Why Green Architecture Is The Perfect Investment for Your Home

Why Green Architecture Is The Perfect Investment for Your Home
Subtly Twisting Geometry Inserted in Raw Nature: Discovery Centre in Canada
Provocative Home Design Re-Shaping The Urban Australian Landscape
Innovation Alert For the Wallpaper Industry: Glamora Design Studio App [Video]

Posted: 03 Oct 2014 02:45 PM PDT

Sustainability is an investment that makes sense for your family’s future and finances. Image Via: Abramson Teiger Architects

We all want to help the environment – or at least we know we should – but when it comes to actually implementing sustainable practices, the task often seems too daunting. Green architecture, in particular, has been given the unfortunate reputation of being too difficult and costly to implement in your own home.

However, this assumption could not be further from the truth. We'll show you why embracing green living might just be the smartest investment you can make.

Read on to find out the ways in which sustainable architecture will improve your quality of living while saving you money and, of course, helping the environment. There's really no downside to this one. After seeing the benefits below, you'll be itching to tackle your carbon footprint.

leed traditional exterior Why Green Architecture Is The Perfect Investment for Your Home

Not all sustainable homes are ultra-modern. This traditional exterior is LEED-certified. Image Via: William Johnson Architect

Sustainability Saves You Money

Let's get really honest for a second: Budget is everyone's bottom line. While sustainable living is nice in theory, it's not going to be attractive to the average homeowner unless it is also profitable. Fortunately, living sustainably is one of the shrewdest financial decisions that your family can make. Take a look at the savings breakdown below:

Quick Return of Investment: McGraw Hill Construction's Green Outlook 2011 found that the ROI on green structures improved by 19.2% on average for existing building green projects and 9.9% on average for new projects when compared to their traditional counterparts.
Lowered Cost of Living: After the initial cost has been recouped, the World Green Building Council suggests that energy use savings ranges from $4-$16 per square foot and water use savings could go as high as $2 per square foot.
Increased Resale Value: A recent study by the Earth Advantage Institute found that energy-efficient homes sold for 8% more than non-certified homes.

To save even more money, do your homework before starting any home improvements. The push to go green has led to many tax incentives and construction costs rebates on sustainable projects. Research companies thoroughly and be sure to ask them what benefits they have to offer.

solar panels1 Why Green Architecture Is The Perfect Investment for Your Home

Installing a few solar panels will drastically reduce your heating and cooling costs. Image Via: Bertram Architects

Green Buildings Are Healthy

What if we told you that investing in a sustainable home was an easy way to keep your family happy and healthy? Well, it's true. Green buildings are able to boast cleaner living environments that have a positive impact on your family's health and wellbeing.

Air quality is huge in terms of health. As we use buildings, less than desirable pollutants – mold, carbon monoxide, vapors from chemical cleaners – build up in the air. Overexposure to these elements has led to an increase in headaches, fatigue, and allergies.

Since green buildings offer improved ventilation and better insolation from outside elements, symptoms of this "sick building syndrome" are less common. In fact, one study by the Boston Housing Authority found that residents of green buildings were 47% less likely to report sickness, even during peak flu season.

As an added bonus, that same heavy insolation has been known reduce temperature fluctuation and outside noise. It's a step toward creating a comfortable and peaceful environment that your family deserves.

natural light kitchen Why Green Architecture Is The Perfect Investment for Your Home

Sustainable homes tend to feature tons of natural light since its a great source of Vitamin D. Image Via: WA Design

You'll Improve The Environment

There's an old saying that goes, "We don't inherit the Earth from our ancestors. We borrow it from our children." When you think about it like that, we all need to focus on implementing strategies for a cleaner environment that will last long time.

This push needs to start as soon as possible. The most recent impact report by the intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change was especially bleak. It found that climate change is no longer a worry for the future – It's here. What's worse is that some of its effects are irreversible, especially in regard to increasingly severe temperatures, rapidly rising sea levels, and extinction due to deforestation.

However, sustainable architecture has found a way to combat these changes by implementing systems to keep our energy emissions to a minimum, generating clean energy from renewable resources, and reusing building materials that would have otherwise become waste.

LEED exterior Why Green Architecture Is The Perfect Investment for Your Home

A green home reduces energy emissions while repurposing waste. Image Via: Window World

How To Start Living Green

Okay, so we've convinced you to give green architecture some serious thought. Great! Now the question becomes "How Do I Even Start Something Like This?" We've got that covered. Below is a list of components that green homes usually feature. Feel free to use it as a jumping off point.

Adequate insolation throughout the entire structure
An alternative power source like solar panels or a wind turbine
Ventilation systems designed for optimal heating and cooling
"Low-Flow" plumbing fixtures
Energy-Efficient windows, appliances, and lighting
A collection system for rainwater runoff
A useable garden or green space
Landscaping that requires minimal water waste
When building, focus on smaller homes that offer more efficient use of space
Use of local, recycled materials in building and design

Even if you're not in a place to do a major home remodel right now, there are lots of things that everyone can do to reduce their waste – and their utility costs immediately. Turn off lights and electronics when you're not using them, make a commitment to recycle and reduce your use of wasteful materials, hire an energy auditor for specific recommendations on how to make your home a little greener. This is one area in which every small step makes a difference, so why not try it out?

small home Why Green Architecture Is The Perfect Investment for Your Home

Cut down on waste by opting for smaller floor plan. Image Via: Birdseye Design

Green architecture has a reputation for being trendy. It's one of those things that's seen as cool when thinking about the big picture, but less-than-practical when it comes to actually implementing features into your own home. However, that assumption could not be further from the truth. Embracing sustainable building has been shown to save money, improve health, and, of course, help the environment. With benefits like those, it only makes sense to look at sustainability as a great investment.

Will you consider sustainability next time you're working on home improvements? If you already have, what features make your home more environmentally friendly? Share your advice with us in the comments.

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Subtly Twisting Geometry Inserted in Raw Nature: Discovery Centre in Canada

Posted: 03 Oct 2014 11:04 AM PDT

Located in the Mont-Tremblant National Park in Québec, Canada, the Discovery Centre envisioned by Smith Vigeant Architects offers a stunning view of Lake Monroe and its surrounding hills and mountains. The building consists of three distinct sections: an amphitheater, a space for service facilities, and a discovery zone. A continuous band of rustic wood unfolds into walls, a roof and a floor sheltered by a large canopy. Given its pristine location in the heart of nature, the use of wood as the primary material facilitated the harmonious insertion of the structure into the unspoiled setting.

To achieve this, a wide variety of wood species were used on both the exterior and interior, reinterpreting the site's richness in textures and colors, while giving the building durability and resistance. The Discovery Centre was designed around the site's natural and climatic features and in respect to bioclimatic principles. The development of the project was founded on the assiduous integration of the building into the site as well as its sensitivity to the surrounding area. [Photography and information provided by Smith Vigeant Architects]

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Provocative Home Design Re-Shaping The Urban Australian Landscape

Posted: 03 Oct 2014 08:55 AM PDT

Flaunting a rough geometric interplay of lines, this peculiar collection of volumes is actually a home designed by Of Diverse Research (ODR) Architects within an Australian neighborhood. An unfamiliar shape like this one can’t evoke anything less than a mixture of inspirational sources. Seen by its creators as “a chance for interpretation as opposed to duplication” within a mixed urban contexts, this residence’s design turns the corner with an ample design leap. Although symmetry makes design simple, bursts of ingenuity slowly change our urban landscapes on a daily basis. Located at 16A Hunter Street, this home “is not interested in overlooking adjoining buildings, rather it is interested in providing views into itself for its occupants and engaging with its neighbors (whilst also challenging them.)”

According to the architects, the modern geometric home “takes on a representational role. The corrugated sheet profiles pay reference to the "industrial" and working class, the second floor forms to the west abstract local hipped roof forms and acknowledge the "saw tooth" typology to the east. We acknowledge Jeffrey Smart's "The Directors" through form (sign) and color implementation. Numbers appear embedded in the facade. The image is about an urban landscape, and the ordinary. We see these as "another Australian layer".

Maybe at first sight, this modern geometric home seems odd, yet the architects invite us to look closer, “look beyond the skin and accept the substance”. What does it say to you?

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Innovation Alert For the Wallpaper Industry: Glamora Design Studio App [Video]

Posted: 03 Oct 2014 05:52 AM PDT

Presented as a useful tool for designers and architects, but also for anyone looking to add a colorful twist to their home, the Glamora Design Studio App by wallpaper company Glamora introduces a new method of interacting with wallpapers in general. The new application allows users to create visualizations in order to have an idea about how a certain wall cover would look like in their home. How does it work? Just take a photo of any space, then add a wallpaper from the wide range of designs the company places at your disposal.

Once you’ve selected your favorite item, you can adjust its size, so that it perfectly fits that of your virtual wall. Measurements can be introduced and stored for further sessions. When you are done with the “design”, you can save your project, send it by e-mail or attach it and deliver it to Glamora directly if you have questions or need help with future projects. In our opinion, this app reinvents user interaction in the wallpaper sector, taking things to the next level for business owners in the niche and clients alike. Be sure to have a look at the video below for more information and let us know your thoughts on the subject !

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