Although residential buildings are considered by many as being beneficial for the well being of society, they have an extreme environmental footprint. The housing sector is one of the highest contributors to the degradation of the environment and the excessive global average consumption rate of energy, whether it be from electricity or from natural resources (Marshall & Shortle, 2005). In this assignment I will be discussing the energy and material inputs, and the waste outputs of such housing estates throughout their life cycle, and how these may have a direct or indirect impact on the environment.
There are a number of phases throughout the life cycle of a housing estate which determine the extent of its effects on the natural environment. The first step, which may have the most severe consequences, is the site location of the estate. Landscapes are generally rich in different types of interdependent ecosystems containing habitats for different species. However, in order for the houses to be constructed, land masses are required. Some times these natural lands, providing essential ecosystem services, give way to commencing development of the housing estate structure. Construction may also take place directly next or close by to such areas which are ecologically sensitive and have productive bio-diversities (Figure 1). These result in damaged or totally destroyed indigenous habitats while leaving the ones that remain fragmented (Figure 2). Species which are native to the destroyed environment will not be capable of surviving. Also, since the corridors between interconnected ecosystems would be lost, due to fragmentation, the species and the processes between ecosystems will eventually disappear, especially if non-indigenous or...
... middle of paper ...
...that can’t be recycled will end up in a landfill (Figure 6). According to Emmanuel (2004) construction and demolition waste accounts “for about 29% of overall landfill volumes in the USA, more than 50% in UK and up to 30% in Australia” and can have consequences. Solid waste which is treated incorrectly can clog drain systems and contaminate groundwater at engineered landfills.
So it can be concluded that with proper planning and maintenance a housing estate can be increasingly environmentally friendly and energy efficient thus reducing the impact on the natural environment. The occupants must also be willing to invest in sustainable principles such as waste recycling, proper insulation and renewable sources of energy. The degradation of the environment will eventually impact the occupants as the house would not be capable of providing a comfortable environment.
The next topic for discussion in this paper is ecology. This will include, preferred habitats and interactions with abiotic and biotic elements of the environment.
Landscape fragmentation contributes to loss of migratory corridors, loss of connectivity and natural communities, which all lead to a loss of biodiversity for a region. Conservation of biodiversity must include all levels of diversity: genetic, species, community, and landscape (CNHP 1995). Each complex level is dependent upon and linked to the other levels. In addition, humans are linked to all levels of this hierarchy. A healthy natural and human environment go hand in hand (CNHP 1995). An important step in conservation planning, in order to guarantee both a healthy natural environment as well as a healthy human environment, is recognizing the most endangered elements.
...plications affecting efficiency. More focus is necessary on the indoor environment in schools, day care centres, hospitals and nursing homes for elderly, because children, hospital patients and elderly are sensitive subgroups. There are a number of indications that the indoor environment at home is normally worse than in the indoor office environment. The population spends most time at home, and children are exposed at home for many years (National Safety Council, 2009). This suggests that improvements of the home environment may be a cost-effective to reduce the indoor exposure burden in the population. The link between indoor and outdoor air pollution should not be ignored, as most of the exposure to outdoor pollutants occurs indoors. Finally, the function of energy saving and climate changes for the indoor environment and SBS will be an important future issue.
An important feature of green roofs is their potential to provide habitation for urban wildlife, therefore many animal species such as rats and ants would benefit from green roofs. Coffman and Waites, (2008) explains that the urban development practices recognised as roof greening offers habitat for wild species within the towns and it also helps rise the home-grown natural diversity. However, roof greening is not a method restoration ecology, but it is method of reconciliation ecology, where entirely new habitation is formed for non-human species. In addition Green roofs certainly delivers some form of habitat, it is also possible that the properties of the roof could harm the wildlife diversity.
Sustainability is a huge upfront investment that seems to have little to no good outcome. The most expensive thing is finding a way to provide electricity from a renewable source: solar, wind, and water. These ways of collecting energy are very expensive with a huge upfront cost; the cost also gets bigger with the size of the house because bigger houses generally require more electricity to run (Joseph). Yes, a sustainable home costs more to build, but most investors earn their money back in a few years and end up making money off of the house. What happens is, since the house makes more energy than it uses, electric companies will pay people who are “off the grid,” a term used meaning the house is not connected to the electrical grid like other generic homes, to put their excess energy into the grid for the company to use.
The sustainable interior design has a different main guideline; before esthetics, there is ethics. It has as main objective the healthy, the beneficial or harmful for the health of the people who live in the homes and to preserve the natural environment that surrounds it.
...ug and Sørensen, 2009).indeed, Moe (2006), exploring the Norwegian construction industry, has noted that there are no established standards for measuring the energy efficiency nor the environmental soundness of buildings. Therefore, developers who want to pursue a sustainable solution are free to choose what criteria they want to apply, resulting in sustainability, including energy efficiency, being shaped by local interpretations, priorities and interest (Moe, 2006). Moe (2006) also highlight that energy technologies are often selected based on how strongly they symbolise energy efficiency, rather than being selected based on actual calculations of their energy performance. An example of that are heat pumps which are selected for their iconic status as sustainable technologies, even though other technologies may have provided greater energy efficiency (Moe, 2006).
Sustainable design seeks to reduce negative impacts on the environment, the health and comfort of building occupants, thereby improving building performance. The basic objects of sustainability are to reduce consumption of non-renewable resources, minimal waste, and create healthy, productive environments (“Sustainable Design”). Focusing primarily on the sustainable design principles, there are five, including: low-impact materials, energy efficiency, quality and durability, design for reuse and recycling, and renewability. As sustainability appears to become the necessary trend in architecture, the question concerning the cost versus outcome of “going green” really an investment or a waste of time and money comes to mind. With our research provided below, we believe the expenses may truly be with the investment in the end.
= == In this project I aim to explain the contributes to the environment by the actions of humans and display the consequences. I am going to divide the project into different sections and then sub sections to make the project easier to navigate around and keep the information in relevant sections. · Section 1: HABITAT REDUCTION BY HUMANS.
The non-stop conversion of land for housing developments, roads and highways, malls, offices, industrial sites, and other large edifices immensely affects our environment as well as animal species, in different ways. Extreme urbanization may result in adverse effects. These effects include habitat degradation in which the natural habitat of the species is unable to support them. We do not expect the natural habitat to fully do its role if it is already ravaged and devastated. And if the natural habitat is unable to do its role, many species will be lost in this world. The urban development causes the greatest extinction rates that were recorded and eradicates most of the native species. Other species might be found in some man-made habitat, but there is always an exception. Species found in those natural habitats will be missing. The more spaces the world loses, the more organisms diminish from the
One of the reasons for loss in biodiversity is alteration of habitats. A habitat is the natural environment in which a species of living organism lives. If the habitat of a species is changed, it will cause the species to die or migrate to other places where it can find its natural habitat. There are many ways in which the habitat of plants and animals can be altered. One of them is land use changes. Since the beginning of human life, human beings have been changing land use for farming. Large areas of forests have been cleared by humans to increase the area of farming to satisfy their growing needs. Many biodiversity-rich landscape characteristics have been lost due to intensive farming (Young, Richards, Fischer, Halada, Kull, Kuzniar, Tartes, Uzunov & Watt, 2007). For example, traditional farming was replaced by private farms in Europe after the First World War causing an immense change in land use patterns. Another major proble...
Despite the fact that novel technologies are continuously under development to complement existing practices in coming up with greener buildings, the universal intent is that such structures are designed to diminish the general effect on the built environment on health of the humans in addition to the natural environment via: Diminishing environmental degradation, pollution and waste, improving productivity of the employee and guarding occupant health, efficient usage of water, energy, in addition to other resources.
The use of green materials is better for the environment because they have a positive impact on the planet. Looking at our environment today we see a place that has been facing a massive climate change. Scientists have been concerned over global warming for decades. The ongoing increase of the earth’s temperature is believed to be caused by the greenhouse effect (“Global Warming” 27). Building with green materials produces significantly lower greenhouse gas emission. Specifically, wood as a material for building products, requires considerably less energy than other building products such as steel and concrete. Wood product manufacture results in fewer greenhouse gas and other air-polluting emissions (“Green Building Benefits”). Green building also results in waste reduction. In the United States, construction and demolition creates a huge amount of solid waste. Green building limits the waste prod...
Green buildings are not only designed for present use, but consideration is also been given to future uses as well. An adaptable structure can be "recycled" many times over the course of its useful life. If specific technical issues prevent use of the building for a new function, then the materials used in its construction are designed to facilitate ease of recycling and reprocessing of materials.
Introduction Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) refers to a tool that assists in limiting the potential environmental damage of various developments that are undertaken in an area (Handley & Handley, 2001). Other researchers and scholars consider EIA as a key aspect of many large-scale planning applications; whereby, the EIA is used as the technique that helps developers understand the potential environmental impacts of any major development proposal (Wathern, 1988). EIA entails information gathering practices that are carried out by both the developer and other relevant bodies to enable the Local Planning Authority to appreciate the potential environmental effects of any form of development before giving directions on its commencement or stoppage (Dougherty & Hall, 1995; Wathern, 1988). Therefore, EIA can simply be described as the scientific and public consultation process that helps identify the potential impacts of any proposed project on the environment; that is, the biophysical component of the physical environment. The stages of conducting the EIA process include scoping, analysis of the impacts, finding mitigation measures and impact management, evaluation of the significance and effective implementation of the project (Wathern, 1988).