Combining energy efficiency and architectural quality is possible!
Who said that energy efficiency could not rhyme with architectural quality? Combining the two is quite possible. Your home can perfectly combine design, functionality and energy performance. Ecology and energy are now at the center of the concerns of individuals who want to build or renovate. The architects understood it well. From the design stage, they integrate this dimension into their plan for a beautiful and sustainable home.
Combining design, functionality and energy performance, this is the challenge that are launched architectural offices, aware of sustainable construction. They have understood that these concepts are not incompatible. Only contrary! They have integrated energy efficiency issues to design homes that are both beautiful and environmentally friendly.
For some, a sustainable home means installing solar panels and a water purification system. For others, this is an energy efficient design with eco-friendly materials and good insulation.
New recyclable materials
This desire to combine aesthetics and energy efficiency comes first through the choice of materials, the cornerstone of ecological construction. Concrete, by its inertia, thus reduces energy consumption while wood naturally regulates humidity and temperature.
Other materials, often unknown, are nevertheless just as effective and are also respectful of the environment. These materials, which are generally biobased and local, are renewable but mostly recycled. The challenge here is to resort to all that nature offers us.
In addition to being energy efficient, these materials are environmentally friendly. No pollution at the entrance or exit. Everything can return to the earth. These materials which are part of the circular economy are among the concerns of architects. They begin to think about the end of life of a building and the recycling of its components at the very moment of design. Note that they can perfectly be used to create an interior decoration.
Eco-friendly and durable insulation
To have a high-performance and energy-efficient house, you have to think about strengthening the insulation from a thermal point of view. Natural insulators, recyclable and durable are not lacking. These new biobased materials improve energy performance while reducing the impact of buildings on the environment and health.
The radius of simple and natural materials include cork, cellulose wadding, hemp, bamboo, terracotta or clay. Bamboo adapts to structures, floors, floors and resilient flooring thanks to its diversity. The miscanthus renewable material is, for example, highly insulating, non-polluting and above all insensitive to environmental influences. Cellulose wadding fits perfectly into the circular economy approach since it is produced from recycled newspapers. In the form of flakes or semi-rigid panels, it is installed on roofs, floors and walls.
Straw, tomorrow's material
Straw meets more and more success in new construction. 100% biodegradable, this material is renewable. This insulation is easy to dismantle when the building reaches the end of its life and can be reused.
Architects' offices imagine passive but high-performance design houses with only natural materials that have captured carbon during their growth. In other words, a wooden structure with straw insulation or finishes in clay and wood. The straw makes it possible to reach the insulation coefficients of the passive houses while the clay coatings bring an important inertia to the building. It will take you 10 years for your carbon consumption to heat you up to the amount stored in your walls.
Cork, a durable material
More and more used in homes, cork is a 100% green product that fits your home perfectly. Thanks to its insulating, acoustic and waterproof properties, this material is ideal for any of your rooms, as flooring or wall. It is renewable and sustainable at a time. To preserve the aesthetic side of the cork floor, it is advisable to renew the layer of protective varnish.
Outside insulation
Less frequent than indoor insulation, the esolation saves just as much or more energy. Your roof and walls can be isolated from the outside. This option is ideal if you also want to refresh the facade of your home. What make the envelope of your home more aesthetic and efficient. Once the insulation material is installed, cover your facade with a coating.
A sustainable and passive house
Big consumers of energy, our homes are making an impressive shift towards sustainability through the work of architects. Too many architectural projects consume too much energy for a contemporary design. The architects' challenge is therefore to design a building with energy efficient and sustainable efficiency thanks to the different techniques that capture and regenerate energy.
The architects' work seems to be paying off. These buildings are gradually becoming "Nearly-Zero-Energy Buildings, almost autonomous or even energy producers. These low-energy and passive houses are trying to establish themselves as the norm because of increasingly strict energy requirements that architects must respect. Thanks to new materials, recyclable and renewable, our houses are also transformed into banks of removable and reusable materials.
Let in the light
Current homes often have insufficient natural lighting coefficients. Natural light as a source of energy is underused. This is why architects are increasingly integrating this natural light into new buildings, notably by orienting the house towards the south, which provides a large share of free and renewable energy for heating and lighting needs.
With the openings that give style to your home, the house is bright and consumes less energy. Indeed, thanks to the light coming from the outside and the heat brought by the sun through the greenhouse effect, you will not need to heat your home so often or to light the lamps during the day . The numerous openings on the outside, such as panoramic windows, will capture the heat and ventilate the habitat. However, it is important to find a compromise between the amount of natural light (aesthetics) and the considerations of thermal comfort and energy saving (performance). To enhance the natural lighting in your room, it is advisable to paint its walls in white.
Design the building
It is not enough to capture the light to make your home more efficient and aesthetic, it must be circulated. It is the job of architects to design the building in relation to its environment. In a non-cleared site, it is important to measure the shading impact of vegetation and neighboring buildings. This shading will determine the amount of natural light received. In open site, the masks are the architectural elements related to the building itself (walls, balconies, etc.). It is important to place the openings so that the sun enters the room when it is most used.
In terms of the volume of your rooms, it is important to remember that if your room is large, it will be more illuminated. The depth of your room has an effect on the amount of natural light.
A green setting
If you are building a passive or low-energy house, you need to consider the aesthetic aspects of each step, from design to installation. The green walls and rooftop gardens are a real plus for sustainable homes from an architectural and energy point of view. Particularly aesthetic, they insulate naturally and require very little maintenance in the case of an extensive green roof. You turn your boring roof into a real garden for the pleasure of the eyes.
Use of solar energy
Faced with the rising cost of energy, many are turning to alternatives such as solar energy. Installing solar panels is an investment that requires little energy. Sustainable action favored by premiums and subsidies. By choosing this option, you consume less energy since you produce your own electricity, even in cloudy weather. And if for many solar panels have a negative impact on the appearance of your home, new panels more design now exist. As for the relatively high price, it is profitable after a few years, provided that your roof is facing south.
A cost-effective solution
Combining architectural quality with energy efficiency will probably cost you more money when building or renovating. However, in the long run, you will be a winner. The cost will be profitable because of the sustainability of your home. You will notice the difference on your energy bill: energy, water and raw materials costs will be lower. Premiums and financial subsidies are also intended for people who build sustainably.