sdaarchi SDA Architect Benefits of Biodiversity in Green House Plans

Benefits of Biodiversity in Green House Plans

15 Sep 2016
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Benefits of Biodiversity in Green and Sustainable House Floor Plans

Green ecohouse floor plans

Benefits of Biodiversity

There is a moral duty to protect life, nature and take good care of our environment. There is no value to life and value to nature . Once we lose the biodiversity, we lose nature  and  life itself. Therefore the stewardship of nature and vegetation  is necessary  and  it accrues these  benefits. The benefits listed here ranges from:

-energy savings,
-improved carbon footprint,
-improved water footprint,
-better health,
-speedy recovery,
-less stressed mind,
-improved productivity,
-cleaner air and cleaner water,
-better control of pest such as mosquitoes,rodents & lowers maintenance.

These are the 20 Benefits of Biodiversity  that an Architect can incorporate in home designs elaborated here below:

1.Energy Saving Benefits

According to recent research,the Living Roof’s diurnal temperature is about 3 deg C. It was found the conventional roof diurnal temperature is 50 deg C for Green roof ( Living Roof). Furthermore if the facades is shaded with landscape the temperature fluctuation can be reduced by 50%.

 2. Reduce Carbon Emission Benefits

In a Green Development rich with Biodiversity, the  portable water consumption is reduced .Less consumption of portable water directly reduces the carbon footprint. In the UK,the carbon footprint for production of portable water is 2 million tons .Interestingly, 60% of water consumption is from the commercial development. The Green house Gasses are sequestered by the natural vegetation. The Pine forest and the tropical forest and every plants and trees sequesters the CO2. Green vegetation helps to reduce Carbon footprint. The world carbon budget is 500-1000 billion tons of CO2. Every year we are consuming and we are in a deficit .We are emitting too much of CO2. If we exceed the budget limit, the average temperature will be 2 deg more that the pre-industrial period.Until our ecological footprint is decreased, the budget will be busted. It is time to increase and manage the ecological forestation. It is time to increase of biodiversity of flora and fauna and habitats. This will help to save the planet earth.

3.Resilience to Drought

The environment in Biodiversity is more adaptive and more tolerance to drought conditions. In an adverse drought the diverse field are less affected as they support one another in adversity.They reserve water for resilience to harsh weather conditions.

4. Resilience to Diseases

The environment in Biodiversity increases the Resilience to Diseases. The vegetation,fauna and habitats are more tolerant, resistant to pest and virus attacks.Stronger protection against Pest Attacks  then as in a Mono-cultures such as in plantations. vegetable gardens, animal farms. The forest and nature does not need pesticides nor insecticides to fend itself against the persistent attacks by insects and pest. The Pest maintenance cost is reduced.

5.Increase Sustainability

 Fertilizers consumption in bio-diverse environment is less. Infact it may not be used at all. There is an increase in its Sustainability in compared to mono culture. In nature they are not watered, they are not treated with  pesticides or insecticides. They are self-sustaining and are more towards self-reliance.

6.Reduce Urban Heat

In a Bio diverse urban space, the overall temperature of the space is lesser. This phenomenon is obvious as one visit Singapore which is planned as green city and then visiting Malaysia. Although Singapore is closer to the equator than Malaysia. It will have a direct impact on the Energy consumption when the temperatures are lower. This is attributed to the heat island effect.

7.Psychological well being

 One of the definition of well being in the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment is  by increase of connectivity to nature. Connectivity with nature such as cats, dogs, animals and nature calms the minds, reduces stress and helps the psychological well being. A Fishes in the aquarium help the calm the stressed mind .Likewise birds, dogs and butterflies does something to the human psychological well being.

8.Physical well being

Physical well being is improved as the air is cleaner with lesser dust and dirty gases such as SO2,CO,NO2 etc. Biodiversity reduce the air particles and bring about cleaner air, which according to UN report- the air Pollution is a no 1 killer. Air pollution kills   1 in 8 of the deaths globally . Our lungs are choked with dust and pollutants which is a major cost to human lives.

9.Reduce the water footprint

In a bio-diverse environment the blue infrastructure is introduced and the water footprint is reduces. Grey water is converted to Green water by bio diverse SUDs.

 10.Recovery from illness

Faster Recovery from illness – Hospital Patients in rooms which had views to nature. Green infrastructure and Blue infrastructure helps in Patient’s recovery by 30% faster .Patients uses 30% lesser of medication. Therefore bio phallic designs in homes, offices and workplaces will have a like recuperative effect. The stresses, pressures of works and good health is associated with biodiversity.

11.Reduce incidence of illness

12.Reduction of Stress

Plants, natural forms, fishes in the home of a heart patients has a faster recovery when in a bio diverse environment. The natural movement of Fishes in bowl or a dog in the house brings a certain calmness and in connection with nature. It helps the nerves to calm down tremendously. And so does it does the same for butterflies, birds, sound of the bees in our gardens to enhance our stress reduction.Organic forms in nature is less stressful than squares , rectangles and cubes.

13 Suicidal Tendencies

The healthy air will have a direct effect of our health. Vegetation removes CO2 and introduces Oxygen. The lack of oxygen in the air has a higher tendency to commit suicide, This is the same for those living in high mountains. Vegetation will help to decrease this tendencies.Vegetation increases the oxygen in the air. Oxygen helps our body function well with regard to improved memory and speedier recovery.

14.Tolerance to pain

Greater tolerance to pain. those living in environment with diversity of environment has a greater tolerance to pain.

15. Reduced medicine

Reduced medicine intake is reduced.

16.Productivity

People sitting next to window views of vegetation has a greater enthusiasm to work, productivity. In an bio-philic approach to design of a new office, the exercise proof that the occupants increase in productivity by 20%.

17.Cognitive Tranquility

Potted plant placed in office spaces, view of beautiful scenes and siting by the windows helps are likely to  improves their  Cognitive Tranquility.-20% increased Reaction time to a task and reduction of blood pressures.Those sitting with views to plants or landscape scene , response faster to a situation.

18.Reduce Urban Heat

 In the Singaporean experience, Mr. Lee Kuan Yee stated that Singapore had an edge over it neighbors and competitors as the Green city Model. It was a more attractive proposition.The property has an Increase edge  over it competitors.

19.Corporate Image

Furthermore it may be noteworthy that corporate image is at stake if Green and sustainability issues are not addressed in their developments as they may be under the scrutiny of the public eye, which may surmount to boycotts and anti-campaigns, fines by Governments and may cause their license to be revoked, which disrupts the chain supply and damage to brand image. The Benefits of Biodiversity cannot be numerated economically in numbers but the well being of humanity is our responsibility.

20. Increase in Value of Property

It was noted that property which was Green Bio-diverse had more greater value than those that were not green bio-diverse.

Benefits of BiodiversityRichness in Eco-Biodiversity, the benefits are simply abundant

 Green and Sustainable House  Plans can reap these benefits of Biodiversity if design of Green are contrived well into the design.

Check out our Green and Sustainable House Floor Plans , Click here which has been designed for benefits of Biodiversity

Check out our Green Architect, House Floor Plan, http://www.sda-architect.com/contact-us/
Abridged and enhanced by Ar Perumal Nagapushnam from the  Notes Designing for biodiversity: Productivity and Profit  by the British Council

How to design a dream house floor plan

31 Oct 2015
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Dream House

Dream House Floor Plans

How to design a dream house floor plan

Follow these 10  steps, it leads and  guides and a serious student of Design( Interior Designing ,Architecture or Engineering) to design a dream home.

Step 1-Design Brief for a dream house floor plan

A Design Brief is a list of requirements for of the home design , The size of of the brief is pending on the size of the project. The brief will correspond in its size requirements . For a large project a Design Brief may be as thick book listing all the requirements of design from Interior Designing ,Architectural, M&E and Civil and Structural requirements.
Request for a Design Brief before commencing to design .,Some clients may not have a proper brief, if so you may have to sit with them and assess the brief.

 

The Design brief may outline :
1)the details of the building and the Interiors
2)details of the interiors,
3)the quality of building construction,
4.)site conditions ,
5.)compliance to the building codes,
6.)studies that needs to be undertaken etc

Net Zero Building building site analysis

Eco Green building site analysis

Step 2-Site Analysis for a dream house floor plan

A Site Analysis is a  study of the conditions of site, its features. the characteristics of the site, the adversities of the site, the weather (wind directions) conditions, the topography features, the flood levels, the direction of sun path, the views and vistas, existing vegetation, slopes, building set back of the site and other conditions existing in the site.

In some instances the type of soil and ground conditions should be analyzed  as it will affect the cost of building.This is refereed to as geotechnical investigation. Please read on..for site analysis for Net Zero Energy and Eco Green building design

Bubble diagram for designing a house

Bubble diagram for a dream house floor plan

Step 3-Bubble Diagram for a dream house floor plan

A Bubble Diagram is a study of the relationship of spaces as required in the Design Brief (Step 1) and connecting with the site analysis( Step 2). The spaces are approximated in shapes of bubbles and those bubbles that are related closely by functions are placed closer to each other. and spaces that are affected by the site conditions are approximated and reflected in the Bubble Diagram.

Step 4- grid

The approximated bubble diagram layout is laid out over a grid line. A grid line either in 2 ft (600mm),4 ft(1200mm) or 8 ft(2400mm) grid are necessary and used to designing the building as it helps to minimize the cost of materials or structures in the building construction.  A 2 ft (600mm), 4 ft(1200mm) grids lines are used with the intention to save material  and detailing the interiors and 8 ft(2400mm) grid lines are used to save the construction cost of structure.

Step 5-Template of the room (spaces)

Draw a templates of the spaces( such as the bedroom, the kitchen, the toilets, the staircases, the Great room etc) as identified in the Bubble Diagram required in the client brief, and place them over the grid as your bubble diagram  and the Grid lines and  study the spaces and  makes senses of the  design layout plan.The  design layout may seems like this.

Preliminary house design layout

house design layout

Step 6-Design Layout and Form for a dream house floor plan

In finalizing the design layout ensure all the requirements of the clients brief are met and correlate it with the form of the building. Make the adjustments in relationship with the form you have minded. Visualize the form with the layout as they correspond with each other.

Finalize the design layout in relation to the Form of the building or make adjustments to the Layout due to a Form or the adjust the Form to the layout. At this stage all the interior concepts should be integrated with the building, eg garden in the toilet, or garden in the Living, water pool in the building, water fall view from the Dining, BBQ areas etc.

toliet with green

toilet with Eco-green layout

Step 7-Details for a dream house floor plan

God is in the details and so at this stage ensure the details you have in mind are incorporated. Ensure the details are thought thoroughly  such as spaces of storage, cabinets, shelves, interior layout ideas, Net Zero Energy requirements, Eco-green and sustainability requirements details…you may at this stage want to revise the above step 5,6 as you may discover a problem in trying to establish the layout or even so you may have difficulty in detailing a corner correctly. These steps are cyclical in nature you may want to revisit the layout with the forms as many times as you may want too. Check our how to design baths, how to design kitchens, how to use stones in designing,how to design swimming pools and  how to select colors

Step 8- Architectural Styles and Appearance for a dream house floor plans

Design the style and appearances with the ornaments that symbolize the styles, such the Victorian styles have the front highly ornamented, the timber is crafted, the fascia board is crafted to illustrate a style.

material mapping

3d Model with mapping material for a dream house layout

Step 9- Create a 3 D Model for a dream house floor plans

Create a 3 D Model and study the design, review the interiors in the 3 D model, you may review the layout to suit the forms proportions, or the required interiors are not attainable. I would recommend google sketch up software as it is easy to use and the warehouse downloads are just amazing, where almost any thing can be downloaded.

Step 10- Materials selections and Rendering 3 D Models

Select materials for exteriors and the interiors and start rendering the 3 D Models and review if you obtain the views you wanted, review the rendered interiors. I would recommend I-Render as a rendering software and Google sketch up for creating the 3 D model.

perspective of room Level 1The Traditional Japanese House Floor Plan

perspective of room Interior of  Japanese House Floor Plan

Check our our beautiful house floor plans going really cheap, place an order for special rates

Prepared by Eco Green Architect and Net Zero Energy Architect Perumal Nagapushnam

 

11 Whys for Net Zero Energy Building in our cities

17 Sep 2015
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The common misconceptions about Net Zero Energy Building as reported by Wikipedia: A zero-energy building is a building with zero net energy consumption, meaning the total amount of energy used by the building yearly equal to the amount of energy created on the site. This is only partly true in the early day when this principle was first conceived. And to this day this is the common misconception among many .

In fact the energy (the energy pie) consumption is reduced to about 80% of the conventional consumption and then the balance 20% of the balance of energy is made up by the renewable energy, the renewable energy may be sourced from solar Photo Voltaic panels, geothermal, wind turbines or biomass energy.

This article is about the case for Net Zero Energy Building and why we should perpetuate this goal: There has always been some anticipation of imminent disaster that we need to be cautious about, such as the ones illustrated below:

  • Recently Bill Gates asked the, If some cataclysm, all scientific knowledge was destroyed, what is the one line fact that next generation of humanity needs to know!
  • About 50 years ago the question schools debated on was the earth was depleting its resources and the end is near.
  • Recently with the major obvious undeniable weather changes and so called global warming in the Arctic glaciers!

There have been many calls for Green Sustainability movement called -Going Green, thinking this is the solution to the impending juggernaut disasters. In reality the solutions in Green are really superficial and will not help very much with self reliance and self sustainability.

  1. When Japan faced the Fukusima earthquake that destroyed the Daiichi nuclear plant they experienced a power crisis that awaken to the importance of energy conservation and lead to the need for Net Zero Energy Building A new standard for construction was implemented to this end of 2020. We need Net Zero Energy Building for our future survival.
  2. One would think that even this should not be the goal would not suffice unless there was a total independence for electrical consumption and not be dependent on the utility company for energy consumption should be the ultimate goal, with Net Zero Energy Buildings which is off the grid. Net Zero Energy Buildings tend toward self reliance.
  3. Net Zero Energy Buildings reduced the waste in as much as 80% purely on the basis of passive strategies and shading, smart landscaping and other active strategies. The buildings are more efficient and low energy consuming where not wasting is reduced and resources and minimized;
  4. By installing Net Zero Energy Building you have clear conscious that you are  morally doing the right thing, stopping the unwanted wastage.
  5. By installing Net Zero Energy Building, you indeed saving money , which could be used meaningfully elsewhere, imagine the regular monthly bills amounting to USD200 could be used meaningfully else where.
  6. By installing Net Zero Energy Building you are responding responsibility to the climate changes demands that us undergoing world wide by reducing the foot print and closer towards becoming self sustainability for our future survival..
  7. By installing Net Zero Energy Building you have Value for your rent able space or value for property, Developers will find the Net Zero Energy Buildings as a marketing tool to bargain for higher rental compared to Going Green for certification. Green building do not receive higher rentals as tenants do no see the need to pay higher rentals for Green sustainability certified building.
  8. By installing Net Zero Energy Building, you secure government grants and benefits from most governments of the world.
  9. By installing Net Zero Energy Building you may receive taxation incentives
  10. By installing Net Zero Energy Building you don’t have to pay the monthly electric bill
  11. By installing Net Zero Energy Building you are making the buildings, cities ,world economies more efficient and  enhances the productivity of the  individual and collectively at large.

 

 

Prepared by Net Zero Energy Architect  Perumal Nagapushnam, Green Sustainability Architect

8 valid reasons to go Green and Sustainability and the 8 valid weaknesses in the Green movement principles

16 Sep 2015
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Haze in Singapore

Can Green and Sustainability strategies solve the Haze in Singapore and Indonesia

 8 valid reasons to go Green and Sustainability and the 8 valid weaknesses in the Green movement principles

Here we discuss the flaws in the Green and Sustainability movement that is catching on so rapidly world wide.

Reason 1- Sustainable planning
The cities and buildings are planned well for reduction and recycling of waste , energy efficiency, cleaner air within the office, and clean water for consumption, The green architecture is sustainable-sustaining the existing the environment for high quality of life well planned for the sustaining of life

Weakness of this
It is a weak attempt to solve the larger problem such as domestic waste, improve the life in urban living, improve the air quality or improve the poor water quality as they portend to improve. It should be aggressively attend to the issues rather to tend to it superficially, for instance” Can the Green and Sustainability stop the haze into our homes”

Reason 2- Waste
It will reduce outlandish waste in our environment, which is a serious problem as the land fills are full and the waterways are polluted by the landfills which return into our consumable systems dangerously affecting our health.

Weakness of this Green and Sustainability principle:
Waste should be removed all together and not reduce, but reused and recycled completely. In nature what waste we produce as CO2 in the air from our breaths is converted to O2 by the green landscapes. All waste from domestic and industrial waste should be like wise treated completely obliterated or reprocessed to useful matter.

Reason 3- Energy Efficiency
The buildings are energy efficient and installed with higher performing systems to reduce the energy consumption.

Weakness of this Green and Sustainability principle:
The Energy consumption should be Net Zero Energy Building and not a weak attempt to reduce energy consumption. And more importantly removed the dependence on the Grid. Wind turbines should complement with solar PV panel and combined with geo thermal energy. When there is no energy from the sun at night the wind will compensate for supply and when both fails to supply in case the eventuality of a disaster, geo thermal could be the alternative supply of energy.

Reason 4- Air quality
It helps to keep high air quality, which controlled and regulated which is improves healthy living environment but does not improve the haze or reduce the dust in the air.

Weakness of this Green and Sustainability principle:
No air quality is really improved; it is a real attempt to temper with air quality. The air is polluted with CO, NO2, SO2 or dioxin should be cleansed for consumption. There are no real attempts to even address this problem.

In the event of a Haze,( as in South East Asia by the recent burning of trees in Indonesia, or volcanic dust in the air etc) Does the Green building cleaned the air that we breathe in! No! It is not. One should reprocess air to remove the dusts, the pollutants, the hazes and bacteria and Viruses, in the air for use.

Reason 5- Water quality
It helps to reduce the wastage of portable water but not improve water quality, As much as high air quality the water quality will have a direct effect on the health of the residents.It focuses on the rain water harvesting.

Weakness of this Green and Sustainability principle:
Portable water is reduced, rain water is harvested but water in the pipe is contaminated, the water should be harvested for consumption, water from the underground for consumption should be considered as an alternative sources as supply in an eventuality of a drought of off seasonal weather changes affecting the water supply.

Reason 6- Reduces Energy consumption, Saves Resource, Reduces Waste
Every person is conscious of reducing consumption, waste and a new life style of economy. Material made from recycled Waste material is favored .Domestic waste is reduced, paper is not throw away, but either reused or avoided from being used.

Weakness of this Green and Sustainability principle:
Waste is reduced but not totally eliminated. It is said that the spider eats up the web waste and in nature there is no waste. Organic matter is recycled into inorganic matter,which is consumed again into the system.

Reason 7-Innovation
Creativity to think out of the box is granted some point for qualifying for the green certification.

Reason 8-Reduces long term cost of living
It does not cost much for now and it will eventually reduce the cost in the future and some propose that cost should not be factor; the cost of human life should be saved at all cost, as future of human life depends on sustainability.

Weakness of this Green and Sustainability principle:
In reality there is no reduction of cost in the future as the cost of sustainability is always higher and this is a cost already into the future and therefore the cost does not reduce in the long term. The argument that sustainability saves life to justify the high cost now is a fallacy.
In reality there survival of the human race does not depend on rainwater harvesting, pv solar panels etc but by eco biodiversity, net energy building off the grid and total self reliance as in the biometric of nature.

Reason 9-Sustains Environment for the future
In reality all the above principles as and the argument has been flawed

Weakness of this Green and Sustainability principle:
Green and landscaping not an essential feature of Green and Sustainability Architecture

  • Issues not considered in Green and Sustainability Architecture
    The ecological balance is not considered as we live in a eco system and the environment has taken a bitten and if it fails our survival will be at stake,
  • Sewer waste is not at all in design consideration. Sewerage and domestic waste is processed and recycled into the environment as in The Edmonton Composting Facility – Canadian recycling plant where human waste is recycled into manure for the city use.
  • Waste waster should be recycled as it is done in Singapore for human consumption.
  • The Net Zero Energy calls for total reduction of energy consumption which is not merely touching on sustainability, but attaining higher levels of Green and Sustainability. If we are able to be off the grid our sustainability will be even better still as self reliance is attained.
  • How can the Green and Sustainability help in the smog that polluted south East Asia with the recent spate of burning in Indonesia. In the light of the haze that is not considered, haze is a serous issues in China ( pollution from the industrial waste, in Singapore, Malaysia a result of burning in Indonesia)
  • If a disaster like a Tsunami where the power grid was destroyed, or a volcanic exploding dust in the air cutting of the suns rays for months, a blizzard of rays from the sun hit the world how can we survive this independently and be self reliant in the midst of catastrophic disaster.
  • The forest is sustainable and self reliant where no human care for treatment with pesticide or insecticide or regular watering is needed but it is self reliant surviving on the natural rain water unlike our farms where pesticide, manure, insecticide and regular watering is needed for its sustainability. We can learn from the nature’s Green and Sustainability as it is because of its biodiversity where one depends on the other and so should we live together with nature’s ecosystem. Read further on why green landscaping can help our sustainability.

 

Prepared by Net Zero Energy Architect Perumal Nagapushnam