When our athletes stand on the podium in Tokyo, and the whole country is shining with pride, the designers in my heart can't help but celebrate the ideas and innovations Japan used in this year's medal production. For the first time in history, every Olympic medal awarded is entirely made of recycled materials. The precious metals used to make all 5,000 medals come from discarded mobile phones. The ingenuity of the Japanese made me take a step back and ask myself what we do every day to ensure that we also consider sustainability when designing.
The International Journal of Sustainable Built Environment explains that Environmentally Sustainable Interior Design (ESID) involves the use of aesthetic principles and strategies that provide benefits on a global scale. Sustainable design is about using materials and processes that are environmentally friendly and socially and economically feasible. Where possible, we should ensure that the space we create today will not destroy the world of tomorrow. This sounds like an advanced task best suited for construction professionals and industry stakeholders, but with home renovation and construction at the highest level in history, homeowners can also play a role in implementing sustainable design best practices.
When designing a house with sustainability in mind, you can consider the following aspects.
Although cutting down a tree to make a coffee table seems to be the antithesis of sustainability, there are ways to take it away from the earth without killing it. The most common practice is to plant trees to replace damaged trees. Accountability is the biggest challenge of relying solely on this approach, but local organizations such as the Ministry of Forestry help implement and enforce guidelines related to how we handle trees.
Although wood is a renewable resource, not all renewable resources are created equal. Some trees take decades to mature. Bamboo furniture is an excellent alternative to hardwood furniture such as mahogany. It takes five to seven years for a bamboo to be established, and it can grow into a mature tree in a few weeks; during its life cycle, it continues to rapidly produce more plants on the same root structure. On the other hand, it takes 25 years for a mahogany tree to fully mature. Bamboo has a wide range of uses, it can be used to make any furniture, and it is easy to add. Bamboo is also used to make bed sheets and curtains, home accessories, tableware and even utensils, which are more affordable than many traditional options.
Use similar grass plants to make home accessories, such as locally made raffia fiber and straw placemats or carpets, baskets and pendants made from jute plants, and furniture made from canes, all of which incorporate sustainable design into you A great way to home. Sustainable furniture has become a huge design trend, and rattan, rattan, concrete and other natural materials are now hotter than ever.
Bamboo entered the chat again, but not without acknowledging cork. Although you have to eliminate a tree to produce products from bamboo, softwood is made from bark, so without cutting any plants, you can create a floor that looks similar to hardwood and has perfect sound absorption. Cork is also used Wallpaper application, you can add texture to any space.
The beauty of furniture made from natural resources such as wood and metal is that they can be easily converted into other things without breaking the bank. Old bookcases can become new media centers, side tables can be used as bedside tables, kitchen cabinets can be refurbished, and old sofas can be reinstalled; the list is extensive. With a little creativity, you can redesign your space in a sustainable way. If you don’t like do-it-yourself projects, buying furniture made from recycled wood can also be influential.
The design style you choose will also affect sustainability. For design to be sustainable, less is more! Minimalism encourages designs that focus only on core functional elements. Streamlined furniture, minimal accessories, clean surfaces, and ample space are the characteristics of minimalist design; this promotes the retention of only useful things. For hoarders, this sounds like a nightmare, but how many times have you bought something and only used it once (if any)? The less you use, the more resources others can use. A minimalist lifestyle improves social and environmental well-being and makes your available income available for other projects.
If recycled wood is the material of choice, rural design can also promote sustainability.
Although eliminating the use of chemicals in the construction process is a complex feat, we can start in areas such as paint, by using low-VOC options, milk paint, LEED certified water-based paint and other finishes made of natural elements . Next time you visit a paint counter, look for environmentally friendly options. Be prepared to pay a little extra for the low VOC option, but the benefits outweigh the costs.
We would not be able to complete this list if we did not include the use of alternative energy sources as a means of powering the home. Solar panels are among the best in sustainable design practices commonly used in residential design. By using our most renewable resource, the sun, we can reduce our contribution to global warming. A typical solar installation can save about 30% or more of monthly bills, while allowing you to resell excess electricity back to JPS.
Another factor leading to high energy costs is our cooling costs. In a warm climate like ours, the heat can be cruel. Ordinary households use fans or air conditioners (or a combination of the two) to cool their homes. In this region, as much as 40%-60% of energy use comes from air conditioning. Architecture plays an important role in promoting proper airflow throughout the space. If you are building a house, make sure to work with your architect to ensure proper ventilation and enough windows to promote air circulation, and may include ventilation ducts. If you can maximize the use of natural airflow, you can save hundreds of thousands of dollars in cooling in the long run.
The cheapest sustainable design plan is to use LED bulbs and lamps. LED is a gift that is constantly given. By reducing electricity consumption, we have effectively reduced the carbon footprint of the process. The service life of LED bulbs is 50 times that of traditional incandescent bulbs and can be used in a wide temperature range, so it will not negatively affect the style. Due to the long service life, more and more manufacturers are beginning to produce integrated LED lamps, thereby reducing the need for constant replacement of bulbs.
Imagine going to a supermarket and transporting items one by one to the checkout counter without using a trolley. There are countless steps required to complete the shopping journey. Now imagine you are decorating your home and transporting materials back and forth on a short trip, because this is what your car can hold. Your carbon footprint will be profound. Sustainable design involves the implementation of processes that integrate transportation, reduce dust and noise nuisance, and the release of toxic fumes and chemicals that affect air quality.
Although we are not capable of implementing every sustainable practice, each of us can play our part in sustainable design. Even small changes can have a huge impact. Ask yourself, if I participated in the Sustainable Design Olympics, would I be a team? If your answer is no, please choose one of these areas and strive for your own recycling gold medal.
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