As sustainable architects we are often asked – what makes a home an eco home? What are the considerations? Is it more expensive? How can we avoid getting it wrong? I’m writing this blog to answer some of those questions below.
What is sustainable architecture design?
Sustainable architecture design is when a building uses eco principles as part of its design. Such as:
- Low embodied energy (the energy required to make the materials used)
- Low emissions during construction (using local materials and renewable or recycled materials)
- Reducing energy use of the building when in use (by keeping it warm in winter and cool in summer, thereby reducing the fuel required to heat and cool it)
- Reducing waste on site
Most people would just think of bolting on a solar panel but there’s a lot more to it!
What is an eco-house?
An eco-house is a home that reduces its carbon footprint. Either by reducing emissions during the build (via use of renewable or recycled materials) or reducing ongoing energy use via good insulation and thermal mass, combined with overheating mitigation. A true eco-house does all of these things. Most would consider a Passivhaus to be in this category, but I also consider an existing home renovation to be an eco-house.
Lots of people wouldn’t consider renovating and improving their own home as being part of building an eco home. But restoring and reviving an existing home, historic or otherwise is sustainability in a nutshell – you are preserving a building for many years to come – the very essence of future proofing and eco-principles!
I discuss more what is an ecohome here
I’ve written a separate blog on why I think a historic home is also an ecohome.
Is sustainable construction more expensive?
It can be, but so can a ‘normal’ house depending on the finish you choose, the complexity and so on. Personally I prefer to think of it as ‘do it once and do it well’. This provides long term peace of mind which is priceless. Notwithstanding you’re far more secure when energy prices fluctuate, as we’ve seen in recent years.
Sustainable architecture materials
The most sustainable architecture materials are materials that take little energy to create such as renewable materials (because nature creates them for us). Or recycled materials such as recycled jute coffee bags used in insulation. The least sustainable materials are those that take the most energy to create and use a lot of oil to do so – such as foam insulations (which unsurprisingly have shot up in price due to oil price rises).
A good example of sustainable materials is on my blog about hemp filled timber frame panels here
How to design an eco-house
It’s not sexy, but it’s all in the envelope – the right insulation, breathability (and conversely airtightness), the right renewables to top up, the right glass. These are the ‘boring’ features that make a home really sing on the energy efficiency front. This is what we deal with in the background so that you can spend time thinking about the sexy stuff – the extra light, the views, how the kitchen will work, space for family and friends, bringing the garden into the house.
All of our projects shown on the website are eco-homes – you can see the variety for yourself!
Benefits of sustainable architecture
I think the number one benefit of sustainable architecture is security. Security of knowing you’ve done the right thing by your children and grandchildren. Security of knowing that your small bills will stay small. Security of knowing that you’ve done it once and done it well. There won’t be any nasty surprises further down the line.
Features of sustainable architecture
I think most common features of sustainable architecture that people think of are solar panels and air source heat pumps. But these are just the icing on the cake! The real bones of a sustainable design is longevity. Long-lasting materials, insulation, windows. Flexibility in design. So that you don’t have to make big piles of waste to make changes to your home as your family or life changes. It still baffles me in the UK that we have this short term mindset. In Germany and Austria (where I have lived and worked), people build expecting their grandchildren to live there. Consequently homes are of much higher quality in those countries. That is true sustainability.
UK specific eco design considerations
In the UK we have four seasons. It follows that our homes need to deal with cold winters and ever hotter summers. We all understand that insulation will keep you warm, but did you know that it also keeps you cool in summer? Imagine an insulated water bottle which works both for hot and cold drinks.
I will caveat though that insulations such as wood fibre do a much better job of this as they have thermal mass. Unlike foam insulations which also lead to a high volume of micro plastics every time it’s cut.
Flooding in the UK is becoming more common. As is drought. Including for rainwater storage in your eco design mitigates both issues. You can use the water for flushing toilets and washing clothes (it’s lovely and soft), washing your car and of course watering your garden during a drought! This saves on your water bill and it reduces the load on UK water reserves.
You can also mitigate flooding by reducing hard standing in your garden design, planting trees and using permeable hard materials.
Trees and shrubs in your garden can reduce your house temperature by up to 5 degrees- free air conditioning!
There are many things you can do to give your home an eco design makeover both with and without building work.
Why is sustainable architecture important?
Long term bills, less volatility when oil prices fluctuate
Overheating – climate change is happening, even the biggest deniers cannot fail to see the strange weather patterns and the increasing heat each year.
Lots of people talk about wanting a forever home, but miss the sustainable details that make is so.
If you’d like our help with your eco-home design please do get in touch here and while you wait why not have a read of our free eBook – How to add Real Value to Your Rural Home.