What makes buildings sustainable

Make the best use of natural light Maximising the amount of natural light in your home — through good use of windows, roof lights, sun pipes, etc — will help to reduce your need for artificial lighting. Windows and doors form a part of the building shell so the use of performance timber windows and triple glazing can really help the building's overall thermal performance.

Modern performance windows can be very efficient with whole window U values as low as 0. The fitting of windows is a key part of ensuring long lasting building performance, as they form a critical part of the building shell.

This is another area where buying too cheap is a false economy. Choose green and sustainable materials There are various ways to ensure the products and materials you use are as green as possible, as the building becomes more energy efficient and demands less power the proportion of the carbon and potential to pollute embodied in the building materials becomes a greater proportion of the whole and so the choice of natural materials becomes more important.

We also think that natural materials offer proven performance and are better for the environment. Structural systems - choose your system early in the design process All construction systems can be adapted to meet good levels of energy efficiency, but some lend themselves more immediately to hitting the highest standards. Ecomerchant support a fabric first approach to building where the Getting the choice right early on is critical, the most popular systems amongst our customers are: Timber frame Insulated concrete formwork ICF Monolithic — clay blocks Brick and block.

Block and block Find out more here. Deploy renewable technologies only after your shell design is complete Eco-minded self builders and renovators have led the way in terms of adopted renewable technologies, and their efforts could help you pick the right options for your home: the golden rule here is design the building to do the work - see the illustration below - then match your energy needs to that level.

Among the most popular technologies are solar photo voltaic panels, solar thermal panels, biomass boilers and ground-source or air-source heat pumps. Other renewable options include off grid sewage treatment and rainwater harvesting. These 7 basic principles when combined with the methodology illustrated below should ensure that performance, quality and comfort are all delivered on any sustainable build.

Economically sustainable buildings offer long-term financial savings thanks to energy-efficient design features, materials and appliances that keep ongoing running and maintenance costs low. During the design process, factors such as building size and materials should be considered in terms of their cost effectiveness.

Where possible, using local or recycled materials during the construction process can help lower costs and lead to long-term cost efficiency. Once a building is constructed, its ongoing maintenance costs are an important factor. So how is UQ meeting the challenge of sustainable design? The University is responsible for almost buildings across Queensland, from heritage-listed edifices to innovative new constructions such as the award-winning Global Change Institute GCI. As part of its commitment to sustainability, UQ has developed a series of measures intended to help reduce the environmental impact of its buildings.

These include planning strategies, green buildings, space efficiency, effective land management and a set of Ecologically Sustainable Design ESD Design Guidelines. Skip to menu Skip to content Skip to footer. The University of Queensland Sustainability Sustainability. Address the quality of the space for its occupants, such as air cleanliness, thermal control and noise pollution. Achieve improvements for the place where it is located in terms of the environment, social equity and public health.

Its imposing metre-high glass structure is a financial and business icon in Bilbao and a benchmark in sustainable design and energy efficiency. It has an energy recovery ring that reduces its carbon footprint. The building was conceived as an engine for the creation of value for the company's employees, its environment and its customers. The internal layout of the headquarters encourages teamwork, knowledge transfer and organisational learning in an ideal, environmentally friendly space that favours operational efficiency.

Virtual visit to Iberdrola Tower. Visit the Iberdrola Tower website. Beitou Public Library, Taipei, Taiwan. Taiwan's first green library is in Taipei's Beitou Park. It is a two-storey building designed to reduce water and electricity consumption thanks to its large windows. The roof is partially covered with photovoltaic cells to generate energy and also collects rainwater for use in the toilets.

This research institute and natural history museum was completely reconstructed in , according to a design by Renzo Piano.

The new building recycles rainwater, uses photovoltaic panels , makes the most of natural lighting and has a one-hectare green roof containing millions of plants native to California. World Trade Center, Manama, Bahrain. This complex of two metre high twin towers is located in the city of Manama, capital of Bahrain, and is the first skyscraper in the world to integrate wind turbines into its design.

Both buildings, which are shaped like sails to direct the wind, are linked by three bridges and each has a metre diameter turbine. Pixel Building, Melbourne, Australia. Australia's first carbon-neutral office building. Emerging as a prototype office of the future, it has a green roof with solar panels to produce its own energy and it stores all the water it needs. Museum of Tomorrow, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

This science museum, designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava and built next to Pier Maua, opened in The sustainability solutions include mobile solar panels, systems for the reuse of rainwater and an air conditioning system that uses water channelled from the Guanabara Bay.