Green buildings: Innovations in construction and sustainability

Green buildings, Construction and sustainability are two words that have increasingly gone hand in hand in recent years. The changes that the planet is facing require ingenious and urgent solutions. In this sense, eco-architecture design and the innovations that have arisen in the sector play a major role.

What are green buildings? How can sustainable ventilation systems be installed in such constructions? We address these and other concepts in this article.

Green buildings

This term refers to buildings that have been constructed taking into account various ecological factors. In them, we find completely natural materials that are free from toxic substances. They are also designed to reduce pollution.

In this way, the aim is to cause the minimum impact on the environment. Consequently, the objective is for the planet's resource consumption to be less and for the construction process to produce fewer greenhouse gas emissions.

Those constructions that meet these requirements receive the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certificate, which guarantees that we are facing an eco-sustainable architectural design.

Innovations in construction and sustainability

As indicated by the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations, more than 60% of the population will live in urban areas by 2050. For this reason, it is necessary to incorporate innovations in the field of construction that allow us to combat pollution and global warming.

These changes can be applied to many of the architectural elements that make up the spaces we inhabit. Generally, the most important are the following:

• Materials: building with sustainable compounds, such as plant fibers or bioplastics, makes buildings more environmentally friendly. In addition, there are some that, in the future, will be able to repair themselves.
• Techniques: construction processes are responsible for the emission of gases into the atmosphere. Furthermore, the manufacturing of the different composite materials has contaminating effects. Therefore, if we improve the techniques and processes in these tasks, our footprint on the planet will be smaller.
• New technologies: play a fundamental role in energy saving. We have seen this, for example, with appliances or vehicles. 3D printers or modular design are some of the great challenges for the coming years in the field of architecture.

Ventilation in green buildings

This type of construction is specially designed to be more efficient and pollute less. For this reason, in many cases, they are excessively airtight buildings. Insulation has also been perfected in recent years, making the indoor air not healthy enough.

To achieve the proper air renewal in eco-buildings, it is possible to install forced ventilation systems. This is a highly efficient mechanism that maintains the temperature inside the rooms and facilitates air renewal when necessary.

But how to include ventilation in sustainable construction projects? Next, we explain what elements must make it up.

Variable flow

This mechanism allows regulating the air flow according to the specific needs of the moment.

Hygro-regulatable systems

A space inhabited or worked in by many people requires a greater exchange of air between the interior and the exterior. Measuring the relative humidity of the room, it is possible to regulate the air flow.

Thermoregulation

To avoid energy overconsumption, this system is capable of maintaining the interior temperature, heating it in winter and cooling it in summer.

As we have seen, innovations in construction and sustainability bring with them the need to achieve healthy air in the interiors of the spaces we inhabit. If you are interested in this topic, we recommend reading this article:how to reform a home and improve energy savings by including controlled mechanical ventilation systems.