Climate change is real, and we’ve seen more of its effects in recent years than in the past decades combined. As such, it’s important to practice sustainability now more than ever, even in designing our dream homes. Residential architects play a crucial role since they not only have to think of a functional and aesthetic design, but they also have to incorporate sustainable design principles apart from staying within the client’s budget. In today’s article, we’ll be talking about how they do so and learning more about sustainability in home design.

What is sustainable design?

Sustainable design is a design practice that aims to decrease the negative effects of products and services on the environment, as well as the health and well-being of the occupants of a building. Furthermore, it aims to apply long-term solutions that will last for generations to come. In the city, residential architects in Melbourne have long since adopted this practice by choosing products and materials that last for a long time and are endlessly reusable to minimize environmental impacts.

What are the key features of sustainable home design?

Maximizing site selection and orientation. Choosing the right building site can also lessen the environmental impact while maximizing the site’s orientation for cooling and passive heating.

There are several sustainable home design principles practiced today, but here are a notable few:

Energy efficient. Incorporating high-performance insulation and efficient building design are two ways to reduce energy consumption. Occupants can extend this principle by choosing energy-saving appliances.

Water conservation. Water usage is a crucial need for every household. Harvesting rainwater and having water-saving landscaping are also practiced by some as part of their sustainable methods. In recent years, there has also been an increase in efficient plumbing fixtures that help conserve water.

Indoor air quality. Creating a clean and healthy environment indoors is also a must; utilizing natural lighting ventilation is still a popular practice on top of using air filtration. There’s also the choice of using non-VOC (volatile organic compounds) paints to improve air quality and minimize the harmful effects it has on the occupants and the environment.

How can residential architects incorporate sustainable home design into my home?

All the aforementioned features can be adapted into home design by residential architects; they just need to tweak a few adjustments. For energy efficiency, architects will maximize natural light and ventilation, so they will make sure the building is oriented in a way that the aforementioned features can be utilized. Strategic window placement and the use of solar devices will help enhance your home’s energy performance.

Apart from that, they can also suggest that you opt for water-saving showerheads and low-flow toilets to minimize shower consumption. Incorporating a rainwater harvesting system into your home is also possible so that you may use the water for your landscape and other non-potable uses.

Material-wise, they can choose locally sourced products to reduce mobilization costs and opt for reclaimed wood and recycled materials to minimize waste during construction.

These are just a few design principles residential architects practice when it comes to building design. Since the demand for sustainable design is more prominent now than ever, it’s important to make conscious decisions that help conserve energy and minimize environmental impact in our own little ways for a better world.