So what exactly is a sustainable architectural design?
In architecture, sustainable design is about creating buildings and producing designs that make as little impact on the world around us as possible. It is about how we use innovative ways to ensure our designs promote the health and well-being of the building’s occupants and reduce the negative environmental impact.
Farren Architects carefully consider appropriate technologies, how to minimise waste, limit the consumption of non-renewable resources, and how to use environmentally friendly materials within each of our designs with the aim to creating more greener and more energy efficient buildings.
Can I make my home more sustainable?
Yes, it is possible to make your home sustainable. Whether building from scratch or upgrading, we aim for all our designs to be as sustainable as possible. As well as reducing the impact on the climate, it can help towards the ever spiralling energy bills. And given how volatile energy prices are at the minute, this sounds good, right?
When we look at each design, we consider using high quality insulation, airtight construction, using high performance glazing, choosing green and sustainable materials and incorporating renewable energy where possible.
What is Passivhaus Standard?
The Passivhaus Standard is a strict set of criteria for building. To become Passivhaus certified,your home must be built, or in the case of existing dwellings retrofitted, according to strict guidelines. Although these continually change, there are 5 key areas to look at, namely High quality insulation, Airtight construction, Thermal bridge free detailing, High-performance glazing and Mechanical ventilation.
However, it isn’t essential to achieve this strict standard. Each design is unique, what works for one doesn’t necessarily work for another. In all our designs we aim to include elements of Passivhaus standards.
What insulation do you recommend?
We always encourage to use the highest quality insulation possible as insulation ensures the building holds as much warmth as possible. And the largest percentage of energy use comes from heating your home. So, basically, the better insulation you have,the less energy is used, the less you need to pay out on energy bills.
Is double-glazing a high-performance glazing option?
We recommend using windows that are as high quality as possible to ensure minimal heat loss and to provide good acoustics. Our designs also include passive solar gain by carefully placing windows to ensure the sun can warm the building naturally reducing the reliance on artificial heat and ventilation. The first thing we look at and explore with each design is the orientation and positioning of a building to maximise the amount of natural light in your home to help reduce your reliance on artificial lighting. There are also lot of health benefits of natural light within your home.
Why is ventilation important?
It is important to have the right amount ventilation and fresh air circulating through your home to ensure there is healthy indoor air quality. If there is inadequate ventilation, there could be a risk of condensation and unhealthy indoor air quality. On the other hand, if the ventilation is too high, this could result in dry air and a high loss of energy. Together with our design team, we always consider at airflow during the design stage to ensure there is enough ventilation and fresh air circulating through your home.
What are the benefits of having a sustainable home?
As well as leading the way to a greener future with lower carbon emissions and lower energy usage,there are loads of benefits of living in a sustainable home. Costs of energy bills would be lower compared to a traditional building. The air quality would be cleaner and healthier, rooms would be comfortable all year round - warmer in winter and cooler in summer. Less technology, such as heating, means less repairs and lower maintenance costs. There are definitely a lot of benefits to sustainable design!
Is it more expensive to build a sustainable home?
Sustainable homes can be more expensive at the outset, but should save you money in the long term due to lower energy bills. Each project is unique though, so each design will have different levels of sustainability.
Would you recommend sustainable design?
We believe in using little energy and reducing the ecological footprint of your build whilst achieving construction quality and feel it is definitely something to be considered.
