Elements of a Green Building

When most people hear the word “green house”, they probably think of a “greenhouse” or a glasshouse used for growing tomatoes, melons and the like during colder weather or in colder climates.  However, in environmental circles, a “green house” is one that has been constructed with green building principles in mind.

These green building principles come in two major types.  One considers the materials used to build the house, with particular regard to toxicity, sustainability and reducing waste.  The other green building principle considers energy use and reduction during the life of the home.

Green Building Materials

Some green building techniques of the first type include the following:

• Recycled or recovered materials.  This can involve anything from picking up old bricks, window frames, doors and the like from demolitions to using old tyres as a construction method, as seen in earthship homes.  Most people building a home on a budget try to use second-hand materials to cut costs – recycling can save money as well as the planet.
• Avoiding toxic treatments.  Some of the chemicals used for treating timber to make them insect and rot proof are pretty vile and are rather toxic to breathe in – not to mention the environmental hazards of treating the timber in the first place.  Some timber types do not require treatment, and these are often used in green buildings.  For example, Douglas fir (Oregon pine) can be used untreated for structure and framework, while larch and macrocarpa (Cupressus macrocarpa) can be used above ground. 
• Low-toxicity paints.  These are used in a green building for the same reasons as untreated timber – they don’t give off toxic fumes and their manufacture is less harmful to the environment.  Most mainline paint companies produce “green” paint in a good range of colours.

Green Building Techniques

Green building techniques that consider the ongoing sustainability of a home usually make use of energy saving (or energy creating) techniques.  Water conservation is another green building technique that is particularly important in Australia.  Green building methods considering sustainability include:

• Greywater systems.  This makes use of things such as bathwater, dishwater and water from the washing machine for garden use.
• Passive solar heating.  A green building that makes use of passive solar heating uses layout, construction materials (thermal mass) and windows to absorb the energy of the sun during the day then release it during the night, reducing the need for electrical or other means of heating a home.  In hotter climates, passive solar cooling can be used in house design to replace electrical air conditioning.

Solar water heaters.  Domestic water heating is one of the biggest users of electricity.  Solar water heaters can cut electricity costs dramatically.  The good thing about solar water heaters is that they can be retrofitted to existing houses that are suitable, even if these houses weren’t designed with green building principles in mind. Otherwise, you caould also save energy by showering in cold water.

For more information about green buildings, check out the Green Building Council of Australia. If you’re interested in making your business use principles of green building your government may provide you with a grant. AusIndustry provides such a green building fund for businesses to use.