Climate Change and Architecture

Climate Change and Architecture

Introduction

Architecture that rises naturally from the land and uses materials to create a harmonious relationship with the surroundings satisfies a deeper level of human sensibility and has the potential to lead to greater level of human comfort, environmental awareness, and social interaction. (Rondanini 2007)

Background of the Study

Building activities have undergone tremendous changes in terms of design, features, landscaping and aesthetics. The concerns for energy and environment coupled with the advent of new technologies have opened up new dimensions and approach in building design, all over the world. The new approach is to look at the building performance to blend with the overall philosophy of sustainable development. (Corbusier 2008)

Research Question

What are the affects of climate change on architectural design and architectural materials?

What is the impact of global warming on building construction?

Significance of the Study

This is study is significant in this way that today global warming and climate change are the biggest challenge for the entire world in terms of building construction, construction material and architectural desigh.

Literature Review

Green architecture is an approach to building which has become more popular in the last 25 to 30 years. Also known as sustainable design, green architecture is a method of design that minimizes the impact of building on the environment. (Ruskin 2009)

Energy Efficient Windows:

Wood

A natural product, it is said that the industry grows thousands of windows a year. A moderate insulator (R1 per inch), it requires some maintenance (stain or paint) to prevent rot from moisture build-up. It is warm to the touch in the coldest winters and room temperature in the summer. (Françoise 2010)

Wood Window Association

Vinyl

A product of the plastics industry, it uses a nonrenewable petroleum source for extrusion. The final product is usually non-paintable, but does offer a lifetime free maintenance. Some radical climatic changes over time may stress the material to failure at the joints allowing water penetration, though it is rare with quality manufacturers. (Rowland 2010)

Aluminum

A metal commonly used in cookware for its thermal conductivity and in airplanes for its strength to weight properties, it features lifetime free maintenance, but usually cannot be painted. Over the course of many years aluminum will oxidize leaving a dull pitted appearance. If not well insulated with a thermal break, it is very cold to the touch in winter and hot in summer. Beyond the framing material one has a wide selection of glazing or glass combinations to fill the sash or window panels. Once the standard, single pane glass is usually available only as an option, whereas double pain insulated glass is the norm. (Rondanini 2007)

Under very harsh environments triple glaze glass is available. What material or substance placed between the panels differentiates dual glazed window systems. With the injection of a noble gas like argon, xenon, or krypton between the panels, the conductive resistance of the window improves. Suspending a polyester film covered with a highly reflective material like silver further improves window performance. Sometimes the second glass panel (interior facing) is spayed with a special coating, called ...