What do Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi, and Bengaluru have in common? Concrete forests; these refer to skyscrapers and buildings that we see all across these cities. Each year, tons and tons of wastes are produced. Development is a thing of the past; now, it is sustainable development. But, how can we change our lifestyle, keeping in mind sustainability and the environment?
Green Architecture
Green architecture is a philosophy of architecture that advocates sustainable energy, reuse and reduce, and safety building materials, amongst others. Principles of green architecture are :
- Water efficiency
- Energy efficiency
- Land-use efficiency
- Lower environmental impact
- Material efficiency
- Low maintenance cost
- Reduction of waste
- Use of renewable energy
- Good indoor environmental conditions
Some characteristics of green architecture are:
- Ventilation for heating and cooling
- Usage of energy-efficient appliances
- Responsibly harvested wood
- Water-saving and plumbing fixtures
- Minimal no harm to natural habitat
- Non-synthetic, non-toxic material usage
- Adaptive usage of older buildings
- Usage of recycled architectural salvage
- Efficient usage of land space
- Rainwater harvesting and greywater usage
Some of the material that can be substituted for constructing buildings are:
- Paper, instead of Plaster of Paris.
- Bricks can be replaced by bamboo. These are ideal for places which are more prone to natural disasters such as flood or landslide.
- Plastic junk can be easily reused as plastic bricks.
We need to amp up the quality of the food we eat, the air we breathe and the water we drink. Planting dwarf trees, advancement in the purification of water and growing chemical-free food are some intelligent methods of achieving sustainability. We must vigorously work towards the protection of our environment, lest we move towards the destruction of humanity. We can save our planet and hope for a better future. Infrastructure is a vital resource, but it’s even more important to switch to a sustainable way.