The Ecological Sustainable Home

By Carlos Padilla Massieu Eco Projects by Architect Luis Treviño

Sustainable architecture seeks to minimize the negative environmental impact of buildings by enhancing efficiency and moderation in the use of materials, energy, and development space. These are the basic recommendations for an ecological sustainable home and can give you an idea of where to begin if you are planning on building and would like to follow ecological and sustainable norms.

The constructed area must not exceed 20 percent of the green area, in an area as small as 500 square meters (the percentage of the green area can be larger than 20 percent, but never smaller to be considered ecological, it will also depend on the location of the project and its surroundings and natural-resources). This will help create a balance between the constructed area and the green area which helps generate oxygen and in the recovery of the aquifers.

The construction should be oriented in relation to the sun in order to use less energy.

The construction materials must be at least 85 percent from within the region, as long as the production of these resources demands less consumption of energy than the importing of foreign materials. It is important to indicate that the use of the natural materials such as stone, dirt, adobe, clays and wood are the most recommended. In case of using wood it is very important to check that the producers of this material are authorized and are applying a program of renovation of forests and / or jungles.

Preferably the energy needs should be renewable and from within the region; if in your area you have abundant sunshine, you will want to take advantage of it in order to heat water and generate electric power. If there is a constant wind, such as the ocean breeze you can take advantage of it in order to cool the rooms.

The construction must have a water storage system for rain and a biological treatment (digestor or septic tank) system with appropriate reutilization in the same place by means of natural filters.

The construction must not overtax the limits of the property, as a minimum there must be an area of restriction of at least three meters in the adjacent boundaries, if the construction has three meters of height. It must increase proportionally as much as it increases the height of the building. Example: if the construction has two levels (approximately six meters of height) the separation will must be of at least six meters; they must have in addition six meters to the front and six meters behind, minimally.

The barriers between two lots should not be high walls that block sunshine and airflow, boundaries can be made with natural barriers (vegetation) or walls made of firebricks or stone, with a maximum 1.60 meters in height.

The constructed area should have appropriate places for storage of inorganic wastes, and items to be cleaned and classified for recycling, in addition to designated areas to make composts with organic wastes if they will be used in the gardens.

The lot should posses a minimum of 20 percent green area to cultivate organic produce such as vegetables or fruit trees

An appropriate area should be built, designed for a domestic workshop, to promote work at home.

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The Ecological Condominium

Condominiums can be ecological as well if their interior and exterior constructions are also informed by the previous recommendations and by their nature of sharing resources can be ecological dwellings in themselves. But it is important that this type of multi-family developments not be made very big, or these benefits can get lost in large developments that use too many resources. Suggestions for condos developments are:

The alleys that the condominium needs should preferably be one-way and with a width of at least three meters, attached to other three meters to every side designed as walkways, services and green spaces.

It should rely on a zone of ecological protection (or community green space) of at least 20 percent of the whole of the surface destined for housing constructions.

It should include a community center that has a lounge for meetings, a community shopping center to exchange particular produce, and a center of collection for the inorganic wastes, clean and recyclable (glass, plastics, cardboard, etc.).

These are just a few suggestions for building more ecological and sustainable architecture, but it is important to note that all of these recommendations in themselves cannot create a real sustainable development if the persons inhabiting them do not have the correct attitude or behavior about the environment, as in the end it is the people living there that create the sustainability.

About the Author: Carlos Padilla is recognized as one of the most important promoters of ecology, recycling and conservation in Mexico with much experience and study in sustainable urban development. He has offered innumerable conferences on these themes to universities, governments, and communities across the country. For more information you can reach Mr. Padilla at carpama65@hotmail.com o by telephone in Morelia, Michoacan: 01(443) 3202419.

About the architect: Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo based Architect Luis Treviño, studied architecture in Guadalajara. After working in Morelia since 1993, T Treviño moved to Ixtapa almost 7 years ago, and he has been working in successful ecological projects in Morelia and the Zihuatanejo area. For more information contact: Luistrevinopg1@prodigy.net.mx or vistit www.luistrevino.com