Now, it’s easier than ever to find an architect who can help you develop the design of your dreams and do it with you and the environment in mind. Green architects are no longer the exception, and they are more and more qualified to deliver green design.
You may think making a design that is eco-friendly and ideal for your tastes is tough, but the benefits of going the extra mile will reward you greatly in the end.
Building green has numerous advantages to your life, your community, and your budget. Designing green does, however, take planning, and expert material selection. Once you get through the logistics, you are rewarded with a structure that helps you save money year after year, and promotes a healthier environment.
There are three essential aspects to start planning for as soon as you are ready to begin the designing process. Each design, for the most part, will be unique and personal, so these decisions are highly important to the project's final success.
Materials
Materials are the literal building blocks of green building design. It might be wood, concrete, or metal, or a combination of all three but finding the earth-friendly versions of these materials when designing green can be a challenge. Finding sources for the materials you plan to build with before the start of the building will lead to the most success. Asking your architect during the planning and design process is going to help you gain an understanding of what you need and why you need it.
Orientation
When choosing to build based on sustainable principles, orientation is a vital factor. If you plan to use parts and patterns of the Earth to your advantage, planning for that when designing your build is going to be crucial. Utilizing certain directional decisions based on the sunrise and sunset and certain placements of materials based on weather patterns are just two ways to plan well in advance for the orientation of your design.
Open Spaces
These spaces are going to be the eyes of the home. Windows are what bring the light in, and when trying to conserve energy, natural light will be your best friend. Planning during the design periods for where you want open spaces will help conserve energy and can give the internal spaces of your home light most hours of the day. Leaving places for light to hit objects and space is critical in retaining or controlling the temperatures in our homes as well.
Green building design is easy to do when you have a set of goals and an architect that will help you. Green design is a way for you to give back to the earth and build a project with the environment in the forefront of your mind.
Architects know a lot about green materials and are willing and able to steer you in the right direction for a project that will save some green in the long run and show some green in the future.
In Northeast Alabama and West Georgia, there is no better green architect than Bill Whittaker, Registered Architect. Visit the website here and subscribe to Design Matters, the monthly newsletter filled with our latest projects, articles, and news.
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We are a small Design-Centered Practice Studio that promotes cost effective Green Building technologies.
We provide a wide range of services, and no job is too big or too small for our experience. With over 15 years of commercial experience, we can design a wide variety of architectural styles that can fit most needs or tastes.
