
32. Harmonizing the building with the environment and using local construction techniques and materials as much as possible.

Therefore, reasonable and rational use of natural resources and proper construction management will help protect scarce resources, reduce energy consumption, and improve the quality of life.

It would be best if you designed the building so that the use of new resources is minimized, and you can use it as a resource for creating other structures at the end of the useful life of the building. Although this principle mainly refers to new buildings, you should remember that the restoration and rehabilitation of current structures to reduce environmental impacts is as important as the construction method of new buildings. 

You should know that the number of resources to create new artificial environments in the world is limited, and you cannot use an extraordinary amount of them to rebuild and build each generation of buildings. Reuse can take the form of using recycled materials or recycled spaces. Also, changing old buildings for new uses is another way to reduce the use of new resources, although it brings costs and problems. 

However, the benefits of reusing these large buildings next to each other and within an urban environment can outweigh and overcome problems and costs. Renovation of existing buildings in big