Why pay for Eco Biodiversity in building design and city planning? controlling Zika and air pollution control
Prepared by Architect Perumal Nagapushnam
website: http://www.sda-architect.com/
The loss of Eco Biodiversity at an alarming rate all over the world ,was of a major concern in the Convention on Biodiversity, held in Nagoya, Japan 2010.Most countries have signed an agreement to comply with the Nagoya biodiversity agreement , which was intended to help reduce the global weather changes that are rapidly occurring. But less that 10% of the countries that have signed to protect the flora and fauna has kept the promises.
Eco Biodiversity in our environment
What is Eco Biodiversity? It is the diversity of flora, fauna and its habitats in the vegetation of our forest, rural and urban environment, in which we live constitutes Eco Biodiversity. This diversity in the green spaces or soft landscape is often found missing in the urban development, all that we see is the Mountain Cliff type of buildings and the green in the urban parks are in the likes of the green of the Savannah of Africa. The homogenous type of trees and grass is affecting the well-being of our environment and in this article, we are addressing the benefits for Eco Biodiversity of these greens in the urban area:
- Psychological well-being- the overall well-being of occupants are tremendously improved in an environment that has biodiversity in design consideration.
- Property values .There is an increase in the Property values as shown in studies conducted in the UK , that water features, well-landscaped areas , ponds or view of landscaped areas, contributed to an increase of property values from 5%-34%. (CABE Space 2005).In Singaporean case where the city planners decide to go for Greening, the city experienced a notable hike in property values. At a building level apartments such as the Kampung Warisan Condominium, Jalan Jeletek was landscaped in a vernacular traditional village style noted an increase of rentable apartments.
- Air Purification .The air bore pollution is filtered and neutralized. Air is scrubbed off the pollutants such as Nitrogen dioxides, sulfur dioxide , Carbon mono dioxide by the trees, shrubs where the air is freshened. The dirt dozens -air pollutants are sequestered, referred to a gaseous sequestration. The dust is removed from the air is by ionizing the air with clean air. The air bore particles are ionized and are brought down to the ground, thereby cleaning the air. The UN reports that the air pollution is a leading killer.one in 8 persons in the world will die of premature death. The air pollution cost US250billion due to premature deaths in the world. Trees scrub the air clean. Bio diversity is a solution to keeping the environment clean.
- More oxygen .More oxygen is introduced into the air , which is suitable for growth, speedy recovery of the stressed mind and helps the resilience of the injured mind and body. It was found in research that the lack of oxygen in the air increases the tendency to commit suicide. Certain shrubs such as bamboo are said to produce more oxygen into the air that other plants are considered very healthy and good for the environment.
- Water Purification. The rainwater runoffs are purified. Rainwater is run off into bios-vales, Bio SUDS or eco cells and eco-stairs where rainwater is purified before discharging into the water streams, ponds or below the ground water tables.Water that gets to the underground water tables is cleansed by vegetation grown in the bio swales and eco cells before emitting them into the grounds.
- Heat island effect .The elimination of Heat island effect, which affect the microclimate amelioration through direct shading and evaporative cooling. The air is warmer by the lack of vegetation by the removal of trees or turned grounds. The objects such as concrete, road pavements absorb heat and radiate heat it at night. This effect alone to an increase of temperatures by 4 degrees C according to research done in some areas. The emitters of waste heat to the environment are: Humans metabolism contributes to 8% of the waste heat, buildings contribute to 60% and the motor vehicles contribute to 32% of the waste heat to the environment.(Smith et al 2009)
- Controlling the Zika Pest .Control of Pest species, such as bats feed on the mosquitoes, owls eating the rats. The ecological cycle of animals should be maintained. The removal of birds and bats as they may seem to be a pest for urban areas will cause the increase of mosquitoes and rat infestation. The presence of owls helps to stop the proliferation of rats, but in the first place owls need an ecological environment to live in, in some countries owls were let out to the trees but they soon died out as the habitat for owls were not suitable. In Singapore the attempt to green the city was somewhat a good attempt to save the city but the fruits and flower that draws birds were limited to discourage the presence of birds because of their droppings and nesting of birds in the urban areas. But this led to an increase of mosquitos and pests which then has to be countered by spraying chemicals which affects the waterways and quality of water.Singapore in recent years has been Singaporeans again inflicted with dangerous Zika virus carried by Mosquitoes. The spread of Zika in Singapore was exceptionally fast and caused fear and discouragement among Singaporeans. The control of Zika would have been a lot easier if the Bats, birds did the job of controlling the Zika Pest. Again Singapore once again proves to the world the need for biodiversity against the fight of Zika.Pu
- Air quality- As the air quality is improved, as a direct consequence of improved health. As most illness related to respiratory illness are reduced and have an increase health conditions of occupants as vegetation scrubs the air of the dirty dozens and air particles. Air particulates causes health issues such as lung problems and its related health problems.
- Productivity and reduced Absenteeism- According to findings in a research such as (Elzeyadi, 2011). This increases and improves productivity by the decrease sick leaves when potted plants were located with the workspace and it had a direct relationship to improved productivity and reduced absenteeism (Elzeyadi, 2011).
- Stress Resilience- It has been found in research that beds in hospitals that had the good view of scenic view had patients recovered by 30% faster and thereby decreasing 30% intake of medication. Well landscaped view have an effect of our general health conditions with respect to stress recovery that we are subjected too, in the modern workplace.
- Education -The education of the local species to the local communities by demonstrating the planting of local species in the local areas. The awareness of plants and benefits are preserved with bio diversity.
- Energy BILL LOW-A green living roof, will insulates the building by reducing the diurnal temperatures from a typically non green roof from 50deg C to 3 deg C during winters. And during summers the roof will insulate the heat into the building. By smart landscaping the temperatures will be reduce the temperatures by a great range of 50%. Read smart landscaping.
- Carbon Negative– As we plant more trees and vegetation increasing the( increasing the diversity of the flaura , fauna and habitat) biodiversity, we help to improve the carbon footprint and tends to carbon negative as in the case of Bhutan. The vegetation help to reduce the emission of carbon dioxide and gasses{methane} that destroy the environment by sequestering them within the vegetation. And thereby helping to reduce the carbon emitted to the atmosphere and thereby improving the Carbon Footprint. As tree are grown the carbon is sequestered by the trees and the soil, for instance an acre of forest sequesters about 110metric tonnes of CO2 per year. The Wetlands sequesters 300 tonnes of CO2 per year. The world emits a 2.6 Giga tonnes of CO2 every year which is causing the unabated flooding , global warming and weather change that is affecting lives all over the world. The carbon footprint can be offset by eco biodiversity and neutrality in the world can be obtained by planting diverse trees. the world can be restored to its natural state. The world average temperature is to be brought down to 2 degrees C- to restored to the temperatures of the pre-industrial days. Visit our seminar on Net Zero Carbon Emission which delves more on this aspect with respect to designing building for Net Zero Emissions. Building are one of the major contributors to Carbon emission in the air.
This is where we there is an application for biodiversity and green designs in buildings and cities by using ecological considerations in design, the biometrics of nature are to be incorporated into our environments, such as in nature there is no waste. Unlike nature, we Humans are wasteful ,we dispose of domestic waste by tons every day, into nature destroying the water. The spider eats its own web as a way to minimize waste, the humans dispose of much of construction waste into the environment that in some countries there are no more spaces left to dispose of the domestic waste in the landfills.
We as Architects are designers for the safe environment using ecological design consideration, biometrics, bio grids,ecological cycles. Call us a discussion into how we may be of help to you to save the environment in your site plans or building designs.
Attend our seminar of Net Zero Carbon Emission, see how eco bio-diversity helps the environment by sequestering the Carbon and scrubs the air of pollution and Green house gases from the air. It helps achieve Net Zero Emission status for development.
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