How to Create an Eco-Friendly Building Design

When working with an architect or designer to create a new commercial facility, you may want to consider as many eco-friendly features as possible. This will mean less money spent on utilities and resources like fresh water, and ensuring your building creates as little pollution as possible after it's constructed. Note a few features to discuss with your architect or designer so you have an eco-friendly building no matter your industry.

Living roof

Buildings today can be designed with a living roof, meaning that sod and then vegetation is brought onto the roof and planted in troughs or other containers. The containers can be connected to the building's gutters to catch excess water. This vegetation helps to keep the building cooler more naturally as it blocks sunlight, and vegetation naturally creates healthier air by filtering out carbon dioxide and creating oxygen. In some areas, a living roof can also be a working garden, to be maintained by a local charitable organization or even a school of agriculture. This can cut down on the amount of maintenance you would need to perform on your living roof and the produce harvested can also assist a nearby charitable organization.

Recycling

Consider how your business can and should recycle, and have this worked into the building's design. If it's an office complex, have recycling bins and stations built into the kitchen areas for plastic, glass, and newspapers. For a production facility, create a recycling center to collect wood or metal scraps. Water can also be recycled in a facility; the water from sinks in the bathroom can be recycled into toilet tanks for flushing, or collected in a container that you use for washing down the outside of the building or the parking lot. Having these things built into the building will encourage more recycling and cut down on the use of fresh water supplies.

Wind turbines

You may already be discussing the use of solar panels with your builder, but you can take the concept of clean and renewable energy one step further by having wind turbines installed. These use the power of wind to create electricity that can be converted for your use in the building. Wind turbines are an especially good choice in open, rural areas that may get more wind. Some turbines can be placed on the roof of a building, so even if your new commercial facility is in the city, having the turbine installed at an elevated height can mean capturing wind for your electrical needs.

For more information, contact companies like Bill Jacobs Pty. Ltd.