Green Architecture and the Environment

Climate change has increased the frequency and volume of extreme weather events. In a single month of July, both China and Germany encountered the most deadly floods in their history. Those are the evidence indicating the vulnerability of our urban areas. To bolster the resilience of our cities, it is crucial to think about how we can thrive with the environment peacefully, rather than constantly depleting the nature that will eventually leave all humans in a dead end. 

How can we thrive with the environment? When we look at the pattern of urbanization, urban development magnifies the risk of environmental hazards such as flash flooding or landslides. The more the population shifts from rural to urban areas, the more construction and buildings are needed, and the less carrying capacity is available. Urbanization may be difficult to irreverse, but what we can do is minimize the negative impacts it creates, and considering green architecture is the key.

To explain the advantages of green buildings, I would like to introduce the academic building of my school—UWC Dilijan as an example.  It is an international high school located in Armenia, which is a home for students from 82 nations around the world. 

To let sunlights flow in easily, the architecture is covered with large areas of glass. This construction increased the brightness effectively in daytime, so we don’t have to waste more energy on lighting systems. I like how shafts of lights glowing inside the building, for I can still feel the gradations of light and shade even though staying indoors the whole day long.