ALTERNATIVE BUILDING AND URBAN DESIGN PRACTICES

by Beverly Clarke

The patterns of usage that characterize the North American lifestyle largely dictated by the buildings we choose to inhabit and where we put them. Managing the location and method of building with climate change and reducing carbon emissions in mind, will have a profound impact on how climate change is met.

WASTE IN WESTERN BUILDING PRACTICES

The amount of energy and waste in most new buildings is incredible. The materials themselves are wasted in tremendous quantities that are then hauled off to solid waste dumps.

Sustainable buildings is a fast growing field of architecture that combines several different approaches into an integration of the indoor and outdoor worlds. This includes managing the energy costs and suitability of materials, concern for the interior and exterior environments and, special attention social concepts like livability and likely usage patterns. This type of sustainable development really strives to make ultra-efficient buildings that have a wider effect on making the shift to a carbon neutral society smoother.

TOXIC BUILDING MATERIALS

For starters, there are so very many man-made chemicals that go into the construction of a new home, many believe new buildings to be "sick" for at least the first few years of use. Imagine all the chemicals in new carpet backings or plywood glue. Paint is even a volatile organic compound that causes respiratory problems in many.

One can either avoid using toxic materials by taking over the construction themselves or detoxifying the house once it's built. Older houses can be detoxified, too. In fact, a yearly examination for molds that can speculate and lead to respiratory mycotoxicity is a very good idea, even if you have to call professionals in to deal with the problem.

Interestingly, there are quite a few house plants that actually absorb these toxins into their tissues during the course of photosynthesis. As long as you don't eat your house plants, those toxins are sequestered in heavy organic molecules that keep them from becoming airborne again.

ENERGY PROFILE OF COMMON BUILDING MATERIALS

One of the largest sources of energy input into building materials is the cost of finding, mining, processing and transporting mineral items such as drywall. All the wood used to make a frame is also costly to transport and has a negative impact on the ability of the Earth to soak up all that excess carbon.

BUILDING PLACEMENT

Architecture is ripe to begin considering fuel efficiency when designing buildings for public and private use. LEED certification standards favorably rates building placement that allows natural airflow and solar accumulation to provide heating and cooling for the occupants. Whether buildings set into southerly exposed hillsides (which is very energy efficient in cold climates) will fare well with increased climate chaos depends on how well vegetation is maintained to keep erosion at a minimum. RECYCLED MATERIALS

Architectural salvage has already been successful as a way to find old or obsolete house parts for residences sometimes billed as "handyman's paradise." They are also wonderful places to find just about anything you might need for a house, from doors to windows to broken bits of concrete that can be used to underlay a foundation. The use of alternative materials allows building designs to be a bit more fluid and to accommodate random inputs that don't necessarily fit a set plan.

ALTERNATIVE MATERIALS

While some areas do absolutely require building to follow the conventional "western" wooden frame design. There are other ways to build houses that are actually more stable and entirely made from toxin-free alternative materials.

Earthships, straw bale houses, adobe brick, tire-tamped earth, Oregon cob and even bamboo are popular alternative building materials. These are all made from dirt itself or harvested crops and are very stable and efficient over time when correctly designed. Generally contractors won't bother with such materials, so if you want to design and make such a home or business, you may need to plan on doing it yourself. Spend some time practicing telling the bank how you want a loan for a mud hut, too.

Scorn and ridicule from the construction trades aside, the use of alternative materials will likely become of greater interest as rapidly rising fuel costs make construction too expensive for many to afford. Recession-proof materials will be in high demand.