Documentos de Académico
Documentos de Profesional
Documentos de Cultura
Assessment (2009)
1. Introduction
The environmental impact of construction, maintenance and operation of commercial and
residential buildings is leading to significant irreversible changes in the global climate and
ecosystem. According to the UNEP/Earthscan GEO-3 report (2002), if no radical change happens
in current patterns, over 70% of the natural habitat on Earth will be destroyed or seriously
disturbed by the built environment by 2032.
The environmental impact can be greatly reduced by careful selection of construction
materials, greatly reducing operational energy requirements and reusing building components at
the end of a dwelling’s lifetime. This paper aims to investigate going beyond mere reduction of
impact, by examining the principles of working with nature rather than against it and intends to
thereby demonstrate a truly sustainable approach through general design guidelines for a simple
rural habitation.
page 1 of 7
Csaba Zagoni REBE CAT 0941436 - Module 2. Assessment (2009)
Figure 1. Share of Traditional Biomass in Residential Energy Consumption, 2000. (IAE, 2002)
page 2 of 7
Csaba Zagoni REBE CAT 0941436 - Module 2. Assessment (2009)
Ecosystems are immensely complex interdependent systems, with every member fitting and
filling a niche in the whole organization. The concept of “waste” doesn’t exist as the output of any
process serves as the input of others. The subsystems are finely balanced and self-regulating
controlled by negative-feedback loops. Single elements of the subsystems can be highly
ineffective, what really matters is the overall system performance and equilibrium. (Biogeochemical
Cycle, 2009.)
The basic concept of a sustainable building design is to find an ecological niche for the
project by a site-specific approach. This means an onsite analysis of climate, vegetation, hydrology
and landscape, as well as assessment of energy flows, evaluation of daily and annual sun, water,
wind, vegetation and wildlife patterns (McDonough and Braungart, 2003). By creating a symbiotic
relationship between the building and nature, it is possible to reconnect with the natural energy
flow and biogeochemical cycles.
According to the UNEP report (UNEP, 2007), more than 80% of the total energy consumed
through a building’s entire lifetime is used during the operational phase (fig. 3, p. 4). Existing
knowledge and technology allows a design of net energy exporting buildings by utilizing renewable
energy systems. Overall, the operating impacts can be lowered to such an extent that the carrying
capacity of the site is not exceeded. However, the impact of construction usually goes greatly
beyond site capacity. (Olgyay, 2004.) By using life-cycle assessment (LCA) to sum all the
embodied energy used in the construction of the building (including transportation and the
components and replacements of the renewable energy system), the net energy exporting rate can
be set to be in balance with the total energy requirement, aiming for a zero or negative overall
impact throughout the building’s lifetime (Chwieduk, 2003).
Figure 4. (p. 3) compares the energy consumption of an average building and a sustainable
building over an estimated 60-year lifetime. Maintenance and replacements are included in the
operating energy, and it is assumed that renewable energy technology is developing in terms of
efficiency in the next 60 years.
page 3 of 7
Csaba Zagoni REBE CAT 0941436 - Module 2. Assessment (2009)
Figure 3. Energy used during construction, operation and demolition phases of a buildingʼs entire lifetime
Figure 4. Energy consumed over the 60-year lifetime of an average and a sustainable building
page 4 of 7
Csaba Zagoni REBE CAT 0941436 - Module 2. Assessment (2009)
Solar photovoltaic panels provide energy for high-efficiency LED lighting and low-power
appliances (e.g. digital amplifiers, laptops). The energy is stored in valve-regulated lead-acid
batteries. The whole system is leased from and serviced by a reputable supplier, who reuses the
materials at the end of the system’s determined lifetime.
A simple solar domestic hot water system supplies the low-flow shower and tap for hand
washing. No detergents or other chemicals are allowed in the system except for natural
biodegradable soaps.
A high-efficiency wood stove provides backup heat for space heating and solar cooking. The
fuel crops are sourced from a certified sustainably managed source.
The composting toilet collects urine separately, which is diluted and used in garden irrigation
and also acts as a natural fertilizer. The rest of the human waste is properly composted (at a given
carbon to nitrogen ratio the temperature raises and kills all pathogens) and the resulting hummus
is used in the garden to improve soil fertility. By doing this, the need for sewers is eliminated and
waste is reintroduced into the natural nutrient cycle.
Greywater is pre-filtered and directed to a mini-marsh with local plants (e.g. reed) before the
cleaned water is used in the irrigation of the garden. (Pereira, 2009.)
Further improvement over Pereira’s (2009) model, which recommends an organic garden, is
setting up a permaculture garden. This is designed with great care to create wildlife corridors and
to support biodiversity and soil fertility, aiming towards a natural landscape with complementary
human presence. All fuel crops are ideally grown on site (e.g. short-rotation coppice). (Fairlie,
2009.)
Figure 5. shows the energy flow and the nutrient cycle on site. Energy is acquired from solar
radiation and/or other renewable sources available on site. Water enters the system in the form of
rainwater and it joins the nutrient cycle through cleaning/washing and irrigation. Solid organic
nutrients are also circulated in the forms of food/human waste/garden compost between the
cooking facility, the greywater marsh, composting facilities and the organic garden.
Sewage and waste are totally eliminated in the conventional sense. Depending on the
ecological state of the site previous to the design, the nutrient cycle resulting from human presence
and the organic/permaculture garden can create a net increase in ecological services. By
increasing the amount of moisture, increasing soil fertility and creating/improving wildlife habitat,
the design can aim to have a restorative/regenerative effect, enhancing the ecological productivity
of the land. (Olgyay, 2004)
page 5 of 7
Csaba Zagoni REBE CAT 0941436 - Module 2. Assessment (2009)
5. Conclusion
5.1. Summary
The current human activity on the planet is unsustainable, causing depletion of natural
resources and seriously damaging the ecosystem. Regulations only aim to reduce the impact but
they are not providing a solution to the source of the problem. For a shift towards sustainable
development humanity need to reconnect with the planet’s energy flows and biogeochemical
cycles.
By using life-cycle assessment, buildings can be designed to be net energy exporters not
only during operation but if looked over their whole life-cycle as well. Sustainable development can
have a restorative ecological effect aiming for a human habitation where nature and human
presence are complementary.
• lack of relevant data - because of the complex environmental, economic and social
implications, the benefits of sustainable development such as the design presented in
section 4 are hard to quantify
• overall evaluation methods to analyze a timber frame, strawbale, rammed earth self-build
were unavailable
• only general guidelines are discussed here, major modifications might be needed for
specific climates
• the design assumes a very simple farming lifestyle probably not satisfactory for the majority
of people of developed nations
• comparison of ecological footprint of the given design and an average rural home in the
same area
• evaluation of the restorative potential of the design on agricultural land using monoculture
page 6 of 7
Csaba Zagoni REBE CAT 0941436 - Module 2. Assessment (2009)
6. References
Biogeochemical Cycle, 2009. In Encyclopædia Britannica. Available from Encyclopædia Britannica
Online: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/65875/biogeochemical-cycle (Accessed on 11
Nov 2009)
Chwieduk, D., 2003. Towards Sustainable-Energy Buildings, Applied Energy, vol 76. pp. 211-217.
Fairlie S., et al., 2009. Low Impact Development, Self-Published under Creative Commons license,
ISBN: 978-1-870474-36-8
Hobbish, M.K., Earth Systems Science, Section 16, Federation of American Scientists, Available
from http://www.fas.org/irp/imint/docs/rst/Sect16/Sect16_4.html (Accessed on 11 Nov 2009)
Jones, D., 1998. Architecture and the Environment, Laurence King Publishing, London
McDonough, W., Braungart, M., Dale, D., 2002a. A Building Like a Tree, A Campus Like a Forest,
Connections: The Journal of New England Board of Higher Education, vol 17. no 1. Summer 2002
pp. 16-19.!
McDonough, W., Braungart, M., 2002b. Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things, 1st
Edition. North Point Press.
McDonough, W., Braungart, M., 2003. Toward a Sustaining Architecture of the 21st Century,
Industry & Environment, vol 26. no 2-3. pp. 9-12.
Olgyay, V., Julee, H., 2004. The application of ecosystems services criteria for green building
assessment, Solar Energy, vol 77. pp. 389-398.
Pereira, T., 2009. Sustainability: An Integral Engineering Design Approach, Renewable and
Sustainable Energy Reviews, vol 19. pp. 1133-1137.
UNEP, Earthscan, 2002. GEO-3: Global Environment Outlook 3, Chapter 4: Outlook: 2002-32,
Earthprint, London
UNEP, 2003. Industry and Environment, Sustainable Building and Construction: Facts and Figures,
Industry & Environment, vol 26. no 2-3. pp. 5-8.
UNEP, 2007. Building and Climate Change: Status, Challenges and Opportunities, Available from
http://www.sustainablebuildingcentre.com/sites/default/files/Buildings_and_climate_change.pdf
(Accessed on 11 Nov 2009)
page 7 of 7