Designing Homes Today to Build a More Sustainable Future

More people are buying eco-friendly homes than ever. The market for these properties was worth over $116 billion last year. The driving factors in this market are clear.

In a world where resources are becoming increasingly scarce, it’s become essential to design homes today to build a more sustainable future. Below we will explore how designers use green architecture techniques to create environmentally friendly homes of the future.

1. Using Reclaimed Materials

One of the most popular techniques for designing sustainable housing is reclaimed materials. Reclaimed materials are items that have been used before and can be reused or recycled. It includes recycled lumber, reclaimed brick, or stone. Using reclaimed materials minimizes the production of new ones, reducing waste and environmental impact.

2. Building New Homes with Electric Vehicles in Mind

The electric car tax credit encourages more American motorists to switch to EVs. Modern garage design must consider EVs given the push to get more electric vehicles on the road. This includes creating garages that fit the size of an electric car or designing houses with adequate room for charging stations.

Building new homes with electric vehicles in mind helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions by encouraging people to use alternative forms of transportation. For example, when homeowners can quickly charge their car at home, they’re less likely to use gas-powered vehicles, which produce harmful emissions.

3. Green Roofs

There are a lot of benefits of eco-friendly roofs as well. Designing homes with green roofs will reduce energy costs by keeping them cooler in summer and warmer in winter. Green roofs are a type of roof covered in vegetation and help regulate the temperature of the building. In addition, they manage stormwater runoff and provide insulation for the roof itself, making it more energy-efficient overall.

4. Creating Homes with Passive Solar Design

We have talked in the past about the benefits of using solar energy for a home. There are a lot of benefits like solar lights. However, there are a lot of benefits of using solar indirectly as well.

Homes with passive solar designs are another great technique for a more sustainable future. Passive solar homes use natural features, like windows and sunlight, to heat and cool the home without additional energy. This can be done by strategically placing windows and other openings to allow sunlight during the winter months while keeping the sun out during the summer months.

Passive solar designs reduce heating and cooling costs, greenhouse gas emissions, and increase thermal comfort because they ensure that homes are naturally heated or cooled by sunlight instead of electricity.

5.Building Homes That Can Adapt to Future Needs

Another option is building homes that can adapt to future needs. It means designing home layouts with flexibility in mind to be easily remodeled later if necessary. Homeowners can achieve this by using modular design principles, which allow them to easily swap out different parts of the home without rebuilding it from scratch.

Designing homes that can adapt to future needs is essential because it allows homeowners to customize their homes according to their current needs while also minimizing the need to buy new materials.

6. Using Eco-Friendly Paint

Using eco-friendly paint makes homes more sustainable. Eco-friendly paints include those made with natural ingredients or recycled content. In addition, using eco-friendly paint helps reduce the number of toxic chemicals released into the air, reducing air pollution overall.

7. Harvesting Rainwater

Another sustainable design technique is harvesting rainwater. This involves collecting rainwater from the roof of a building and storing it in tanks for later use. For example, the water can be used for watering plants or flushing toilets, which reduces the amount of freshwater drawn from local reservoirs.

Harvesting rainwater is a great way to conserve water resources, which is important since freshwater is becoming increasingly scarce in many parts of the world. It also helps reduce the amount of stormwater runoff that can cause flooding and damage to property.

8. Landscaping with Drought-Resistant Plants

Landscaping with drought-resistant plants is another way to make a home more sustainable. This involves using plants that thrive in dry, arid climates instead of water-intensive ones. As a result, it lessens the amount of freshwater homeowners use for things like watering their lawns and filling their pools.

9. Appropriately Insulating and Air Sealing the Home

Proper insulation and air sealing make a home more sustainable. Insulating the walls, ceilings, and floors keeps warm air in winter and cool air during the summer. Air sealing closes all the penetrations and openings on the roof and walls to prevent air from leaking.

Adequately insulated and sealed homes use less energy, saving homeowners a lot of money on their energy bills.