GREEN ARCHITECTURE: PATHWAY TO SUSTAINABILITY IN THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT

Dauda Ali and Shitufa Hamidu

Department of Architectural Technology

 Federal Polytechnic Bauchi

Email: dauda2292@gmail.com; shitufah@yahoo.com

ABSTRACT

Green building architecture is all about buildings entire life cycle from siting to design, construction, operation, maintenance, renovation and deconstruction. People are now concern about factors such as economy, utility, durability and comfort, therefore the knowledge of green sustainable building becomes important to the building industry and the society in general. “Green building is the practice of creating structures and using processes that are environmentally responsible and resource-efficient throughout a building’s life-cycle from siting to design, construction, operation, maintenance, renovation and deconstruction.”This paper highlights the importance of green building, the differences between “green” and “sustainable” as are often used interchangeably, and the basic principles of achieving sustainable architecture. Principles of sustainable architecture which includes energy efficiency, water conservation, use local and natural materials among others, were also highlighted. The most important thing to know about making our home green is to keep it small, only big as necessary for the functions intended; large houses use lots of energy and materials to build and to keep comfortable.

Keywords: Green Architecture, Pathway, Sustainability, and built environment.