The Covid pandemic has given a new thrust to the concept of sustainability as a mandate for optimal design for end-users.
Ponni M. Concessao - Founder, Oscar & Ponni + Rahul Architects
Going green doesn’t just benefit the planet; it also helps us save money, time, and resources so that we can enjoy life more fully while making sure that our future generations have access to clean air and water too. Sustainability is a growing movement in the residential and commercial building industry. More and more residential and commercial building owners are keen for sustainable remodeling of their properties to help them save money, improve property value, attract new customers, and to protect the environment.
Commercial and residential building owners have always looked for ways to reduce operating expenses, but now sustainability has entered the mix. Once considered strange bedfellows — green technologies are often seen as more costly to acquire and implement — while sustainability and cost-saving measures now go hand in hand.
Being surrounded by eco-friendly materials like wood, steel etc significantly increases our well-being. Steel is the most recycled material in the world. More steel is recycled each year than plastic, paper, aluminum, and glass combined. At our firm we use recycled steel, which does not lose its properties when recycled. By using recycled steel in the building process, we know for a fact that it will be strong and durable. It’s a massive saver in energy costs too. We also use Reclaimed, Recycled or Sustainable Wood. If you are looking for new wood, then source it from a sustainably managed forest. It is an excellent material for natural-looking floors and exposed beams.
Sustainable architecture is the use of design strategies that reduce the negative environmental impact from a built environment. Architects take the site landscape, energy management, and storm water management into consideration when planning, and then use environmentally friendly systems and building materials during construction.
