Architectural Wonders - Sustainable Architecture for a Green Future BY KENNY SLAUGHT

Politicians and pundits may argue about the finer details, but the world's scientists and environmentalists overwhelmingly agree that humanity's overuse of energy and natural resources is having deleterious effects around the world.

For this reason, "sustainability" and "green technologies" have become buzzwords in nearly every industry, including architecture.

Approximately half of the United States' energy usage and carbon emissions, as well as 75% of its electricity, are consumed by buildings, and the country adds 3 billion square feet of constructed space annually.

As such, architects have begun focusing their efforts on sustainable building practices.

Of course, while reducing electricity and water usage in buildings may be environmentally friendly practices, architects and construction companies are finding numerous other reasons to build sustainably.

While the majority of the respondents to a McGraw-Hill Construction survey in 2008 said they were motivated to pursue sustainable construction because it was the "right thing to do," green buildings have grown in popularity in the past seven years.

Today, client and market demand are the main drivers of sustainable construction, and the financial incentives for architects to pursue these projects are increasing.

The Importance of Sustainable Design

The root of the growing demand for green architecture lies is in the benefits of sustainably designed buildings.

Conserving resources is incredibly important, and green buildings typically focus on reducing the need for electricity, water, and waste material, both during construction and throughout the life of the building.

The best sustainable design seeks to eliminate waste in design, construction, and usage.

Today's architects are even asked to consider the environmental impact of buildings when they must be torn down.

For some architects, sustainability has become an important mission.

Others, including famed architect Frank Gehry, have expressed considerably more skepticism.

Gehry, the mastermind behind many of the most iconic buildings in contemporary architecture, went so far as to call it "bogus" at one point, and many others have criticized the aesthetic constraints created by the need for sustainability.

However, as demand for sustainable buildings grows around the world, even the holdouts must confront a new reality in which the future is looking extremely green.

For some architects, sustainability has become an important mission.

Others, including famed architect Frank Gehry, have expressed considerably more skepticism.

Gehry, the mastermind behind many of the most iconic buildings in contemporary architecture, went so far as to call it "bogus" at one point, and many others have criticized the aesthetic constraints created by the need for sustainability.

However, as demand for sustainable buildings grows around the world, even the holdouts must confront a new reality in which the future is looking extremely green.

Green Buildings Growing Like Weeds

That said, the present already looks fairly green.

McGraw-Hill's research predicted that more than half of the world's construction firms would spend 60% of their time on green projects by 2015.

In the United States, these predictions have largely been borne out.

Luckily, despite the concerns of designers and architects, many of these projects have also been architecturally stunning.

Source: 51% Studios Architecture / License

Earlier this year, the American Institute of Architects' Committee on the Environment presented its 19th annual Top Ten Awards, recognizing some of the most astounding new buildings in North America.

Many of them are architectural wonders worth celebrating.

The buildings range from hospitals, such as the San Antonio Military Medical Center and its innovations in heat management, to office buildings like Seattle's Bullitt Center and its self-sustaining design that reduces its environmental footprint to virtually nothing.

On other continents, green design is also flourishing. The incredible terraces of Green Side-Wall in Barcelona overflow with insulating plant life, while Melbourne recently witnessed the arrival of its first carbon-neutral offices with Pixel, which gathers all its own energy and water behind a colorful facade.

Source: 51% Studios Architecture / License

The Future of Sustainable Architecture

However, many architects, designers, and sustainability experts expect that we have only seen the beginning of green innovations.

There are already projects underway with significantly larger goals. Milan hopes to soon feature the Bosco Verticale, a "vertical forest" that provides carbon reduction and shade in the form of astounding, tree-festooned skyscrapers.

Other projects, like Great City in Chengdu, China, hope to create entire planned environments designed to be walkable, sustainable, and beautiful. Many architects are also considering the inevitability of climate change, such as those who are focused on floating artificial islands that will create living space for those threatened by rising sea levels.

Source: Inhabitat / License

However, many architects, designers, and sustainability experts expect that we have only seen the beginning of green innovations.

There are already projects underway with significantly larger goals. Milan hopes to soon feature the Bosco Verticale, a "vertical forest" that provides carbon reduction and shade in the form of astounding, tree-festooned skyscrapers.

Other projects, like Great City in Chengdu, China, hope to create entire planned environments designed to be walkable, sustainable, and beautiful. Many architects are also considering the inevitability of climate change, such as those who are focused on floating artificial islands that will create living space for those threatened by rising sea levels.

Source: Inhabitat / License

Architects can also expect to deploy many new materials in their future designs.

Techniques like cross-ventilation, which involves the addition of atriums filled with greenery in between the floors of tall buildings, and materials like biodegradable paint or recycled steel, are almost certain to be a big part of new buildings.

Meanwhile, specially coated glasses will soon be able to offer superior heat management, and advances in roofing materials will keep occupants at a comfortable temperature year-round without requiring significant energy expenditures.

Source: Inhabitat / License