SUSTAINABLE ARCHITECTURE

Today  sustainable  in  architecture depends on various aspects of architecture which is a building or a town .When various building activities combined together, which gives the net result in terms of pleasure and comforts to man .All analysis made by an architect is to achieve optimum pleasure and comfort  for a longer period for man and in future any changes or modifications which are necessary and important , without losing its charm , it is known as sustainability of structure or it can be termed as sustainable architecture . This part of sustainability can be achieved with the combination of following factors –

1.       Materials of building

2.       Constructional activities

3.       Different services required

4.       Use of landscape

5.       Planning of functional areas                                                                                                                                                                                                       

Materials  of  Buildings – The basic building materials are natural one and man knows all properties and their ultimate capacity of uses , life , durability and sustainability . So what it is end for us  - no . Today there is need to develop new materials from old one and old one to develop various new properties as per needs and at the same time there should be minimum possible natural – actions and reactions and its effects on human comforts . By product of old natural materials must help such properties which must have required properties as per man and environmental requirement to increase life of building , reduce the maintenance cast and provide full joy and comfort to man kind . For example in old time roof terracing used to do with canker-lime which had a long life but today there is no canker-lime so roof finishing is done with cement mortar –base materials and top surface is finished with polymer base materials .This polymer base materials have other qualities also i.e. reflection of sun heat and provide coolness to roof. So this polymer base material must have easy operations , maximum life and eco-friendly to man and environment . Anodizing is another example which is to be good for steel member used in day today life like furniture , window .grills , etc . IN the same way the example of lime-mortar which was used to construct a wall which is the assemble of bricks etc than plastering on both surfaces .Later on this lime mortar has been modified with organic – lime mortar than cement mortar and then providing plaster . Further to make it more graceful first putty applied to get more even surface to finish with paints or plastic paints . All these operations are done for life and appearance of building .Every time man wants a new material which must have long life , better appearance , minimum impact of different sources of environmental effects .For example- Stone work has been replaced by brick work , lime mortar replaced by cement mortar , lime plaster replaced by cement plaster, ordinary cement plaster replaced by fine cement plaster and smooth plaster has been modified by lime or cement putty and further it has been finished with cement oriented paints or plastic paints and further this plaster has been concealed  by wall paper or wall lining of wood or by products of wood or tiles etc. This is to achieve sustainability in architecture . Similarly in the case of roof construction . Construction of roof with the help of stone beams and slabs was improved with wooden beams and stone slabs and stone slabs further improved with steel beams and stone slabs and further had been improved with steel beams and stone slabs which further modified with reinforced brick slabs and reinforced cement concrete slabs and still further man tries to improve with plastic materials  which is also the of sustainability in architecture .

Constructional  activities -  Man has made lot of improvements to achieve  more  and more sustainability in structure with the help of constructional technology for joy and comforts . Here important one is strength of materials and required strength with respect to to bearing capacity of soil and natural impacts . On the basics of requirements of man for better livening and achieving  an economical results .The technology will give best results when man will get accurate and best materials to support the new developed technology and will get sustainable buildings .

Services – Required services for supply and drainage must be perfect for universal requirements based on day today needs. All sources of different services must be proper sealed and there should not be any leakage because leakage of water will cause of  decay of building materials due to reactions .There should not be any leakage ; is the base of technology . Another example – leakage of electricity will damage the materials as well as human life . Here one must consider all possible future loads to make it sustainable .At the same time there must be flexibility to modify the system to full fill the requirements to provided the space to make system sustainable .

Use of landscape – Landscape is a beautiful supplemented as purifier of environment which is most important for man . All elements of landscape are supplements for man to provide best health . For example – All plants use to discharge oxygen which is useful  for man and man use to produce carbon  dioxide which is useful for plants . Eerily sun rays consists of ultra-violet rays which is as antibiotic  for human being . Sun rays are must for plants to prepare food materials for plants and gives heat to man to complete various activities .Sun rays also help water to evaporate to form clouds for rains . The landscape use to create external as wall as internal environment of building for man and his day today life works . Man also use the elements of landscape  for his creations .

Planning - - A planner must consider all possible parameters at the time of planning a building as well as town ship or for man to make more sustainable even in future .Before planning a planner must consider the circulation and inter circulation to achieve maximum comforts of movement ,love with environment and selection of forms for composition . At the time selection of forms for various functions which must govern with the theory of “  Form follows the functions “ By  these forms man will achieve optimum joy and comforts and at the same time a planner will get great  success to bring out economy . These forms will also govern with sustainability in future .

We are living in India so one has to work accordingly . The country must govern with its population and  surplus fineness . Today in India people are using  Green- architecture or sustainable – architecture etc on a large scale to show their capability and work-man ship . In India population is more than hundred-million population and there must be more than ten-million buildings out of which hardily  more than three hundred building may be green building and sustainable buildings . So what it is our achievement? NO not at all. If there is enough land than one can think planning based on Organic Growth.

If one think about Indian Villages than these are may be the example  of sustainable-architecture and green-architecture . Here people are living with nature and their needs are limited  and almost ninety percent constructions are of temporary in nature therefore these constructions can be demolish and a new construction as per needs can be planned or can be extended without major changes in a economical way . This is really an example of sustainable architecture .  Another example is Chandigrah  which is even today , is the best example in World but even today India don’t required such town today due to economical position with respect to other basic primary needs . Even today there is a big question that what today we need Sky-scrapers in general . No body made any study about the philology and impacts of surroundings on people who are living in those sky-scrapers. In other words it is not at all sustainable.

All forms must be very clear and must speak about its functions and the future for possibilities of other possible functions . All forms must also speak about all possible layout of various furniture’s  at the same time layout must be such where there must be comfortable circulation without any obstruction . Here if orientation is proper than there will be proper air circulation to get required oxygen for man  than only it will call as a sustainable unit . A planner must take care that there must be minimum air changes per hour for a soothing environment . If external environment is fine than large size windows with transparency may be there so that flow of space will be there .

Use of proper landscape is a fine art by which man has better feeling of joy and comforts . It is fact that today one can not get a large are for gardening but up to some extend one can create by means of flower pots which can be arrange with aesthetic since . Once there was shorted of grains in country than the than Prime Minister Late Lal Bhadur Shastri had given a call to grow grains on roofs and it was a very successful call .

While planning and selection of materials the planner must be very careful so that it should not create any problem in future and one can say proudly “ It is the sustainable architecture which marry with Green Architecture “ .

One can recall his memory for a English move “ Tower IN Fennorow “ .It was related to the wrong selection of electrical wire and other electrical gadgets  . In this way what this beautiful  ,elegant  and land mark building can be term as sustainable building . All most all forts of Hindu  and  Muslim  periods will term as sustainable forts as well as example of green – architecture .  Indian old system of house planning where there was either one central courtyard or there where two or more than two courtyards – or really example of sustainable buildings because these houses were capable to sustain any required over loading and at the same time there were various useful plants and animals .  Even today in India every building has some open land in front and in back – thou it is as bye-laws but this is the example of green-architecture as well as sustainable building .  It is also true and said that if some one has some part of as open than it must be developed as a flower garden or a kitchen garden to achieve economy as well as it will give mental pleasure .

Another example of services  - if these services are in perfect and in proper working conditions than man has no problem and even man can mold it an useful for his day today life . For example – if there is a septic – tank for night soil treatment than its digested effluent can be used for irrigation of kitchen garden . This effluent is helping in irrigation as well as manure supplier and helping to store the water in ground through the ground filtration  which will be useful for man in future . This I  applied one of my project at Lucknow and in summer only this compound had the green grass .  It was a perfect example of green-architecture and  sustainable-architecture .

If a planner has a farsightedness than it is his capability how to use different element which must be useful for man as well as each element must be supplement to each other .

Good planning can give best and economical results as well as elegance , attractive and as a focal point or land mark of area to provide full joy and comforts to man .