What we build matters and so does how we build it. In this article we will outline some useful tips for a sustainable house design. Building sustainable homes not only saves you money in the long run but also reduces your impact on the environment.
IDEAS FOR BUILDING A SUSTAINABLE HOME:
2. SIZE - SMALLER HOUSES ARE MORE EFFICIENT Obviously a larger house will use more materials and require more energy for heating and cooling. 3. ORIENTATION OF YOUR HOUSE FOR NATURAL LIGHT AND HEAT We live in a tropical climate in the northern hemisphere, where the sun is very prevalent during summers. Make house with more windows facing north and eastern direction, as the sun rays fall directly on south walls of the house, walls could be treated by giving thickness or creating vacuum. Build a long wall with windows or openings facing north and east to maximize natural light and to minimize direct sunlight in the summers. If you do have west and south facing windows plant a large tree to block some of that uncomfortable sunlight. You can plant a deciduous tree in front of your south facing windows for more energy savings. The tree will block sunlight in the summer but lose its leaves in the winter allowing the sunlight in during the cold months. Another trick is sun shades or a roof overhang. The sun is higher in the summer than in the winter so a roof overhang can block the sun in the summer. In the winter the sun will be at a lower angle and not be blocked by the overhang. 4. LAYOUT AFFECTS ENERGY USE IN A HOME Building a house that is very wide and spread out is going to have more heat loss. Building taller can be more efficient than building wider. A compact two story house will tend to be more efficient than a one story spread out house. So for example if you want to build a 1000 SQM house, building 2 stories with 500 SQM per story is probably going to be more efficient. 5. USE LOCAL MATERIALS Using local materials in your new sustainable house will reduce the need for shipping. 6. RECYCLED MATERIALS FOR SUSTAINABLE HOUSE CONSTRUCTION
7. INSULATION IS ESSENTIAL FOR SUSTAINABLE HOMES R value is a term we use to rate the insulation value of a material. R value = Resistance, the higher the R value the more insulation. The most important thing is to insulate your home to keep the hot air out during the summer and keep the warm air in during the winter. If your area has energy codes make sure to meet at least the minimum standards for insulation. Heating and air conditioning is the largest percentages of energy use and your energy bill. The better insulation you have the less energy you will use. 8. AIR SEALING FOR ENERGY EFFICIENT HOME DESIGN Sealing includes windows, doors, vents, electrical conduit, and any other holes and penetrations. These all need sufficient sealing through caulking or other methods. 9. WINDOW AND DOOR SELECTION FOR ENERGY REDUCTION Windows and doors are also a weak point for air leakage. Make sure you have proper air sealing around these areas. 10. SUSTAINABLE MATERIALS Use materials that avoid Volatile Organic Compounds or VOCs. Examples can be using low VOC paint or glues. Use materials that can be recycled later and have already been recycled. Using local materials is a good start to sustainability. 11. ENERGY STAR APPLIANCES & EQUIPMENT Use energy star rated appliances. 12. LED LIGHTING FOR ENERGY EFFICIENT HOME DESIGN LED stands for Light Emitting Diode. Using LED lights is going to reduce your energy cost (they use less power) and you won’t need to change the bulbs for many years. 13. WATER CONSERVING PLUMBING FIXTURES Toilets and other plumbing fixtures make dual flush toilets where you can choose a lower flush rate or the higher rate as needed. All your plumbing fixtures can have reduced or Low-flow water usage including faucets and shower heads. 14. EFFICIENT HVAC DESIGN HVAC stands for Heating Ventilation Air Conditioning. Programmable Thermostat – Use a thermostat that only kicks in automatically when a certain temperature threshold is passed. You can program it to shut off at certain times of day like at night or when at work. Zones – One can set independent temperatures by room. No need to run the HVAC in rooms that are not often used like the basement or laundry room. Efficient Equipment – Used equipment should be energy efficient and properly installed. Mini-split units – Mini split heating and air conditioning units are incredibly popular right now because of their efficiency and ability to control a home in separate zones. These systems have a condenser outside the house and at least 1 unit in each room inside the house. 15. RECYCLE YOUR ENERGY WITH AN ERV Install an ERV or Energy Recovery Ventilator. The ERV can use the heat from the exhaust to preheat or precool the air being brought into your home. Preheat the air in the winter or precool the air in the summer with an ERV to reduce energy usage on your HVAC. It just uses the heat. 16. RAIN WATER COLLECTION Install roof gutters and downspouts that direct the water to a concrete underground tank for reuse. This water can be used to flush your toilets or water the garden. 17. MISTING FAN A misting fan is similar to a humidifier. A fan blows a fine mist of water into the air. If the air is not too humid, the water evaporates, absorbing heat from the air, allowing the misting fan to also work as an air cooler. A misting fan can be used outdoors, especially in a dry climate. It may also be used indoors. Also known as a swamp cooler. The Swimming pool water can be recycled in form of water being used in misting fans. 18. RENEWABLE ENERGY FOR SUSTAINABLE HOMES
19. SOLAR HOT WATER OR INSTANT HOT WATER There are two basic types of solar water heating. Active system uses pumps, and passive system does not. Instant hot water, use less energy and they heat up instantly. 20. INTELLIGENT PLANTING Smart Planting: Use plant species that are native to your area or that are known to thrive in your climate. Make sure these plants can survive with minimal maintenance and watering. Vegetable Garden: Growing your own organic food is very sustainable. Make sure to plant fruits and vegetables that will thrive in your location. 21. BUILD TO LAST FOR SUSTAINABLE HOMES Build To Last! If you want to build a sustainable house you need to build To Last. Durability is essential for sustainable homes. Build with materials that require little maintenance. Sustainable house design cannot be achieved without thinking of construction quality and techniques for a long lasting home. 22. BUILD SOMETHING YOU LOVE When people love their homes they take care of them and they don’t change them. Do not hesitate to tell your architect or contractor what you want. It’s your home build a house that makes you happy. Don’t forget, build a home that has a small impact on our planet as possible. Sustainable homes benefit our environment and their owners. Let’s have a look at the most trending design ideas, for decoration, color and design, for our homes and living spaces. People have varied tastes and preference while designing their homes but there are certain design ideas which have a common following and which are currently trending across the globe.
If you want to give your home a smart update, these are some of the most popular home decorating trends which are reasonable and aesthetic both at the same time: All White Interiors White has always been in, all white interiors have made a comeback and are one of the trendiest and the smartest design ideas internationally. White makes us feel calm and placid and at the same time creates an illusion of space. White also easily catches and magnifies the light coming through the windows and makes the room look spacious and comfortable. Although colorful design looks great, yet there is nothing like the use of white to balance it out. A clean, all-white palette with dynamic furniture and artwork looks stunning. Calming Shades Calming shades for furniture and walls are trending as they take less space and make for a comfy and peaceful home. Thinking that calming shades are boring is an outdated idea, the right color combination with darks and lights makes for an aesthetic apartment and a bright peaceful home. Combine two soothing colors such as “Blue and grey” or “cream and light green” to make a room both elegant and engaging. Non matching Dining Chairs and Cabinets While symmetry is good and creates space, today people are more into modern art and eccentric color and design combinations. To go bold is trending and people are experimenting with yellows and reds and violets and blues. These non-matching furniture combinations add a zing to your home and especially your kitchen and dining areas. You can simply incorporate these valuable ideas into your space by acting smart. Of course, you don’t need to pay a bomb for this, make small changes gradually and turn your otherwise dreary home into a fresh and trendy zone. Step out of your shoes and into a modish, elegant interior. Architecture plus interiors is one of the best interior designer store in Delhi NCR region. With top facilities, Architecture plus interior provides the best luxury home interiors at minimal cost. For more information on our work you can visit us at http://architectureplusinteriors.in. A floor plan may be defined as the scaled diagram of a room or of an entire building. It also includes measurement of furniture, appliances or anything else that will constitute a building. Floor plans are quiet valuable tools for builders and architects as they help in figuring out the structural requirements of a building along with utilizing the space available in the most efficient way.
However, one should take proper care and attention while designing a floor plan or else it may ruin the whole structure of a building. Some of the common mistakes while designing a floor plain are- Walk in Closets are not properly dimensioned – In many dysfunctional plans, the corner of a closet is crossed with a hanging rod in two directions. But one cannot use the corners where they meet and as there is a need of minimum 2 feet of depth to hang clothes. The best design for a modest walk is 7 feet wide where rods hand on either side and not by the end of teh closet. Doors opening in wrong direction – Interior doors always open inward towards a room, however, many a times architects design a wrong floor plain with doors opening outwards. Sketching of Ceiling – An ideal floor plain will have ceilings of same height for a total building including bedroom, bathroom, dining room, kitchen room as well as for the hall. However, many a times due to challenging situation of making a building in a smaller place, architects often sketch different ceiling design for same building which is a blunder. Use of Space – Often while making a floor plain, many people tend to overlook the distance between each part of a building. Ideally there should be a symmetrical distance between each rooms of a building. Somewhere, shortcuts should also apply. For instance there should be a shortcut between a garage room and kitchen for easily moving the grocery items to the destined position. Also there should be ideally being a good gap between bedroom and dining room so that your guests cannot peep into your private space. Thus, while sketching a building more emphasize should be given on utilization Proper spacing of furniture – Furniture should always be ideally placed for getting maximum utilization from it. Suppose in a bed room, more than the requirements of chairs and tables, a desk with a night lamp is more essential. On the other hand, sofas, chairs and tables should ideally be placed in dining rooms or halls. Also one should keep in mind that a ideal space should be kept between the furniture for proper movement of at least one person. Architecture plus Interior is the best interior design company in Delhi and NCR. It also provides the best luxury home interiors for a lavish and comfortable life. |
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