Our Guide to Sustainable Designing for real estate and interiors
sustainable interiors for a university' student lounge, by Biofilico
What is Sustainable Design in buildings?
Sustainable design in buildings focuses on creating long-term solutions that prioritise both the well-being of people and harmony with the environment. It aims to reduce environmental impact through energy efficiency, resource conservation, and waste minimisation.
Designers like us aim to use products and building materials that recyclable, compostable, and reusable wherever possible, while adopting manufacturing processes that reduce carbon emissions.
Sustainable design also involves selecting materials that minimise ecological footprints and implementing systems that support renewable energy and efficient use of resources.
The focus on environmentalism in sustainable design today plays a key role in combating climate change, ensuring that buildings contribute to a healthier planet. Ultimately, it is about creating spaces that benefit both occupants and the environment, promoting long-term sustainability.
It's not always the simplest or cheapest option, but we believe this approach is the only responsible benchmark for our industry today.
Sustainable Design Principles
Sustainable design is a design process that focuses on minimising negative impacts on the natural environment while promoting the well-being of building occupants.
The principles behind sustainable design aim to reduce energy consumption, reduce waste, and prioritise environmental sustainability throughout a building's full life cycle.
Key principles include:
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: Designing buildings and products with the full life cycle in mind, so materials can be reused or recycled at the end of their life. This reduces reliance on non-renewable resources and supports a closed-loop system.
Design for Disassembly and Recyclability: Buildings and products should be designed to allow easy disassembly, facilitating the reuse of natural materials and ensuring that components can be recycled or repurposed, minimising environmentally preferable products going to landfills.
Use Renewable Resources: Using natural materials that have a smaller carbon footprint promotes a healthier natural world and reduces the demand on non-renewable resources.
Minimise Waste and Pollution: During the design process, we focus on reducing waste by selecting environmentally preferable products that are low in toxins, easy to recycle, and can be used efficiently. This aligns with both ethical responsibility and sustainable development goals.
Emphasise Energy Efficiency: Integrating green design strategies such as improved insulation, efficient HVAC systems, and energy-saving lighting can reduce energy consumption and improve building performance, creating more productive environments while lowering operational costs.
Promote Sustainable Production Systems: Interior designers can prioritise products from suppliers who follow an integrated approach to product stewardship, using digital products and eco-design strategy sets that minimise environmental impacts across the entire product’s lifecycle.
Create Healthy and Regenerative Environments: A regenerative design approach helps create products that actively improve natural habitats. By implementing this approach, buildings can restore ecosystems, support biodiversity, and benefit the natural environment in ways that circular design can foster.
Operational and Maintenance Practices
To reduce environmental impact, it’s essential to implement sustainable maintenance practices in building operations. This involves using recycled materials and sustainable products to minimise waste and conserve resources, aligning with an ethical business practice.
Key practices include:
Optimising Energy Consumption
Use practical tips such as installing energy-efficient systems, LED lighting, and smart HVAC to lower energy consumption and reduce costs, while improving overall building performance.
Minimising Waste
Prioritise recycling and reuse, reducing the need for more materials and supporting a circular economy. This can also include designing products with integrated design that takes the full lifecycle of materials into consideration.
Enhancing Indoor Environmental Quality
By improving indoor air quality with better ventilation, natural materials, and low-VOC products, buildings can address functional needs while also providing an aesthetically timeless space that supports the health of its occupants.
Reducing Carbon Footprint
Implement strategies that lower carbon emissions, such as renewable energy solutions, and integrate these into the business model. This is a major driver of long-term environmental sustainability in the built environment.
Conserving Water
Incorporate systems that optimise water use, such as low-flow fixtures, to conserve water and reduce consumption in line with sustainable development goals.
Circular Economy and EcoDesign
The Circular Economy shifts away from the traditional linear economy, where raw materials are extracted, used, and discarded, to a model that focuses on reuse, recycling, and regeneration. This approach aims to reduce waste and optimise resource use, making sustainability a core key element in the design and manufacturing process.
An 'EcoDesign' strategy plays a crucial role within this system, ensuring that products are created with sustainability in mind throughout their full lifecycle. It involves several important aspects of design considerations that help reduce environmental impact while maintaining product functionality. Some of the key strategies include:
Design for Disassembly: Products are designed to be easily taken apart, enabling components to be reused or recycled, reducing waste.
Design for Longevity: Creating durable, long-lasting products that minimise the need for replacements, thus conserving resources.
Design for Reusability: Ensuring products can be reused, extending their life and reducing demand for new materials.
Design for Dematerialisation: Reducing the amount of material used in products, lowering the environmental impact.
Design for Modularity: Designing products with interchangeable components that can be upgraded or replaced, preventing the need for entire product disposal.
Sustainable Design Tools and Frameworks
Sustainable design is supported by various tools and frameworks that assist professionals in assessing environmental impact and implementing eco-friendly solutions.
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA): An LCA evaluates the environmental impacts of a product or building throughout its entire lifecycle, helping designers identify areas for improvement and optimise sustainability.
Energy Efficiency Tools: Energy audits and energy modelling identify opportunities for improving energy efficiency in buildings. These tools optimise heating, cooling, and lighting, helping to reduce energy consumption.
Sustainable Design Software: Building Information Modeling (BIM) is crucial for creating 3D representations of buildings. It allows designers to analyse and enhance energy efficiency, materials use, and sustainability features, supporting an integrated design process.
Sustainable Design Applications
Sustainable design plays a critical role in various sectors, shaping how we build, plan, and utilise spaces to foster environmental responsibility. These applications help reduce resource consumption, enhance quality of life, and align with a value system that prioritises sustainability.
Sustainable Buildings and Architecture
Sustainable architecture focuses on creating energy-efficient buildings that minimise waste, reduce carbon footprints, and use renewable resources.
Incorporating an ecodesign strategy is essential for designing buildings that contribute to long-term environmental goals, such as using sustainable materials, maximising energy efficiency, and integrating renewable energy systems.
Sustainable Urban Planning and Design
Sustainable urban planning focuses on creating cities that reduce carbon emissions and enhance the quality of life for residents. This design practice involves mixed-use developments, green spaces, and efficient public transport systems, ensuring that urban spaces minimise their environmental impact.
Sustainable Product Design and Development
Sustainable product design is centred on creating things that are eco-friendly, durable, and easily recyclable. The objective is to design products that use fewer resources, last longer, and leave less waste, contributing to a circular economy and reducing the environmental footprint.
Sustainable Interior Design and Decoration
In sustainable interior design, the emphasis is on using natural materials, energy-efficient products, and eco-friendly finishes. This design practice promotes healthier indoor environments by reducing energy consumption, improving air quality, and integrating recycled or upcycled furniture and décor.
Sustainable Landscape and Garden Design
Sustainable landscaping focuses on creating spaces that use less water, reduce waste, and support natural habitats. By incorporating native plants, efficient irrigation, and eco-friendly materials, sustainable gardens contribute to the environment while enhancing the aesthetic value of outdoor spaces.
Conclusion
Sustainable design is essential for building a more resilient and balanced future. By applying sustainable design principles, we can reduce environmental harm and foster sustainable development across industries.
Adopting these principles in every aspect of design—whether for buildings, products, or spaces—helps mitigate the strain on the environment while enhancing quality of life. Now is the time to embrace more sustainable practices and contribute to a healthier planet for future generations.