Coming into the this field i would never have dreamed that architecture had such an impact on enery consumption or carbon dioxide emissions. Only through reading articles or listening to lectures did i become aware of this. It is really amazing that many architecture schools do not cover this issue in studio. We do not really learn how to incoporate energy efficiency into design. Those who do usually have to go out and do independent research which they then incorporate into design. This may sound easy enough but when you go out and do that it takes away from your studio time, such that the few innovative students who do it find that they barely have enough time to put into the actual design process.
The U of A architecture school has been lucky to have a faculty member who has an interest in maximizing building efficiency. Dr. Tahar Messadi offers students the opportunity to learn about LEED (The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)a Green Building Rating System developed by the U.S. Green Building Council that aims to develop high performance and sustainable buildings. Through this class students learn about green design which is basically designing buildings to reduce water and energy waste as well as improve the quality of light, air and water in buildings. We can only hope other faculty memebers will also see the need to incorporate green design into the architectural curriculum...
Thursday, June 19, 2008
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I wish everyone was thinking like that. I wish my house was built like that... in many cities around the country, the buildings are responsible for most of the greenhouse gas emissions, not the cars. I imagine that designing them to be more efficient would really cut down on emissions on a global scale.
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