Building ‘Green’ houses and using green designs to conserve our natural resources and save money is a common topic of conversation now a days. And perhaps you wonder how? To have a clear appreciation we must ask the question how much do our average buildings consume? A rough estimation of consumption of normal commercial buildings in the US point to about 18 percent of the total energy consumption and 33 percent of the total electricity consumption. In a year commercial buildings produce roughly 18 percent of the total carbon-dioxide emissions in the US. Green designs aim at cutting these figures, which in turn yield many benefits.



Green designs approach the entire process of building houses in a holistic manner. To arrive at a green design requires a complete estimation of the terrain, availability of locally available construction material, suitable local green designs, application of relevant green technologies as also the sort of incentives offered by the government.

How do designers use ‘lay of the land’ for their green designs? Terrain mapping includes wind flow studies to arrive at the best optimum positioning of windows and ventilation shafts so as to use natural air and obviate the use of air conditioners. Terrain mapping also includes considerations of astronomy wherein the average annual day/ night hours are calculated so that the best optimum mix of solar technologies can be utilized. Technology is brought in to control the switching on and off of lights according to the daylight to conserve electricity. Terrain mapping also includes mapping the ground water resources and calculating the best harvesting methods required to recharge the ground water and make it available for the green project. Water conservation is a key aspect of green designs wherein recycled water from the bathrooms is used to green the gardens. Roofs are so scientifically designed that they are able to route the rainwater to soakage pits, which helps in the recharge of ground water.

Green designs use concepts such as Compressed Earth Blocks, Cob Houses, Earth Shelters, Straw Bale, Rammed Earth, Adobe (not the software!) construction and likewise. Each of these designs has its pros and cons and of course applicability depending on the area where one decides to use them. The vital detail is that such designs are no longer the in the realms of conceptual art but are being used by mainstream architects. Not only that, almost every state in the US offers substantial tax benefits to those who build using green designs resulting in appreciable monetary savings.