Today, the need to care for the planet and reduce human impact on the environment has brought a wave of concepts like bioclimatic architecture or design that revolve around sustainability. However, many of these concepts are still confused with each other, preventing us from speaking precisely about the real advantages of implementing sustainability strategies in all areas.
To speak about sustainability in the construction sector, it is essential to discuss how architecture is conceived and designed today. While technology has allowed greater flexibility in forms, dimensions, materials, and construction techniques, two aspects cannot be overlooked: First, all resources come from the planet (as they always have), meaning we must ensure the durability of resources over time; and second, architecture itself must strive to cover users' needs, providing spaces for hygiene, food, and rest (with their variations), ensuring their comfort.
On the other hand, we cannot ignore biophilic design, which is directly related to bioclimatic architecture. Biophilic design aims to reconnect society with nature in building construction and interior design. Although this type of design does not focus as much on sustainable aspects, biophilic design favors reducing the building's carbon footprint.
In vernacular architecture lies the origin of what we today call bioclimatic architecture. In other words, it consists of designing with the conditions of the place in mind, such as: temperature, whether there are seasons or not, hours of sunshine per year, wind direction and speed, materials available in a region, and construction techniques of that area. The latter is especially important since understanding the context conditions allows us to use them to the users' advantage.
From the implantation of a project, the best orientation is sought to maximize use of environmental conditions according to the project's location. For example, in cold climates, the longer facades face east and west to maximize solar radiation. From vernacular architecture we see that inhabitants of the north pole orient igloos southward to maximize solar radiation; conversely, in hot humid climates, buildings are protected from solar radiation.
It offers a multitude of benefits both for construction companies and for end users, as well as for environmental conservation:
The objective of bioclimatic architecture or design is not to provide design solutions, but to seek the best way to optimize and improve design considering the natural and environmental resources available.
For this purpose, the first thing our technical team does is a Building Performance Simulation. This tool allows making a comparison between a conventional building and an improved one in terms of energy savings, interior space temperature, and the amount of natural light entering.
At SUMAC we accompany you from the conceptualization of the design to generate strategies that consider nature and geography as allies, achieving significant energy cost savings and promoting a healthy work environment for your building's occupants.
