Low Environmental Impact Housing
Sustainable Housing
Most modern houses, including many so-called 'eco-houses', carry a very high environmental price tag. Often, the expression' eco-house', is no more than an indicator of some degree of energy efficiency, and makes no reference to the size of the structure or the materials used to build it.
Given that the usual yardstick of energy efficiency is a measurement of heat losses per m2 of floor area per annum, a very large but well insulated building could be perceived as being of lower environmental impact than a much smaller and less well insulated structure, even though the latter can be built using a fraction of the materials and may require less energy to heat it owing to it's smaller size. Clearly this is ludicrous.
We suggest that in order to be defined as sustainable, housing should meet a number of criteria, including the following:
Minimal use of non-renewable resources in construction
Minimal use of non-renewable resources for heating and the provision of electricity
Low volume of non-recycleable waste created during construction
Ease of recycling of the materials contained within the structure at the end of its life
Low Cost
Low dependency on cars for the occupants as a result of locating near to employment, schools and essential services
Other criteria could include the use of local labour and materials for construction, the provision of space for the growing of food (such as access to allotments), and a requirement for the structure to have a low visual impact. This list is by no means complete.
We will be writing more on this subject in Issue 2 of Sustainability magazine.
