Contemporary green homes comprise of the best technologies and look sophisticated. As such, several eco-friendly options have showed up in architecture and construction. Some of the eco-friendly options that are comfortable are mentioned below:
Earth sheltered
Earth sheltered houses simply mean designs either partially below the ground or completely above the ground and making using of the surrounding soils and plant life for energy. This design was promoted by Malcolm Wells.
Recycled modern
These have been a popular concept since decades, especially known for their weird and unusual designs. Materials used to design these houses are bottles, cans, reusable trash materials, shipping containers, old tires etc. They are given the name green homes, simply because they use recyclable or recycled materials for their interiors and construction. For example, La Casa de Botella (Argentina) is made of 6 million recycled beer bottles. Well, you do not have to build your house like that. You can simply use such materials to design the theme of your house. They are affordable and can be customized as per your choice.
Domed and organic
Conceptualized by Bucky Fuller, this comprises of the half circle geodesic dome. It is designed in such a manner that the interconnected triangles use very less materials, thus adding space to the living area. These designs have been borrowed from the natural shapes of the Earth, thus making them organic in nature. Manufacturers sell houses in such shapes at affordable rates. Moreover, you will get huge space and a sturdy infrastructure at these economical rates.
Prefab and tract
Awareness about being eco-friendly is steadily growing. With more and more family becoming aware of the problems caused by toxic materials used during home constructions, they are slowly moving towards eco-conscious developers to buy home or build one. One such form of green homes is the tract housing which is found in region from Arizona to Washington and New York. These builders are constructing houses that are affordable and provide energy efficiency and are non-toxic in nature. However, these houses are a bit smaller as compared to others.
Rammed Earth
Rammed Earth concept houses have been designed right from the Old European homesteads to the ancient Asian Landmarks and up to the recent contemporary Western homes. As the name suggests, it is made of soil i.e., a perfect combination of clay and sand to make the bricks of the walls. Such bricks have good insulation and are durable in most weather conditions.
Summary
Architecture and construction are one of the biggest carbon emitting activities. With an increased shift on going green, these fields are seeing changes and innovation as well, with better, cleaner alternatives becoming available.
