Green buildings are counted among the eco-friendly architectures. In a world where pollution and global warming are increasing day by day, green architecture houses are becoming a top architectural project. Sustainable design and small house interior design are creating a new vocabulary around the world.
You will look around and find that architects are working on green building projects. Green product suppliers are in heavy demand. They used to describe their work, and gaining work knowledge is helpful for them.
Dive into this blog to learn about the essential green building terms for homeowners.
What are sustainable buildings?
The way green or sustainable buildings are built, with their construction and features, enhances the beauty and quality of the environment in which they are located. Recyclable and renewable materials are used in the construction of these buildings, minimizing energy consumption and waste production. Numerous options are available to build these buildings aesthetically. All of them are known as green building terms and technologies.
What are green building terms?
The new initiative, in which sustainable and green products are used to build buildings, environmentally friendly building materials, energy efficiency and renewable energy, indoor air quality, water efficiency, waste reduction, smart growth, sustainable development, and toxics reduction, are the seven components of green building.
Essential green building terms
Green building terms include solar panels, passive designs, green roofs, greywater systems, rainwater harvesting systems, low VOC, indoor airplus certification, star certified products, carbon neutrals and others. Let’s explore some of them deeply and learn how helpful they are in building green buildings.
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Passive Designs
Passive design in green buildings is meant to minimize the need for excessive heating, cooling, and other climatic changes. Most of the environmental change can be done in a house using unpowered systems. This method helps to reduce energy usage while increasing comfort.
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Solar Panels
Including a solar energy system is becoming common in most architectural buildings, whether they are green or not. It converts sunlight into electrical power, providing a sustainable and renewable energy source for homes. For homeowners thinking about installing solar energy systems, it is crucial to comprehend terms like inverters and photovoltaic cells.
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Green Roofs
Along with taking care of the environment, plants also enhance their beauty wherever they are planted. Plants grown on the roof surface can help manage rainwater and promote biodiversity. With the help of plants grown on the roof’s surface, green roofs can enhance insulation. Owners making green roof choices should be familiar with words like substrate and sedum. Substrates can be organic, inorganic, or minerals, whereas sedums are used to reduce the loss of heat through the roof.
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Carbon Neutral
There are some differences in the organizational and agency definitions. The carbon neutral component usually refers to the complete removal or significant reduction of carbon emissions from building design and construction. It is a high-performing building envelope. Energy Star appliances, smart home systems, energy-efficient lighting, and solar-ready architecture are some of the essential carbon-neutral components of construction that also increase energy efficiency and on-site renewable energy.
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Energy Star Certification
Environmental Protection Energy has launched star-certified products with performance standards. These appliances need less energy to run, and resource conservation will be improved, due to which home energy costs will go down. They can be good to consider if you are planning to build a green building.
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HEPA filtering
A high-performance air filter that enhances indoor air quality is a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter. It works by capturing small particles such as mold, dust, bacteria, and pet dander. Whether installed in a standalone air purifier or as part of a whole-house air filtration system, HEPA filters are capable of removing 99.97% of airborne particles as small as 0.3 microns.
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Indoor AirPlus certification
Indoor AirPLUS certification is an optional program for green buildings, supported by the EPA. It increases energy efficiency and enhances indoor air quality.
Builders must achieve or surpass the program’s requirements for better construction methods and high-performance product specifications to receive this certification and the AirPLUS label.
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Embodied energy in the life cycle
This green building term refers to sustainable building, which describes the overall energy use in a building project. From the very beginning of raw material procurement and manufacture, through project design and material transportation, and all the way through the building phase, energy requirements are computed. In addition to accounting for energy used during construction, total embodied energy also considers energy used during building usage, deconstruction, and removal.
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Low VOC
Buildings and home production produce a lot of gaseous, volatile organic compounds. These VOC concentrations can affect indoor air quality and people’s health because they can be up to ten times greater indoors. Low-VOC materials should be used in construction to reduce exposure and enhance the air quality of a house. These materials include paints, lacquers, adhesives, sealants, and insulation.
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Rainwater harvesting systems
Rainwater harvesting systems in green buildings are the practice of collecting and using rainwater for different purposes, such as irrigation, flushing, washing, or drinking. It reduces the demand for potable water and reduces the cost of water supply, which mitigates the impact of floods and droughts.
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Greywater systems
Involving greywater systems in greenhouse design buildings will help to irrigate both food- and non-food-producing plants. Nutrients like phosphorus and nitrogen provide an excellent source of food for these plants.
Final Words!
Adopting green building techniques is a commitment to a sustainable and conscientious way of life, not only to building an environmentally friendly house. Gaining knowledge of these fundamental concepts enables homeowners to design energy-efficient homes, make educated decisions, and improve the health of the environment. Green buildings will be the future of today’s generation. Beyrac Architects, one of the best architecture firms in Dubai, provides small house interior design with green architecture. If you are looking for a room in your house, visit their official website to learn more about the top architecture projects they are working on that will match your needs.
