🏡Arquitectura Ecológica 🍃 Relación entre arquitectura y medio ambiente

Introduction to Ecological Architecture

Background of Iñaki Alonso

• Iñaki Alonso introduces himself as an architect with 20 years of experience, focusing on ecological architecture and projects from a broad perspective since 2001.

• He defines ecology as the science measuring relationships between living beings and their environment, emphasizing its relevance to human interactions through architecture.

Concept of "Third Skin"

• Alonso describes architecture as the "third skin," a protective layer that separates interior spaces from the exterior environment, following the first skin (epidermis) and second skin (clothing).

Shift Towards Sustainability

• After completing his studies in 1998, he recognized the need for sustainability in architecture, which was not adequately covered during his education.

• He pursued additional training in sustainability across social, environmental, and economic dimensions.

Career Development and Innovations

Early Projects and Focus Areas

• His initial projects were heavily focused on environmental aspects; later work also addressed social issues like loneliness through architectural design.

Establishing Consultancy and Associations

• Iñaki co-founded a consultancy specializing in decarbonization and environmental impact analysis using life cycle assessment methodologies.

New Perspectives on Architecture

The Need for Measurement in Sustainability

• Emphasizes that sustainability must be measured to minimize impacts effectively; without proper tools for measurement, achieving sustainability is challenging.

Creation of Impactful Housing Projects

• He founded "Distrito Natural," a promoter focused on collaborative housing within an ecological framework to address environmental challenges.

Architecture as a Living Organism

Transition from Mechanistic Views

• Discusses moving away from viewing architecture merely as machines reliant on cheap energy towards buildings that can generate their own energy and purify water.

Healthier Living Environments

• Highlights the importance of creating buildings that protect inhabitants from pollution while fostering community relationships among residents.

Regenerative Culture in Architecture

Redefining Architectural Goals

• Proposes redefining architecture to act as a living system capable of producing energy, purifying water, improving air quality, and enhancing social connections.

Moving Beyond Traditional Sustainability

Building Resilient Communities and Sustainable Architecture

The Importance of Community in Sustainability

• Relationships among people create social structures, such as neighborhoods, which are essential for building resilient and proactive communities. Active participation is crucial for environmental sustainability.

Architectural Initiatives for Environmental Impact

• Over 23 years, the speaker's journey began with SAT as an architecture studio, leading to the creation of Ecometro, a consultancy focused on environmental issues like lifecycle analysis and decarbonization in construction.

Reflection on Growth Limits

• The speaker reflects on insights from "The Limits to Growth," emphasizing that our development model leads to unlimited growth on a limited planet, necessitating change due to finite resources.

Emissions and Waste Management

• Architecture contributes significantly to CO2 emissions (36%) and waste (35%), highlighting the need for sustainable practices using renewable materials instead of finite ones.

Rethinking Economic Models

• Despite growing awareness about sustainability since the publication of "The Limits to Growth" in 1972, CO2 emissions continue to rise. A major challenge lies in decoupling economic growth from emissions growth.

Addressing Multiple Environmental Impacts

• It’s essential not only to focus on climate change but also other impacts like acidification and eutrophication. Minimizing all forms of pollution is critical for ecological health.

Critical Resource Depletion Period (2015-2025)

• The period between 2015 and 2025 is identified as critical due to resource depletion peaks. This timeframe serves as a wake-up call regarding our environmental situation.

Climate Change Predictions

• Anticipated climate changes include increased droughts and severe storms leading to flooding. Architecture must adapt by adopting radically different concepts focused on sustainability.

Advancements in Sustainable Architecture

• The goal is not just reducing emissions but creating buildings that absorb CO2 throughout their lifecycle. Current technology allows for fully electrified buildings powered by renewable energy sources.

Carbon Absorption Strategies

• Buildings can be designed as carbon sinks through biodiversity integration and using materials like wood that sequester carbon during their life cycle.

Understanding Carbon in Environmental Management

The Role of Carbon Measurement

• Carbon serves as a fundamental metric for measuring and quantifying various environmental actions, acting as a gateway to assess air quality and volatile organic compounds.

Types of Carbon

• Three types of carbon are defined:

• Fugitive Carbon: Emitted into the atmosphere through human activities like oil extraction.

• Incorporated/Durable Carbon: Defined by William McDonough, this type is stored in materials such as wood, absorbed from the atmosphere via photosynthesis.

• Positive Carbon: Absorbed daily from soil and plants, contributing to carbon storage.

Understanding Carbon's Nature

• Carbon is essential for life; it should not be viewed solely as a negative element. The goal is to create buildings that act as living organisms capable of absorbing CO2 through positive carbon practices.

Building with Sustainable Materials

• Proposals include constructing buildings using neutral carbon embedded in wooden structures while minimizing fugitive carbon emissions during construction processes.

Transitioning to Wood-Based Construction

• Emphasizing the use of Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT), which allows for lighter building designs without concrete or steel, thus reducing CO2 emissions significantly compared to traditional methods.

Forest Management and Sustainability

• Spain has significant forest resources (second in Europe), with proper management being crucial. Increasing wood-based construction can transform the industry sustainably.

Innovations in Concrete Usage

Ecological Building in Madrid: A Sustainable Approach

Overview of the Ecological Building

• The ecological building located in Usera, Madrid, was completed 30 years ago and embodies sustainability principles. It was constructed by a cooperative that operates under collective ownership with individual usage rights for each housing unit.

Awards and Recognition

• This building has received multiple awards, including the European Collective Housing Award and the National Award for Well-Solved Housing in the low-carbon category. In 2021, it also won the Green Latin America award, highlighting its social impact and collaborative living aspects.

Energy Efficiency and Monitoring

• After three years of operation, data is being collected to monitor energy consumption. The building is designed to minimize energy use according to Passive House standards, targeting around 15 kWh/m² annually.

Renewable Energy Production

• The building features photovoltaic production capabilities of approximately 33 kW per household. It often generates more energy than it consumes; for instance, last month it produced 6,000 kWh while consuming only 4,000 kWh.

Cost Efficiency

• Residents benefit from low utility costs due to shared billing; last month's total bill was €93 for all units combined. When divided among 17 households, this results in an average cost of about €4 per month per household.

Sustainable Materials and Water Management

Use of Sustainable Materials

• The building incorporates around 430 cubic meters of certified FSC wood. Sustainability extends beyond energy efficiency to include careful selection of materials that are recycled or reused.

Water Reuse Strategies

• An emphasis on water management includes systems for reusing greywater through purification processes before reintegration into the building's water supply.

Biodiversity Integration

Enhancing Urban Biodiversity

• The design integrates vertical gardens and green spaces aimed at promoting biodiversity within urban settings. This includes creating habitats for beneficial bird species while avoiding those that may be problematic.

Redefining Relationships with Environment

Architectural Impact on Lifestyle Choices

• Buildings should foster better relationships with their environment by encouraging sustainable practices such as cycling through dedicated parking spaces and electric vehicle charging stations.

Community Initiatives

• Initiatives like composting organic waste and establishing community-supported agriculture can enhance sustainability within residential communities while reducing overall environmental impact.

Future Vision: Buildings as Living Organisms

Conceptual Shift in Architecture

• Future buildings should function as living organisms capable of producing food, purifying water, generating energy, and fostering community interactions rather than merely serving as passive structures reliant on external resources.

Sustainable Mobility and Architecture in the 21st Century

The Concept of Sustainable Mobility

• Discussion on producing sustainable mobility through electric vehicles, emphasizing a living system approach.

• Introduction of systemic thinking within the framework of regenerative culture to transform architectural perspectives.

• Suggestion that this new perspective could alter how architecture is perceived in the 20th century.

Architectural Evolution

• Contrast between past views of architecture as "the machine for living" and a vision for the 21st century where architecture becomes a life-producing organism.

• Emphasis on the challenges and goals set forth in this evolving architectural narrative.