1. Introduction
‘Local architecture’, used primarily to describe traditional, vernacular and indigenous architecture, narrates an architectural story from days gone by. As with any language which is typified by local dialects and nuances so is the architectural language of any region. There is no ‘one’ vernacular or language of Southern Africa, but several historical vernaculars that have merged with time. There has been a resurgence in interest in indigenous and vernacular architecture, driven by the need to find better ways of utilising limited environmental resources through low impact climatic and technological solutions – emphasizing local building approaches, materials and skills (Marschall & Kearney, 2000). In this paper we will consider
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For example windows in houses in the warmer southern hemisphere should be designed to face north, decreasing the amount of sun that enters the building in summer, and minimizing energy use to artificially cool the space. Homes that are well insulated require less energy to either cool or heat in order to attain a comfortable temperature. Other relevant considerations include incorporating as much natural light as possible through skylights, reducing excessive dependence on artificial lighting, thermal insulation of floors, walls and roofs, use of overhangs (verandahs) to provide shade, and natural vegetation to block the wind and provide needed shade. The use of ‘clean natural energy’ supplies is an indispensable precursor to slowing down the endless demand for energy and reducing fossil fuel use (BGS, …show more content…
Improving energy efficiency in these practices more specifically requires a change in behaviour, and furthermore (if financial resources permit) an investment in low-cost product choices. Such changes and investments call for simple deeds – switching appliances off when not in use, reducing excessive heating and cooling, turning the geyser down and using less hot water, fitting a solar water heater, installing efficient lights, and insulating the roof and geyser (Smart Building Handbook, 2012).
In the architectural context the principle of ‘energy efficiency’ is often equated with the developmental values of ‘green buildings’. Guiding philosophical guidelines aiming at achieving this ‘energy efficient green objective’ embrace local appropriateness, minimising waste, conserving the natural environment, efficient and effective use of resources, utilisation of renewable resources, implementing sustainable practices and lastly – utilising local materials, skills and drawing deeply from traditional architectural histories (Smart Building Handbook,
This paper explores the fundamental facts
This project was a lot harder then my family and I ever expected it to be. At first we thought it would be good and we would feel better about not wasting and not having as much trash. But after a couple of days we noticed that we couldn’t do a lot of things we normally do like wipe our hands on a napkin or use a straw to drink at a resturaunt. We as a whole had to make a lot of changes like making our foods the night before and bringing clean towels with us everywhere we went. This project has really made us open our eyes to see what we were actually doing to hurt our environment just by going through our daily routine.
The first and foremost analysis to be examined under a closer lense is titled “A Troublesome Property” and was written by author Kenneth Stampp. This analysis is
This paper will give a closer look at the
The pueblo architecture, developed by the Anasazi is an improvement on the architecture that is known to be around at the time. Such buildings, most notably carved into cliff faces, were designed to be simple homes with the use of adobe to make bricks upon which the architectural feat of the buildings relied on for their structure. The use of adobe in the pueblos themselves was also an improvement in the previous version of the Anasazi style homes that included a simple kiva, an underground room
One of the first questions for the paper about what it
Many people have heard of the phrase “Go Green” which basically stands for recycling and reducing the amount of waste. “ Waste Not, Want Not” is an essay written by Bill Mckibben. He goes into great detail about how wasteful America really is. I couldn 't help but agree with this essay because the things we do in our everyday life are slowly destroying our earth. We as Americans often get more of things than we need.
They are two crucial aspects to the topic of energy, but are not included by the UN. A determinant reason that millions of people across the globe have to resort to biomass to cook is that the cost associated with modern energy makes it less accessible (Birol, p.1). This unfortunate situation is due to many reasons. A key reason is that many of the resources required to install energy plants are disproportionally controlled by a few geopolitical actors. This causes large fluctuations on the commodity prices all over the globe, making not only modern energy, but also other basic human development targets, such as shelters and transportations less attainable (Regnier, p.2).
Through this essay I will be discussing the comparisons and the contrast between temples in Greek architecture and roman architecture. I will be commenting on the forms, materials, technology and the siting to compare and contrast the architecture of ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. Also I will discuss how these points reflect the structure of the Greek and roman societies from which the temples emerged. Greek Architecture There were three main styles in Greek architecture, these styles were called the Doric style, Ionic style and the Corinthian style.
In the article, “Forget Shorter Showers” by Derrick Jensen, the author shows the reader how they are not truly saving the earth by showering less, producing less waste or by limiting use of power. In fact, Jensen is placing the blame more toward a political based problem and more on the elites of the world who tend to blame the individuals. Jensen’s article tends to lean more toward the anti-capitalistic view of capitalism causing the earth to crumble due to the government and the elites of the world. These facts are proven by Jensen’s research into the actual use of energy consumption showing that individuals tend to use only a fourth of it, leaving the rest to be wasted away by the big corporations. Jensen also furthers his argument by showing the amount of waste used by citizens.
Along with the augmenting prominence of green construction, governments have also placed growing emphasis on the project management approaches of green building construction. Use of green technologies such as day-lighting as well as solar energy in place of electricity, and adoption of practices such as waste minimization, water conservation and use of recycled materials during construction of building projects are now commonplace in many of the buildings of USA, Germany and
Tectonics is defined as the science or art of construction, both in relation to use and artistic design. It refers not just to the activity of making the materially requisite construction that answers certain needs but rather to the activity that raises this construction as an art form. It is concerned with the modeling of material to bring the material into presence - from the physical into the meta-physical world (Maulden, 1986). Since tectonics is primarily concerned with the making of architecture in a modern world, its value is seen as being a partial strategy for an architecture rooted in time and place therefore beginning to bring poetry in construction. Tectonics, however, has the capacity to create depth-ness of context resulting in the implicit story being told by the tectonic expression.
Instead of burning fossil fuels that will be depleted within short generation, alternative energies such as the wind turbine or solar panels needs to be implemented to sustain and care for the resources that remain. The concept of reducing our Carbon footprint in the world is the more modern way of looking at sustainable living, in which the World realises humans have not used resources wisely. By looking at the changes over the past centuries, an International network of scientists have unanimously concluded that human society is altering natural functions in three fundamental ways. And consequently, they were able to define four basic conditions that must be met if we want to maintain the environmental services that sustain human society.
Eco friendly building material is those provide the appropriate service and lifetime, with the minimal maintenance, while minimizing the decimation the raw of material, the pollution from, and also energy consumption by production and use, and that have the maximum potential for the reuse. The use of the Eco friendly building materials and products are represents one important strategy in the design of a building. In addition, the Eco friendly building materials have benefits to the building users such as improved health and the productivity, in order to change the spatial configurations of the lower costs associated, reduced maintenance costs over the life of the building and so forth.
EVALUATION OF THE IMPACT OF HOUSING DEFICIT ON ARCHITECTURE: A CASE OF NIGERIA. Adeyanju I. Boluwatife Department of Architecture, University of Lagos, Akoka, Nigeria, Abstract: Nigeria faces a tremendous shortfall in housing provisions, especially in its urban areas.