European Online Journal of Natural and Social Sciences 2015; www.european-science.

com
Vol.3, No.3 Special Issue on New Trends in Architecture, Civil Engineering, and Urban Studies
ISSN 1805-3602

Environment and Sustainable Architecture

Behzad Pourdehqan1, Mahdis Rashidi2, Mohammad Saeed Firouzbakht3, Nasrin Najafi4
1
MSc student in Islamic Azad University of Mahalat, Arak, Iran; 2 MSc student in Islamic Azad
University of Hamadan, Hamadan, Iran; 3 MSc student in of Islamic Azad University of Mahalat,
Arak, Iran; 4 MSc student in Islamic Azad University of Mahalat, Arak, Iran

Abstract
Humans have always tried innately to establish their habitations in a place where the existent
natural resources would respond their ecological needs. However, the activities which have been
done in the skeleton of the citie, have caused changes such as air pollution, unsystematic and
limitless development of cities both vertically and horizontally, unexampled production of the
hazardous waste, appearance of the greenhouse effects and heat islands. The common results of
these basic changes that have been appeared for more than a century have caused the loss of vital
interaction of people with nature. It seems that there is a connection between the existent materials
in the living place of the individuals and their preferences for building houses in terms of the kinds
of materials. In the present study books and magazines are used to collect information and therefore,
the theoretical method is used for researching. Finally, this study aims to provide approaches for
reducing the use of energy and improve the standard of living for everyone.
Keywords: sustainable building, indexes, theoretical principals, natural energy
Introduction
Based on the definition presented by the World Commission on Environment and
Development, sustainable development meets the needs of existing generation without causing any
obstacle for next generations to respond their needs. Besides the mentioned definition, there has
been many presented definitions for sustainable development so far, but totally a collection of the
existing definitions of the sustainable development can be presented as responding the needs of next
generations, paying attention to bearable capacity of the ecosystems, making the human life
sustainable, preserving the environment and integrating the preservation and development as a
general approach (Aziz, 2005).
Today, the issue of sustainability in different scientific and executive sections is discussed
around the world. Sustainable agriculture, sustainable economy, sustainable human resources,
sustainable urbanizing and sustainable architecture are the subjects of the day.
Sustainability is also discussed in the field of architecture and today is one of the important
topics of these scientific field. Causing the least damage to the environment, regarding the
biological diversity, using the pure and renewable resources, utilizing the recyclable regional
materials, preserving and revivification of the historic places and paying attention to the economic
and cultural issues of each society are some of the matters that are regarded by the sustainable
architecture (Qobadian, 2012).
Sustainability literally means stability and durability in Dehkhoda dictionary. In Moein
Dictionary, this term means the ability to sustain and resistance (Dehkhoda dictionary; 47). The verb
sustain is derived from the Latin origin of Sustinere and is made up of two parts of Sus (from down
to top) and Tinere (preserving and maintaining) and it has been used in English language since 1290.
This verb is mixed with concepts of “supporting, preserving and continuity” and the adjective
sustainable is used to describe a “situation, position or thing” which has been supported or has
continued by using help or provision of living needs (Asadpour, 2005; 65).

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The design and construction in sustainable architecture are based on environmental

considerations and are done by using regional and local materials. It aims to designing sustainable
buildings, reducing the damage of the building to the environment, energy resources and nature. The
sustainable architecture includes a mixture of aesthetic, environmental, social, political and moral
values.
Economizing on using the fossil fuels and sustainable development have turned into very
important and common issues internationally, in a way that preserving the resources, reducing the
use of fossil fuels and coexistence with the conditions and preventing the environmental and
climatic pollution have now turned into the important strategies in architecture and urbanizing and
they make architectures observe the specific principles and rules about construction.
Sustainable Architecture
In order to get a better understanding of the concept of sustainable architecture, it is
necessary to present a clear definition of the concept of “sustainable development”. A generally
accepted definition of the sustainable development is the one that has been included in the
Brundtland’s report and based on that, the “sustainable development” is the kind of development
which meets the needs of contemporary generation without compromising and inconsideration of
the next generation’s abilities to respond their needs (Golkar, 2000). The concept of sustainable
development is to present solutions for traditional skeletal, social and economical patterns, so that it
manages to prevent the issues such as the decrease of human’s life quality.
The main target of the sustainable building is responding the basic needs, improving and
increasing the standard of living for everyone, better preservation and management of the
ecosystems and providing a more fortunate and secure future. Finally, it can be expressed that the
sustainable development has a comprehensive concept and it is related to all aspects of human life.
The use of sustainability concept in architecture has represented a new topic entitled sustainable
architecture (Soflaei, 2014).
Improvement of the quality of architecture in sustainable design is meant to achieve a certain
goal which is the comfort. An important point which should be thought in this kind of architecture is
that all the related elements in providing comfort are considered as a unit system.
The sustainable architecture is an architecture which respects the environmental
considerations and climatic adaptation and is designed and built based on the maximum effective
exploitation of the natural resources. Sustainable architecture attempts to reduce the negative effects
of the architecture on environment (Zahra Ahmadi, 2002).
A sustainable building can be defined as a building which is in the least conflict with its
surrounding environment and with the region and the world in a larger scale. In this prospect, the
construction techniques are employed in order to provide an integral quality from economical, social
and environmental aspects in a large scale (Zahra Ahmadi, 2002)
The Concept of Sustainability
This concept roots in an ecological basis. According to this basis, if the exploitation of all
environments is done with respect to their natural capacitance of generation, the principle of the
asset (ecological resources) remains stable. Therefore, our utilization of the environment in the
limits of that generating capacitance is permanent. The amount of humane utilization of that certain
environment which is proper for the capacitance and capabilities of that has the maximum outcome
because it fits all of the production (Makhdoum, 2008).
Anyway, if the main concept of sustainability is sustaining the living quality of people, the
economical and social goals will be recognized more rapidly. The social goals include achieving the
equality and preserving the cultural diversity, increasing the role of family, enhancing the collective
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 Behzad Pourdehqan, Mahdis Rashidi, Mohammad Saeed Firouzbakht, Nasrin Najafi

and citizenship sense and obtaining a more qualitative life. The economical goals also include the
mentioned ones besides of any change in economical activities which increases the living quality
(Razdasht, 2012).
The green architecture provides this opportunity wherever it trends. First designers, only
knew the aspect of sustainability of energy and they deposited a primary connection in increasing
emission levels of universal carbon oxide. But does the low energy design make actually a great
architecture? Few reasons exist for defining the connection between great aestheticism and
conservation of energy. In fact, they are most of the times incompatible. This incompatibility only
happens when a full image of the economical design addresses the rich, complicated and beautiful
appeared architecture (Edward, 2010). Searching for a responding environment has increased the
human tendency to aestheticism and it has been directed by the stabled technological needs.
Technical, cultural, economical and social sustainability have scales for judging the tomorrow
buildings. There has been many tensions which should be raised and they will necessarily lead to a
diversity in chosen solutions for solving the forthcoming environmental issues (Edward, 2010).
Sustainable Environment
The idea of sustainable environment means depositing the earth for the next generations
efficiently or even better than what it is today. The humane activities help the sustainability of
environment, once they could make and preserve it without destroying the natural resources or
surrounding environment. Therefore, the use of energy should be low and the used materials should
be 100% recyclable or renewable so that, they do not hurt the environment and help save the energy
and finally, the used energy could be totally renewable and could not cause any pollution.
Social (economy- education- society- asset- asset of culture)

Technological (technology of energy- Environmental (hygiene- energy-

modern educational technology- scientific asset) water- next generation- asset of resources)
Figure 1. Three prospects of sustainable design: social, technological, environmental
(Source: the book “Guides to Sustainable Architecture”)
Adaptation to the environment and sustainability of its surrounding environment
The building should be built with respect to the environment and adaptable to it and should
consider following points:
- However its materials should be durable, they should be transubstantiating easily in the
environment.
- It should minimize the damage to environment.
- Efficient design of the building in terms of energy saving.
- Efficient use of proper materials for reducing the damages to environment.
- Durable design for environmental sustainability.
- Recycling the wastes for preserving the environment and economical saving.
- Utilizing the principals which prevent the forthcoming dangers caused by construction for
the environment.
- Using the green space in construction of the building for keeping the environment cleaner.
- Using the green materials for parallelism with the environment,
- Using durable materials for making the building sustainable.
- Using materials which need less preservation.

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Special Issue on New Trends in Architecture, Civil Engineering, and Urban Studies

- Choosing safe materials form environmental aspect and the health of users (Minooei,
Zahra, 2012).
Emersion of the Sustainable Designing
The sustainable designing in architecture and urbanizing is not a new method like modernism
or deconstruction, it is an approach and the designing thought which is based on the adaptation to
the nature (Fig. 1). This way of thinking has existed since past centuries. For example, Eskimos built
their houses by using the regional materials such as ice and snow and they had the best thermal
utilization (hemisphere) for dominance on the hard climatic situation of the pole and also Greek,
Egyptian and the Inca people and many of the old civilizations considered the navigation of the sun
for proper exploitation of the sunlight and its heat. However, with the incursion of the technology
these methods have been forgotten (Sayadi and Madahi, 2011).
Environmental Sustainability
Iran has territorial sea in the northern district of the Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean and the
northern district of the Caspian Sea but the two ranges of the mountains that one of them is located
on the edging of the northern district and Alborz Mountains, and the other one is located on the
edging of the Zagros Mountains block the mild, humid weather to get to the interior and median
parts of this country. Due to this issue, different parts of Iran have various weather (Memarian,
1993). Fourfold climates of Iran include mild and humid climate (coasts of Caspian Sea), cold
climate (western mountains), Warm and dry climate (central plateau), Warm and humid climate
(southern coasts of Iran). Historic houses of Iran were designed with respect to the climatic and they
are perfectly connected with their surrounding nature thus, they cause the minimum damage to the
environment.
The Principals of Sustainable Designing
- Compactness
- Reformed streets for traffic
- Increase of the population in the suburb
- Empowering the applicability of the places which are perfectly supported in terms of
transportation (knots and semi-knots)
- Four floor buildings
- Readability
In Neighborhood Scale
- Different applicable patterns of the house
- Safe and intimate passageways
- Preservation of the historic buildings
- Bicycle path
- Bypasses and passageways of the trams
- Utilization of the regional energy resources
In Local Scale
- Designing by consideration of nature (parks, streets, etc.), biological diversity of species
- Using lands with the previous obsolete buildings
- Strong green squares and passages
In the Scale of a Building
- Designing aimed to cause low environmental effects (local, regional and universal)
- Durable design
- Reusable design

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 Behzad Pourdehqan, Mahdis Rashidi, Mohammad Saeed Firouzbakht, Nasrin Najafi

- Maximum use of renewable energies

- Independent plans
- Managing the available energy for users
- Designing with respect to the climatic situation
- Healthy designing
Activities to Achieve Energy, Environment and Biome
- Moving from fossil fuels to renewable energy resources
- Employing a low energy design
Energy - Looking at the building as an energy producer
- Considering all uses of energy (heating, lightening, ventilation and
transportation
- Using the recycled heat
- paying attention to the energy and its applicability
- Considering the environmental effect on a great scale
Biome - Considering the preservation of resources (land, water and materials)
- Reviving the land and buildings as a part of the development process
- Prevention from the pollution caused by the designing
- Stable, flexible, reconstructive, healthy, comfort and secure design
- Paying attention to the effect of the selected materials on diversity of biological
Species
Environment - Connecting the designing systems to ecological systems
- Maximum diversity from minimum resources
- Using development for expanding or making natural habitations
- Using plants as shelter and for restitution of energy
A proper index for evaluating the restitution of energy in designing level is evaluation of the
units based on meter (it is usually shown as kWh). A similar way can be used for evaluating the
usability of the installation management system of the building and its modification. However, there
has been no prevention of energy reported so far. Therefore, another index such as energy
production percentage is produced by the renewable resources. This index can totally change the
habiting situation in the building and let the carbon dioxide emission reduction compared to the
primary expectations. As a result, this index (energy) can be useful for guiding the designers, those
who manage the building based on the applicability enhancement and for the government as an
instruction to reduce the carbon dioxide nationally. The health can be an index for both construction
workers and inhabitants. The construction materials and technologies carry many hygienic dangers
for workers and the health of inhabitants can be threatened due to the deformed design of the area.
Local biological diversity is another useful index. Total ecological understanding of the excavation,
production, constitution and devolution of the construction materials is difficult to measure
(Edward, 2010).
Aims of Sustainability
Four basic aims of sustainability are applicability of resources, applicability of energy,
preventing from causing pollution and adaptation to the surrounding area.
Conclusion
Social sustainability represents the ability of the society for preserving and maintaining the
necessary tools of generating wealth, welfare and social participation. On the other hand, it attempts

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Special Issue on New Trends in Architecture, Civil Engineering, and Urban Studies

to preserve the stability of the social factors for expanding the union and solidarity. The sustainable
development and sustainable architecture consider the preservation of the environment with
changing the approach to the nature based on their primary mottos but the presented methods and
what is appeared in the constructed area is a kind of discrete and separated approach from the nature
and it just considers its preservation in order to be exploited by next generation. In spite of the fact
that the principals of the sustainable architecture includes a wide range of utilization of the most
simple and complicated modern technologies, the issue is the propriety and adaptation of the method
to the social and cultural backgrounds of the people and users of that area. Modifying the point of
view to the nature and as a result a change in human attitude toward the nature which would be a
great change in consumer culture is a vital step toward sustainable development.
Due to the energy crisis in the world and the exhaustion of the non-renewable resources, and
also the increase of the environmental pollution because of the unsystematic use of fossil fuels, the
necessity of utilizing the sustainable energies especially in building construction which uses 40% of
the energy in country is considered. Based on the growth rate of the technology, representation of
the sustainable energies, permanent reduction of the non-renewable energies and also the availability
of the proper sustainable energy resources (sun, water, wind, biogas, etc.) in our country, the
architects can provide a suitable atmosphere with the favorable thermal condition by using a proper
designing which is adaptable to the climate. Besides the Iranian architectural patterns that properly
use the sustainable energies in architectural designing and the modern science and technology are
also utilized.
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