archdaily: reaching for sustainable world
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7/27/2019 ArchDaily: Reaching for Sustainable World
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Reaching for a Sustainable World
Mother Nature is degrading due to the increasing exposure to greenhouse gasses caused by flawed
human activities. To prevent the Earths demise, society should maintain green and sustainablelifestyles. Sustainability could be achieved if people are able to maintain an ecological balance in
the Earths environment, thus avoiding an extreme depletion of our natural resources.1 There are
many aspects of our everyday life that could be made sustainable, including our homes. A green
building and a city are characterized by their effective and least disruptive use of resources that
assure the healthiest form of environment.2 They are essentially architecture that aims for
eternity (Christopher Wren), or otherwise meaning they could sustain itself with green resources
and encourage sustainability.
In order to realize our envisioned green and sustainable world, one must first learn the technology
that a green building, and a green city, should possess. For instance, the sustainable city of Masdarin Abu Dhabi is an example of a green city that built their own research center in order to provide
their city with the best green technology, even throughout the citys construction. As a result, most
of its energy is originated from the 10 MW of solar energy that is able to power approximately 22
hectares of the city. Moreover, Masdar city provides a green public transportation system and paved
sidewalks for pedestrians, because private vehicles are forbidden on the site. Lastly, this city is
filled with various kinds of sustainable facilities and living buildings that are made out of recycled
materials from previous constructions. Additionally, the citys planning is designed in a way that
would save energy, such as how all the buildings are built close to each other to provide shade and
cool the citys temperature, thus minimizing the use of air conditioners.3
1 Ehrlich, Eugene. Oxford American Dictionary. New York: Oxford UP, 1980. Print.
2 "WHAT IS A GREEN BUILDING? Fundamental Principles of Green Building and Sustainable Site Design." Governor's
Green Government Council. Governor's Green Government Council, n.d. Web. 20 May 2013. .
3Masdar: The City of the Future. YouTube. YouTube, 26 Sept. 2012. Web. 20 May 2013. .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIaz61zpLfshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIaz61zpLfshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIaz61zpLfshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIaz61zpLfshttp://www.epa.gov/statelocalclimate/documents/pdf/12_8_what_is_green_GGGC.pdfhttp://www.epa.gov/statelocalclimate/documents/pdf/12_8_what_is_green_GGGC.pdfhttp://www.epa.gov/statelocalclimate/documents/pdf/12_8_what_is_green_GGGC.pdfhttp://www.epa.gov/statelocalclimate/documents/pdf/12_8_what_is_green_GGGC.pdf -
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Furthermore, a sustainable city should be adorned with sustainable buildings. An immaculate
example of a green building is the Vivaldi tower located in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. This 28 -
stories building is made by the Foster & Partners architectural group located in the United
Kingdom. It is characterized by its use of environmentally friendly resources, such as the steel
diagrid with a mixture of opaque and transparent glazing that are used to create the faade. These
materials prompt natural sunlight to enter the building during the day, thus minimizing the use of
energy for electrical lighting. Moreover, the abundance of sunlight garner heat inside the building,
consequently reducing the energy use for heaters during the winter. Moreover, this building is
known to utilize environmentally friendly resources, such as wind and geothermal power, which are
the two mostly used renewable energy resources in the Netherlands. This means that the Vivaldi
tower is not only a green building, but also a living building, which is a term invented by William
McDonough to refer the buildings that are able to sustain themselves from the infinite renewable
energy resources.4
4McDonough, William, Cradle to Cradle, P. 49.
Masdar City
Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a8/Masdar_City.JPG/275px-Masdar_City.JPG
Masdar City: Aerial View
Source: http://www.esri.com/news/arcnews/fall09articles/fall09gifs/p26p1-lg.jpg
http://www.esri.com/news/arcnews/fall09articles/fall09gifs/p26p1-lg.jpghttp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a8/Masdar_City.JPG/275px-Masdar_City.JPGhttp://www.esri.com/news/arcnews/fall09articles/fall09gifs/p26p1-lg.jpghttp://www.esri.com/news/arcnews/fall09articles/fall09gifs/p26p1-lg.jpghttp://www.esri.com/news/arcnews/fall09articles/fall09gifs/p26p1-lg.jpghttp://www.esri.com/news/arcnews/fall09articles/fall09gifs/p26p1-lg.jpghttp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a8/Masdar_City.JPG/275px-Masdar_City.JPGhttp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a8/Masdar_City.JPG/275px-Masdar_City.JPGhttp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a8/Masdar_City.JPG/275px-Masdar_City.JPGhttp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a8/Masdar_City.JPG/275px-Masdar_City.JPGhttp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a8/Masdar_City.JPG/275px-Masdar_City.JPGhttp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a8/Masdar_City.JPG/275px-Masdar_City.JPG -
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There are other ountless of conventional ways that a building and a city could be made sustainable.
Nonetheless, the most crucial aspect of making a city green is the promotion of sustainable lifestyle
to the citys residents, especially by the government. Changing the mindset of the people to be
green will probably be the most difficult phase of making a city truly sustainable. However, the
world will only be genuinely sustainable if the entire community care for their environments well
being.
Vivaldi Towers Faade
Source : h t tp : / /s ta t ic .wor ldarch i tectu renews.com/news_images/12455_2_1218_FP370048_addit ional%20image%201.jpg
Vivaldi Tower
Source: https://reader009.{domain}/reader009/html5/0402/5ac25c2271956/5ac25c277c95b.s/amsterdam/vivaldi_tower_foster120608_1.jpg
http://www.e-architect.co.uk/images/jpgs/amsterdam/vivaldi_tower_foster120608_1.jpghttp://www.e-architect.co.uk/images/jpgs/amsterdam/vivaldi_tower_foster120608_1.jpghttp://www.e-architect.co.uk/images/jpgs/amsterdam/vivaldi_tower_foster120608_1.jpghttp://www.e-architect.co.uk/images/jpgs/amsterdam/vivaldi_tower_foster120608_1.jpg