
Sustainable architecture is a term that describes environmentally conscious design and architectural techniques. Sustainable architecture has appeared because of the discussion of sustainability and the pressing economic and political issues of our world.

As you may have guessed, sustainable architecture seeks to minimize the negative environmental impact of buildings by enhancing efficiency and moderation in the use of materials, energy, and development space. The idea of sustainability, or ecological design, is to ensure that our actions and decisions today do not inhibit the opportunities of future generations. The term can be used to describe an energy and ecologically conscious approach to the design of the built environment.

This is why in the following buildings you will see a lot of new technologies which will drastically save you energy money without making it look like you were missing something. On the contrary, apart from the sustainable features like big windows to let natural light inside the house, natural air movement inside the house to avoid air conditioning systems, solar panels and many other, these buildings also have a lot of green spaces, which on my behalf, is a big plus. It’s like you are having your own little corner of nature inside your house.

E+ Green Home by Unsangdong Architects

E+ Green Home is an amazing house and I have to say that is the one that has the most green technologies under one roof… and on it. There are 95 green technologies applied to this house. Firstly, it is a passive house meaning that it is an energy efficient building that requires low heating or cooling energy for space and provides pleasant indoor environment during summer and winter. It needs 15kWh/m2 annual heating energy and below 120kWh/m2 of total primary energy supply. A building like this provides comfortable indoor environment to the occupants with only 1/8~1/10 of energy consumption of other general existing buildings.

The building energy consumption has been minimized with the help of high performance insulation and high density triple pane windows from the Energy+ technical elements. The performance of air tightness has been improved by minimizing air leakage from the windows, and the indoor temperature has been maintained at constant temperature by applying vertical cylinder which helps indoor temperature to be stored in the concrete. Energy Plus has been achieved by applying solar heat and PV to additional necessary energy. And new technologies such as cooling radiator and natural lighting system with ventilation are applied to maximize the residents’ comfort.

Rain water is purified to be used within the house, and recycled plastic and lumber are used to decorate interior space. Residents’ health is also considered, and environment-friendly wallpapers and CO2 concentration monitoring are used in the building. 450 sensors are installed to monitor these various technologies, and e+ms (Energy + Management System) is added which can save, combine, and control the information on energy output and input by connecting with each elements such as lighting, outlets, switches, and etc.

Ha house by Vo Trong Nghia, Daisuke Sanuki, Shunri Nishizawa

Aqualina Residence

Meera House by Guz Architects

The plots on the island of Sentosa are not large and neighboring buildings are built close to the sides of each house. Thus the architects’ strategy was to build a solid wall to each side neighbor to provide privacy where possible, while creating a central light and stair well which would funnel the sea breeze through the center of the building.

The front and rear of the building meanwhile, terrace back allowing each level to have visual or actual access to greenery. The intention was to try to allow each roof garden provided a base for the level above allowing the layered effect to make each level feel like it was a single level dwelling sitting in a garden… as much as the architects could do in the close confines of Sentosa island and with such a large building.

Black Beauty Tierra Villa

Embracing the natural sloping landscape, Tierra both floats high above the ocean and submerges itself into the lush Costa Rican jungle. The harmonious relationship of the interior to exterior begins with the grand kitchen, dining and living rooms, then slips past an operable wall of glass into the pool, before the view falls away into the infinite Pacific Ocean beyond.

Tierra offers all the lavish amenities of a modern eco-jungle villa. You can choose between pampering yourself in your luxurious master suite upstairs, resting peacefully in a spacious family room, library and downstairs bedroom suites, or escaping to your own private roof deck with vast ocean, jungle and mountain views

The Sun House by Guz Architects

The sun house is a relatively compact house for Singapore on a roadside corner plot in an established bungalow area. The architects endeavored to make the most of the site by pushing the main ‘L’ shape of the building to the rear. This then created an open courtyard which was private but with still a feeling of openness on the relatively densely constructed site, thus still allowing for good views and airflow.

They used the ponds and pool as cooling elements for the building as well as visual focal points. Volumes and space were maximised as much as possible by sharing the open staircase and double height living space with the courtyard area. At the end of the day the house was also designed around the owner, who had a lovely collection of artwork and sculptures and this inspired the creation of a large solid wall with niches which housed his artworks as well as giving the building an anchor on which to expand other spaces.

The Fish House by Guz Architects

This modern tropical bungalow encapsulates the essence of living in the hot and humid climate of Singapore by creating open spaces which encourage natural ventilation and offer residents views to the ocean.

The main design concept is to create a house which has close relationship with nature and this is achieved by having a swimming-pool linking the house with the landscape and ultimately visual connections with the sea. The idea of connection is reinforced by having the basement level media-room with a u-shaped acrylic window which allows diffuse natural light in and also views out into the pool. The curved roofs, which symbolizing the sea waves, also emphasize the idea of the nearby sea. These are almost totally covered with thin bendable photovoltaic panels supplying enough energy to the house, while the remaining area is used as a green roof giving residents some outdoor leisure spaces.

Fish House is a modest and yet luxurious residential design which gives residents opportunities to live in harmony and comfortably with nature.

The Cluny House by Guz Architects

The project demonstrates how technology, planning and design can be applied sensitively to generate a comfortable, luxurious, yet sustainable family home.

Photovoltaic cells and solar water heaters are employed together with design for passive cooling and cross ventilation to reduce energy usage. Irrigation tanks and roof gardens collect and recycle rainwater; and the use of materials such as recycled teak and artificial timber adds warmth without compromising the finite resources of our environment.

The house is laid out around a central water court that forms the focal point of the project. Lushly planted roof gardens surround this and add to the effect that nature is evident in every part of the house.

Although the house is high tech – using state of the art EIB systems, photovoltaic cells, security systems – these are integrated discreetly and work with the natural environment of the house rather than against it.

This integration of technology and nature deserves special mention in a compelling design that could realistically become the model for sustainable living.

Port Ludlow Residence by FINNE Architects

The Port Ludlow Residence is a compact, 2400 SF modern house located on a wooded waterfront property at the north end of the Hood Canal, a long, fjord-like arm of western Puget Sound. The house creates a simple glazed living space that opens up to become a front porch to the beautiful Hood Canal.

Tangga House by Guz Architects

The house is a contemporary interpretation of a traditional courtyard house, laid out around a central green courtyard with a double height stair and entry area forming the focal point of the project. The L-shaped plan creates open spaces which encourage natural ventilation and offer resident’s views over the courtyard to the verandah, roof gardens and beyond.

Lushly planted roof gardens surround the house and add to the effect that nature is evident in every part of the house. The large roof above the courtyard creates an indoor and outdoor space leading to the gardens and swimming pool which wraps around two sides of the house. The Tangga house hopefully gives the owners the opportunity to live in harmony and comfort with nature, in Singapores hot tropical climate.

If you liked this article about sustainable architecture, you should check out these as well: