Sustainability
Sustainable development... Is the development that meets the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs? There is no future for
sustainable housing without a culture change in society. Resources conservation can’t be
achieved without a fundamental review of the type, form and location of housing.
Housing is not sustainable if it’s cold, damp unhealthy, expensive, and if the community is
unsafely and unhealthy. The priorities are:
• Staying warm, living in a safe neighborhood and keeping water bills down.
• The conservation of natural resources (land, energy, water)
• The sensible reuse of man made resources
• Maintenance of ecosystems and their regenerative potential.
• Equity between generations, people and classes.
Provision of health, safety and security.
Sustainable housing will probably display a list of features:
• Healthy, comfortable, secure homes.
• Designed in ability to upgrade.
• Low energy design exploiting renewable energy sources.
• Super insulated homes.
• Low water consumption.
• Public transport oriented urban design.
• Pedestrian friendly streets
2.1 key factors considered for sustainable
buildings
Sustainable houses offer enhanced comfort, lower energy or water bills, greater self reliance,
improved health and more relationship with nature.
Three factors in particular are emerging as essential construction requirements of the sustainable
house:
9 Thickness of perimeter fabric.
9 Air tightness linked to high levels of insulation
9 Efficient boiler systems.
Housing form and layout should be generated by the need to achieve simple social pleasures:
such as having access and views to attractive gardens, each home should have good orientation
for solar gain so that living spaces have a pleasant and warm ambience for the family, in urban
areas each home should be connected to a good transportation system, and should be a linkage
to a clear framework of supporting communy facilities.
As for the houses the DETR (the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions), In
England they suggest that these are likely to be super- insulated, of high thermal mass, air tight in
construction and made from building materials based upon no toxic, low embodied energy
principles.
In addition, the sustainable house will feature water collection from the rain, sewage treatment,
waste recycling and local energy generation.
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