Grade 7 - Art - Sustainable Architecture

What is Sustainable Architecture?

Green Buildings. University of Colorado Boulder, 7 Feb. 2022, www.colorado.edu/ecenter/2022/02/07/future-zero-waste-living-sustainable-architecture. Accessed 31 Oct. 2023.

With construction being a major contributor in global energy consumption, many architects are looking to more sustainable materials, methods of construction, and taking into account environmental factors. Sustainable designs in architecture create healthy living environments while aiming to minimise negative environmental impacts, energy consumption, and use of human resources. This presents significant challenges because constructions have to be functional and aesthetically pleasing, but also the space has to be constructed with the mind-set of achieving long term energy and resource efficiency. 

According to the UN Environment Global Status Report 2017, buildings and construction account for more than 35% of global final energy use and for nearly 40% of energy related CO2 emissions. Sustainable architecture needs to recognise the existing natural resources and environmental conditions in a construction site and how to incorporate these into the build; designing a building's form and appearance can no longer be carried out in isolation. 

Biomorphic Design?

Supertree. Gardens by the Bay, www.gardensbythebay.com.sg/. Accessed 31 Oct. 2023.

Biomorphic derives from the Greek bio meaning life and morph meaning form. This form of design bases its shapes on aspects of humans or animals forms and is inspired by nature itself. Therefore, you might have a buildings curve similar to parts of the human body (example: L’Hemisfèric in Valencia, Spain has parts shaped like an eye) or constructions shaped like vegetation/plants (example: Gardens by the Bay in Singapore has tall treelike structures) or animals (example: ITKE research Pavilion has a feature designed after a sea urchin and sand dollar).