How can sustainable and efficient architecture be projected?

The term sustainable architecture comes from the term "sustainable development" first used by the Prime Minister of Norway Gro Brundtland in the report "Our Common Future" presented at the United Nations in 1987, which quoted: "Development is sustainable when it meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." In general terms, sustainable architecture can be defined as that which takes into account the impact of a building on the environment throughout its life cycle: that is, during its construction, through its use and maintenance, and finally when it is demolished.

Therefore, the development of sustainable architecture necessarily involves incorporating a construction process and facilities that ensure energy efficiency during its manufacturing, assembly, and operation. For a home to be energy-efficient, it is necessary to reduce energy consumption or in other words, to produce more energy using fewer resources. In the example of lighting, it would not involve saving light, but illuminating better while consuming less electricity.

During the past 20th century, there were architects who were visionary by ahead of all these concepts and projected buildings with a special sensitivity regarding their relationship with the environment and their energy consumption. In 1941 Ralph Erskine"> built his small country house known as "The Box", near the Swedish locality of Djupdalen. Being in an isolated area, Erskine's shelter house had to be self-sufficient when it came to conditioning itself during Sweden's long and harsh winters. Both the north facade and the roof were designed solely to thermally insulate the house, using stacked firewood for the outer wall and providing the roof with a minimal slope that allows snow to act as thermal insulation when its volume is not excessive. The large central chimney circulated warm air throughout the interior of the house through numerous nozzles. Both the construction, made with materials from the neighboring forests, and the heating system are therefore bioclimatic, even though this term has not yet been coined. Jorn Utzon"> was also visionary when he built his Can Lis villa on the island of Mallorca, using only local materials and construction systems such as marl stone. As a result, an ancient architecture was obtained, although only in appearance. In reality, it was clearly ahead of its time. During its construction, the number of CO₂ emissions into the atmosphere were practically nil. It was 1971. Finally, we must mention Michael Reynolds, an architect who in 1972 built his first house using cans and recycled containers as a closure system. A few years later, in his first "earthship", he would use tires bonded with clay to form thermal walls that act as great stabilizers of the interior temperature of the dwelling, retaining heat during the day and radiating it inside during the night. In all his work done during these years, any aesthetic pretensions are ignored, there is only a concern for functionality and energy self-sufficiency. These homes obtain all the energy needed from the natural environment in which they are built, using solar panels and collecting rainwater for domestic use.