The Option of Eco-friendly Buildings

A good example of eco-friendly buildings would be vernacular architecture, this is the most basic form of architecture that saves resources by using local and available materials

By: Danah Kaouri

Photo source: Creative Commons

City buildings are sure mesmerising to look at, but we rarely ever think about how these buildings were built and in what ways are they harming our environment.

Etienna Abouabdou, a 26 year old architect who is interested in sustainability on the construction level says that there’s a misconception that eco friendly buildings and green buildings are ones who have a lot of trees and greenery, this is in accurate.

“Its not about the aesthetics of the buildings, there are several factors that make a building eco-friendly, its about the construction technique, materials used, the level of multi functioning of this space and the level of CO2 emissions” notes Abouabdou, “multi functioning is, for instance, having a buildings used as offices during working hours, later during the day it can include theatres, museums, public spaces and more” he explains “lots of materials and energy were used to create this space, so using it only during working hours is a waste of resources” he added.

A good example of eco-friendly buildings would be vernacular architecture, this is the most basic form of architecture that saves resources by using local and available materials are used “this reduces cost and shipping of unavailable materials that have local alternatives and it encourages the use of biodegradable materials such as wood, stone, mud etcetera” highlights Abouabdou.

As for energy saving, eco-friendly buildings contribute to that by using renewable energy such as solar systems, that help us avoid using harmful materials with much healthier alternatives.

Since in Lebanon there are no governmental incentives for buildings to adopt healthier ways of construction, the Lebanese Green Buildings Council (LGBC) NGO filled this gap.

LGBC implemented a program whereby buildings are rated on their sustainability level, and the higher these buildings score the more that can benefit from free maintenance and similar incentives provided by the NGO.