Sustainable Construction - the Use of Residential Green Walls - Case Study Example

Title: Sustainable Construction By: Institution: Course: Instructor: Date Abstract The design and construction of buildings has advanced in several areas in Australia and this has come with the heightened need to respect the existing ecological limits making sure that it suits the significantly changing demographic patterns and lifestyles. Resources have increasingly become scarcer making it more expensive to be able to sustain the energy and water needs of buildings. Several integrated designs should thus be incorporated in the construction of houses to make them sustainable and more dependent on the existing natural resources This paper considers different energy efficient technologies, considering their costs and environmental impacts, and how they can be enhanced through good design and construction practices. It is fundamental to consider the energy requirements of buildings and look for ways to minimize these in effort to save the energy sources. Assessments should be carried too on existing buildings for retrofitting measures to further reduce the rates of energy uses by households. Table of contents 1.0 Introduction 3 1.2 Some of the energy efficient and sustainable technologies in use 5 1.3 My residence 8 1.3.1 Measures of improving the energy of efficiency systems of the building 9 1.4 Conclusion 10 1.5 Reference 11 1.6 Appendix 12 1.0 Introduction Inefficient home energy use in residential buildings has been a costly affair and one that has led to the growth of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in most countries leading to climate change. Statistics of the global use of energy has revealed higher percentage use in residential and commercial buildings and this is projected to grow even further in the Australian homes. It has been estimated that the construction of buildings and the other operations requiring the usage of energy have accounted to a total percentage of 50 of the total GHG emissions. Hence Energy efficient retrofitted measures should be carried out in buildings to reduce these amounts and help save on the available energy sources. Buildings constructed should conform to the NABERS (National Australian Built Environment Rating System) standards of energy efficiency, water usage and indoor environmental quality of buildings (LANCASTER 2012, pg 22). This should take a more integrated and comprehensive approach incorporating the need for sustainable building and site designs, sustainable residential landscapes and architecture practices that would improve the environment and also increase the energy efficiency of buildings. This would help in the introduction too of a framework that would increase the quality of the built environments, encouraging the maximum utilization of the existing natural systems with a view to reducing energy usage. These integrated site designs would leverage the many benefits accrued from the natural systems and thus significantly cut down the use of external energy. Building construction and operations always have extensive direct and indirect impacts on the environment, society, and economy and thus such designs should find a way to seek a balance between these needs to give out amicable and sustainable solutions. Both levels of the governments should be involved in these efforts to help incorporate these sustainable residential landscape architecture practices across the states, in urban, suburban and the rural homes. The main objectives of these designs should be geared towards reducing the depletion of critical resources including water, energy and raw materials and prevention of environmental degradation usually caused by these built facilities during their design lives. It should also ensure that the created buildings provide the comfortabilty required by their occupants, and that it is safe and productive (SIOSHANSI 2011, pg 28). Various home owners can make the use of this sustainable landscape architecture practice to reduce energy usage. This can include the use of residential green roof systems on homesteads, which can act to reduce home heating and cooling costs. In addition to the use of the sustainable landscape architectural practices, use could be made of the emergent clean energy technologies to achieve even more benefits. All these would lead to the reduction of the rates of emission of the GHG gases by homesteads (LIU, MEYER & HOGAN 2010, pg 77). 1.2 Some of the energy efficient and sustainable technologies in use 1.2.1 The use of residential Green roofs; these are energy-efficient vegetated roof systems that are used to replace the conventionally available roof systems, as represented by the picture 1 in the appendix. When compared, they usually last longer, sustainable and more environmentally friendly. They can be applied to improve the energy efficiency of buildings. The Green roofs have the ability to regulate buildings' internal temperatures and also reduce their heating and cooling costs.  These roofs are able to function as decentralized storm water management systems and can reduce the storm water runoffs thus decreasing the energy costs that are often associated with the installation and upgrading of centralized storm water management systems (KIBERT 2012, pg 23). Some of the other benefits derived from the implementation of this retrofit measure in homes include; Cost-efficiency: the roof system is more cost efficient as opposed to the conventional roof systems. It is estimated that a high percentage of its initial installation costs could be returned in the form of its lower maintenance costs and the reduced usage of energy over its lifetime Lowering of air temperatures: green roofs, as compared to the other convectional roof systems, have more ability of lowering air temperatures in houses and homesteads Provision of efficient storm water management: these can catch up to 40-60 percent of storm water, thus reducing its destructive flows into the city’s sewers Lowered long-term maintenance costs of roofs: they have extended life’s spans as compared to the other roof systems 1.2.2 The use of residential Green Walls; just like the green roofs, the green walls are also vegetated walls, which can be used both indoors and/or outdoors. They are able to increase energy efficiency of buildings, reduce the indoor and outdoor temperatures, and improve the air quality inside buildings. They can be designed using a variety of plant types, including herbs or succulents, which can either be placed in the sun or in the shade. When installing them however, the climate and the humidity conditions should be taken into account. Just like the green roofs, the green walls are cost efficient and are also able to reduce temperatures in buildings. In addition, they are able to reduce noise pollution as they help in the reduction of sound reflection (KIBERT 2012, pg 37). 1.2.3 The application of adequate outdoor water use measures; A higher percentage of the household water in Australia is used outdoors, and more resources and energy would be saved if proper conservation techniques are applied. This would call for water efficient garden designs that would save money, time, effort and more significantly benefit the surrounding natural environment. Such designs would involve proper selection of plants that would easily adapt to the local climates, improving the condition and moisture retention capacity of soils, maintenance of gardens, putting in place efficient irrigation systems and the use of water-saving garden plants. This would go a long way to protecting the ecosystems and improving the general landscape features of buildings. 1.2.4 Improvement of the natural lighting systems in buildings; this would involve the placement of windows and skylights including the use of architectural features that are able to reflect light into buildings in order to reduce the need for artificial lighting. The use of Compact fluorescent lights instead of incandescent light bulbs in buildings would also help in the reduction of the use of energy. The newer fluorescent light bulbs have been designed to produce natural light, and are more cost effective, despite their higher initial costs, which they payback after short periods of operation. These should be accompanied by sound controls of the buildings’ lighting and power requirements in order to meet the desired results of energy saving (RANDOLPH & MASTERS, 2008, pg 72). 1.2.5 Retrofitting the heating and cooling systems of buildings; this should involve a careful analysis of the existing systems. When buildings get retrofitted with more efficient system then energy is saved as a result. For instance by replacing older natural gas furnaces in buildings with more efficient ones would instantly lead to the reduction in energy use, emission of carbon and the bills of the winter gas. For heating purposes, direct electrical heaters should be retrofitted with ground source heat pumps. These are more efficient and cost effective. These systems have been proved to use much less electrical energy to deliver the equivalent amount of heat that would be delivered by a direct electrical heater. Its other major advantage is that its use can be reversed, in hotter seasons, to help cool the air by transferring heat from the building to the ground. Its disadvantage however is in its initial capital cost, which, it is argued, can be recovered after some few years of operation (RANDOLPH & MASTERS, 2008, pg 80). 1.3 My residence In relation to my area of residence, desirably located within a primary school zone, most of the fittings and appliances, as efficient as they may be (as represented by the picture 2 in the appendices), would need an adjustment in order to save some more energy. The building’s location is laudable with a beautiful ambiance. Its landscaping is appropriate and in line with the prerequisite considerations. It has beautiful, natural vegetation around it that protects it especially from wind and also gives it a cool outdoor look. Its design had an adequate consideration for the occupant’s health, comfort and productivity. It is equipped with efficient ventilation and moisture control mechanisms and optimized acoustic performances, all these giving it an enhanced indoor environmental quality. The building, pretty much, was designed to be in harmony with the natural features and resources surrounding it, a factor that is considered vital for a sustainable design (STELMACK, FOSTER & HINDMAN 2014, pg 28). However, with the concept of an integrated and a synergistic design, involving both new houses and the existing structures that can be retrofitted, this building could be adjusted to comply with other energy saving measures. This concept has emphasized on the need to take advantage of the existing renewable resources like the sunlight through the use of residential solar power systems and plants through the use of green roofs and walls. The operations of the building should conform to the fundamental principles of energy conservation, water efficiency, materials efficiency, operations and maintenance optimization and waste and toxic reduction efficiencies (UNITED NATIONS 2005 pg 53). 1.3.1 Measures of improving the energy of efficiency systems of the building To effectively perform these functions and to improve on energy efficiency and environmental performance of the building, a recommendation to adjust the following can apply: 1.3.1.1 The installation of a solar power system; as much as this would cost a lot to carry out, the return on its investment would be greater because of the higher amount of energy that would be saved in the process. The artificial lighting requirement of the house is relatively high and when a solar system can be introduced, electrical power bills can reduce tremendously. Use can be made of the photovoltaic solar power system fitted on the rooftop of the building. Retrofitting the building with this solar system would help save on more energy, resulting into the reduction of its cost. 1.3.1.2 Introduction of the use of ground source heat pumps; this would also assist in the reduction of the amount of electricity required by the electrical heater systems, which could be reduced to four times much less. The system would involve the use of pumps and compressors to move refrigerant fluid around a thermodynamic cycle so that heat is pumped against its usual natural flow from hot to cold. This would enable heat to be transferred from large thermal reservoirs that should be installed within a nearby ground into the building to meets its thermal requirements. Additional benefits that come with the use of this device would also be accrued. 1.3.1.3 Placement of more architectural features with the ability to reflect more light into the building; this would assist in reducing the amounts of artificial lighting requirements for the building hence resulting into more saving more energy. With its size and location, the requirements for artificial lighting would be greatly reduced and this would justify for this retrofitting exercise. The costs and environmental impacts of heating and cooling of the building can substantially be reduced through a better and improved design of its architectural features and a possible replacement of appliances with more efficient and newer ones. This should be done in an economical and an accredited way to prevent any backlash that could result. 1.4 Conclusion Every building design and material comes with an environmental cost of some sort. However, specific and various principles should help guide the selection of sustainable materials and construction systems. This should be preceded by a careful analysis to come up with an appropriate combination of materials to enhance the comfort, cost effectiveness and energy efficiency required in our homes. This analysis should consider too the probability of improving the life cycle environmental impacts of such buildings (UNHELKAR 2011, pg 88). 1.5 Reference LANCASTER, S. (2012). Green Australia a snapshot. Kent Town, S. Aust, Wakefield Press. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&scope=site&db=nlebk&db=nlabk&AN=521378. SIOSHANSI, F. P. (2011). Energy, Sustainability and the Environment Technology, Incentives, Behavior. Burlington, Elsevier Science. http://www.123library.org/book_details/?id=44137. KIBERT, C. J. (2012). Sustainable construction green building design and delivery. Hoboken, N.J., John Wiley & Sons. http://public.eblib.com/choice/publicfullrecord.aspx?p=861698. LIU, F., MEYER, A. S., & HOGAN, J. (2010). Mainstreaming building energy efficiency codes in developing countries: global experiences and lessons from early adopters. Washington, D.C., World Bank. UNITED NATIONS. (2005). End-use energy efficiency and promotion of a sustainable energy future. Bangkok, Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. http://www.unescap.org/publications/detail.asp?id=1032. RANDOLPH, J., & MASTERS, G. M. (2008). Energy for sustainability: technology, planning, policy. Washington, D.C., Island Press. STELMACK, A., FOSTER, K., & HINDMAN, D. (2014). Sustainable residential interiors. UNHELKAR, B. (2011). Handbook of research on green ICT: technology, business and social perspectives. Hershey, PA, Information Science Reference. 1.6 Appendix Picture 1: A house with the green roof construction Picture 2: My residence Read More