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About Sustainable Architecture

Often referred to as Green Architecture, Sustainable Architecture is constructing buildings through moderation by ensuring optimal use of materials, energy, and development space in order to lessen the negative environmental impact of development.

In the list of countries with the most sustainable architecture, India ranks 3rd by LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design).

Who is a Sustainable Architect?

A Sustainable Architect designs buildings with the environment in mind. A lot can be done to increase energy efficiency, use sustainable materials, decrease waste, and integrate a building into the surrounding ecosystem.

Sustainable architecture is building structures that help reduce the harmful effects on our climate and natural environment all through its design strategy, construction process, and operation.

How is this done? Through the use of appropriate technologies, reusable materials as well as green energy systems while also making sure that the curated space has a positive effect on the health, comfort as well as accentuated liveability of the inhabitants.

A host of unique approaches can be opted by you as a Sustainable Architect, such as -

  • Utilizing non-toxic and biodegradable resources
  • Ecologically-savvy plumbing fixtures and rainwater methods for water conservation
  • Efficient heating and cooling using natural ventilation systems
  • Designs for energy efficiency, such as lighting, appliances, solar panels, or wind power
  • Green waste management using salvaged and recycled materials
  • Native vegetation for landscaping with minimal environmental impact to natural surroundings
  • Other forms of self-sustainable engineering

However, not all sustainable buildings are the same. Many factors do have a significant influence on sustainable design.
Some of these factors include -

  • Country
  • Region
  • Climate conditions
  • Cultural traditions
  • State or Regional Regulations

Though traditional architecture plays a significant role, being a Sustainable Architect requires a very specialised set of knowledge, with a heavy emphasis on protecting the ecosystem.

This niche-market profession is an amalgam of knowledge, blending design elements and architectural theory with sustainable building practices.

Architects work towards the ultimate goal of creating structures that have minimal impact on the environment.
Keeping these factors in mind, if you have a penchant for the creative arts, excellent analytical skills, and a passion for protecting the environment, this could be a career that would be worth pursuing.

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Top Colleges

India

Duration: 5 years.

Fee per course/annum: Rs.8 - 16 Lakh Per Annum

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Duration: 4 - 5 Years

Fee per course/annum: Rs.35 - Rs.40 Lakh Per Annum

UK

Duration: 4 - 5 Years

Fee per course/annum: Rs.25 Lakh Per Annum

Canada

Duration: 4 Years

Fee per course/annum: Rs.20 - 30 Lakh Per Annum

Career Prospects

Sustainable Architect

A Sustainable Architect is the professional who is responsible for the creation of design and the construction of buildings to ensure a minimal impact on the environment. The architects achieve this with the help of eco-friendly building materials and energy-efficient construction methods.

Preservation Architects

Imagine being responsible for preserving a building that is centuries old! 

Preservation architects are architects that specialise in historical restoration and design. These people renovate historic buildings to provide cheap living and business space.

Being a preservation architect often means studying historical papers and planning. This is done to acquire a better understanding of how to combine ancient construction processes with modern procedures and technology.

Cities may often engage in the services of preservation architects to preserve the historical appearance of older areas while also upgrading structures to meet modern building and environmental regulations.

Landscape Architects

Landscape architects design aesthetically appealing landscapes with as little damage or interference in the natural environment as possible. As professionals, they analyse the local plant life, soil chemistry, and nearby structures to determine their design.

Apart from this, landscape architects also meet with customers on a regular basis to assess the functioning of landscapes and to develop strategies to reduce the environmental effect of planned designs.

Some professionals specialise in multiple aspects of landscape design, while others concentrate on more specific areas such as road construction or community spaces.

Project Architect

Charged with overseeing the timely and profitable completion of a construction plan, a project architect is the senior leader of the team.

A project architect is responsible for the implementation and overall development of a specific project. Apart from this, they also manage and oversee the architects who are under

Architectural Project Manager

The job roles and duties of an Architectural Project Manager include planning, directing and coordinating the construction projects. They also conduct in-depth research to determine materials and equipment which are required and propose budgets for each project undertaken.

Project Designer

Under the job profile of Project Designer in Sustainable Architecture, you will develop design documentation, technical specifications and other project-related documents for the development of a physical structure.

Project designers also formulate the essential design details, specifications, drawings, design calculations and bills of quantities.

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Jobs & Salary

Those interested in a career in sustainable architecture might look for work in both the commercial and public sectors.

  • Architectural firms
  • Consulting firms
  • Engineering firms
  • Educational services,
  • Building and developing
  • Contracting

At the starting level, sustainable architects may make between Rs.10 and Rs.25 Lakh Per Annum. Those with enough professional expertise in the sector, on the other hand, may expect to earn between Rs.30 and 60 Lakh Per Annum

Pros & Cons

Pros
  • Making a positive impact on the environment
  • Working with a niche and elite segment
  • High scope in the future
Cons
  • High initial investment
  • Quality of the right material
  • Lack of expertise in the field

Famous Personalities

Ken Yeang

Hailing from Malaysia, Architect Ken Yeang and his achievements in green architecture are large. Yeang went green in the 1970s, and from there, he went on to create the "bioclimatic skyscraper," a high-rise used in various cities that works as a passive low-energy building, designed according to its particular location and the local climate. Ken Yeang also coined the phrase "eco-mimicry" to describe the process of designing buildings to imitate the properties of nature.

Frank Lloyd Wright

Frank Lloyd Wright is considered as the father of green, sustainable architecture by most. Working predominantly in the first half of the 20th century, Frank Wright pioneered organic architecture and its implementation. According to Wright, the nature of a site, needs of the client and nature of the materials before designing a building must be considered first, rather than creating a design plan and then trying to make those three elements conform to the plan.

Renzo Piano

Italian architect Renzo Piano is widely considered as one of the most influential green architects today. Yet he doesn't let environmental considerations limit his ideas by forcing him to consider only stereotypical green building shapes or materials or components. Instead, he lets his imagination fly, then incorporates eco-friendly elements into the resulting structures

Timeline

1977 The US Department of Energy (DOE) creates the Solar Energy Research Institute.

1979 The Carter administration approves the installation of 32 solar panels on the White House.

1990 The first European Passive Haus is built in Kranichstein, Germany. This house demonstrated a 60-70% reduction in overall energy use as compared to a code baseline building at that time.

1991 The Solar Energy Research Institute becomes the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).

1992 The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Act of 1992 is written.

1993 The United States Green Building Council (USGBC) is formed.

2000 The USGBC launches its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program.

2011 The Obama administration approves the installation of solar photovoltaic (PV) panels on the White House.

2013 The first transcontinental solar powered flight is completed in the United States without a drop of fuel.

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