3 Lessons From The Past For More Sustainable Structures
When discussing sustainability, phrases like sustainable urban planning, the circular economy and adaptive reuse conjures a futuristic aesthetic of our societies. Indeed, you would be forgiven for thinking that sustainability is a purely contemporary concern imparted by our changing climate.
However, today’s “green designers” are far from the first. Sustainability and the utilization of renewable or organic resources have long been elements of architectural design throughout time. Yet, the advocacy of it and a true-to-form approach similar to our ancestors is hard to find.
Not only did our ancestors utilize organic materials, they adapted their designs to natural conditions, cycles, as well as local needs. Today, such concerns are largely relegated to niche social movements that are often ignored or purposefully distorted.
Simple sustainable design methods, such as building with local materials or harnessing natural energy are centuries-old, having been employed long before technological advancements such as the mechanization in construction.
Here are three lessons from the past that would do well to feature in our modern architecture – either as permanent or adaptive features of existing or new structures.
1) Rammed Earth
Rammed earth involves compacting a mixture of subsoil – either clay, sand, cement or gravel – and stabilizing it into a support that is externally supported by a frame or cast.
However, its quality as a load-bearing material is highly-dependent on the material type and how it is stabilized. Historically, additives such as lime and even animal blood were used to stabilize the soil mixture.
Rammed earth is perhaps one of the single most sustainable resources for building. In conjunction with other sustainable design strategies that take into account insulation, double glazing, shading and ventilation, durable and most importantly livable structures with character, culture and longevity can be made.
2) The Persian Badgir
The modern and energy-intensive wonder of air conditioning once had a much cheaper alternative – the Persian Badgir – otherwise known as a ‘windcatcher’.
This centuries-old architectural device, popular in arid climates with diurnal temperature variations, created natural indoor ventilation for buildings.
Windcatchers function in three ways: directing airflow downward using direct wind entry, directing airflow upwards using a wind-assisted temperature gradient, or directing airflow upwards using a solar-assisted temperature gradient.
The return of these natural devices would dramatically decrease the amount of energy spent on air conditioning; particularly in arid regions like the Gulf, where AC units are responsible for a substantial amount of CO2 emissions.
Furthermore, windcatchers are strikingly beautiful in their design and exemplify both a historical and cultural connection; unlike the monolithic glass and steel structures in our environment today.
However, most importantly, they work - and have for hundreds of years - rarely requiring maintenance.
3) The Roman Impluvium
In Ancient Rome, cool indoor climates were created through the impluvium: a shallow pool in the center of the atrium, where the compluvium, a square opening in the pitched sloped roof above, would feed rainwater into it.
Sunlight illuminates the long, windowless domus that evaporates rainwater in the shallow pool, creating a cooling breeze effect to the entire atrium. This was moved throughout the house to cool the surrounding living spaces.
The combination of the compluvium and impluvium formed an ingenious, effective and attractive manner of collecting, filtering and cooling rainwater. Imagine such a feature re-applied at scale and where people take self-ownership and recognize the value in such an important process.
In short, all three of these naturally sustainable and embedded architectural devices, if implemented, would help mend our collective amnesia to the past.
This would ultimately save money, decrease carbon emissions and waste and make ourselves recognize the importance of the natural resources we use, as well as make our structures, communities and societies more resilient and in tune with the environment.
