In today’s society, we are overwhelmed with different cultural trends, social media, & technology which has exposed us all to the many differences, issues, problems, messes, and even a few dumpster fires created by our evolving lives and adapting lifestyles. Global warming is at the top of our environmental impact, with greenhouse gases causing global temperature to increase naturally, and at an accelerated pace due to human advancement. At home, we desire comfort and peace above all else, our homes are our safe place, sanctuary, and shelter from all the forces of the world, but “Home” it is not necessarily the House we live in. For most of us, home is where our love and family live, and we desire, above all else, to provide a stable, loving, and nurturing environment for our families to grow and gather in.
Building an energy-efficient home may have become a recent revelation with the concerns publicized by global warming in the 1970s. Sustainability techniques, however, have been mastered & implemented since the age of the caveman, finding a southernly exposed cavern that would absorb the winter sun during the day, stay warm at night, and then shade the summer sun throughout the day. If you ever visited the Colosseum in Rome or got a chance to read about it, the strategies applied were incredibly advanced. For example, tunnels, caverns, and shafts connected beneath the structure ran to a river where cool air is naturally produced above running water. The laws of thermal dynamics suggest that the rising hot air would draw the cool air through the shafts, tunnels, and caverns over the cooling river into the Colosseum, creating a cooling effect similar to how modern air conditioners use a fan to move air over a cold coil. To top it off, operable solar canopies were constructed to maintain the temperature within the stadium once the hot air was drawn out and direct incoming air into the center of the colosseum. This kind of innovation is not an isolated event to the advancements of the Roman empire, nor concentrated to heating and cooling; similar instances can be seen throughout the globe where power and comfort have been produced using natural conditions and positioning of built elements.
Another fun way to create more energy efficiency is through landscaping. A deciduous tree (whose leaves fall in the winter) can be placed on the south face of a building so that its bloom shades the building during the hot summer sun and allows the building to be heated by the winter sun. A coniferous tree (leaves don’t fall in winter) can be used to strategically block fierce winter winds and naturally direct pleasantly cool summer breezes. Even the orientation of the building will affect the energy consumption and comfort of the building. Energy efficiency & sustainability go so much further than the active solutions we all hear about as a quick solution to energy consciousness.
Solar panels, geothermal technology, wind turbines, hot water collection systems, etc.. are all great additions but require mechanical (active) technology to function correctly. In contrast, as illustrated by the Romans, passive strategies offer natural means of lowering our carbon footprint. The best energy-efficient homes balance the combination of both systems. High-value insulation, thermal mass (brick, stone, cement, etc.), heat recovery systems that provide fresh air, large windows (fenestrations) that allow light and solar radiation in, light shelves that direct sunlight effectively, strategically located landscaping, clear story windows, home orientation, natural ventilation, solar panels, solar water collection system, grey water (like stormwater) collection systems, geothermal technology that uses the consistent temperature of the earth to warm/cool water, and so much more, all working together to produce, retain, and distribute energy efficiently throughout the House. Providing clean and comfortable living experiences. Each system supports the next in a unifying and elegant composition and orchestra of functionality.
The architectural community has established standards to help architects, engineers, & designers achieve energy-efficient architecture. The USGBC (United States Green Building Council) developed the LEED (Leadership in energy efficient design) certification checklists which define a point system for integrating energy-related design techniques and provides bonus points for advanced design solutions. Professionals and real estate developers use these to earn credentials, design, and facilitate sustainable architectural solutions. Another standard, The Living Building Challenge, took a performance-based strategy for the entire site. The architecture, including the site, is achieved versus an anticipated approach like LEED. Then there is a ZERO Energy building where the architecture produces as much, if not more, energy than it consumes from the outset of construction, maybe, the strictest and most challenging standard to achieve. Within the last few years, another measure emerged called Passive House; this standard, like the living building challenge, focuses on performance-based design solutions, but specifically on the functions of the building. In my professional opinion, this is an excellent standard to inspire to if that is the kind of project you wish to explore.
Passive House insists on a super-insulated building envelope, high-performance windows and doors, an air-tight building envelope that prevents leaks, mechanical ventilation with heat transfer, high-efficiency hot water systems, thermal bridge-free construction, and special software to model energy losses. Combine these systems with some of the earlier strategies, and introduce an elegant, contemporary shape. You’ll have a state-of-the-art living condition, with a surplus of creature comforts and energy savings that will create an utterly energy-efficient living experience for you, your love, and your family. You’ll live with the confidence that the world smiles with every moment your home and house bring from within.