Environmental Architecture

Green building is part of the concept of promoting sustainability (Chan et al., 2009). In my opinion, Green architecture, an architectural philosophy promoting renewable energy sources, energy efficiency, the reuse and protection of construction materials, and the location of a building, taking into account its environmental effects. Green architecture strives to minimize the number of resources consumed in the building's construction, use and operation, as well as curtailing the harm done to the environment through the emission, pollution and waste of its components (Ragheb et al., 2016).

In this project, I show the possibilities and significance of environmental design with architecture. I discuss principles of structural and landscape design that are ecologically sound and environmentally friendly" or healthy using the case study region of Taiwan. Examples presented focus on energy efficiency, natural habitat integration, and carbon footprint reduction. In these cases, in order to achieve a balance between beauty and environmental conservation, we can see Olmsted's theory of environmental ethics, using creative means to deal with the complicated relationship between humans, architecture, and the environment.

Taipei Public Library Beitou Branch is the first green library in Taiwan which is located in Beitou park (Tseng, 2008). Large floor-to-ceiling windows are the most critical feature of the building, bringing green trees and light into the park during the day and the most dazzling view in the park at night due to indoor lighting. The designer attempts to put the concept of green building into practice in the design of the library, integrate the library into the ecological, historical and cultural environment of Beitou Park, and become a book in nature.

Green architecture, or green design, is an approach to building that minimizes the harmful effects of construction projects on human health and the environment. The "green" architect or designer attempts to safeguard air, water, and earth by choosing eco-friendly building materials and construction practices (Craven, 2019).

This incredible journey is based on my personal experience when I went to Taiwan in 2014. As a region with relatively advanced green buildings in Asia at that time, I did not hesitate to choose to follow our school teachers to Taiwan for a 7-day green building exploration and discovery journey.

• Taipei Public Library Beitou Branch is the first green building library in Taiwan.
• The Paper Dome is one of the famous paper constuctions in the world.
• The Magic School is Taiwan's first zero-carbon green building.

The library follows Olmsted's environmental ethics and does not pursue maverick in style but conforms to the surrounding environment. The shape of the library is like growing from a park. The architecture, humanities, and environment form a perfect balance. In the green design model, Paper Dome primarily adopts the environmental conservation concept. The entire building is made of paper, except for some braces, which significantly decreases the use of energy. In addition, the house, surrounded by mountains and rivers, is situated in the park, and the natural scenery and ecological environment are excellent.It is safe to assume the magic school has maximized energy conservation. Leopold's earth ethics, that is, humans are interdependent with other animals, plants, and soil, is illustrated by the school's pursuit of zero carbon emissions. Together, we need to preserve the same environment.

The future trend must be green building because its standards are available for almost every type of building on a global basis and these standards are well developed and are regularly being updated; they cover all phases of a building’s life cycle from design through demolition (Ragheb et al., 2016).

Chan, E. H., Qian, Q. K., & Lam, P. T. (2009). The market for green building in developed Asian cities—the perspectives of building designers. Energy Policy, 37(8), 3061-3070.

Craven, J., 2020. When "Green" Architecture Is More Than A Color. [online] ThoughtCo. Available at: <https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-green-architecture-and-green-design-177955> [Accessed 18 November 2020].

Cheng, C. L. (2003). Evaluating water conservation measures for Green Building in Taiwan. Building and Environment, 38(2), 369-379.

Liang, H. H., Chen, C. P., Hwang, R. L., Shih, W. M., Lo, S. C., & Liao, H. Y. (2014). Satisfaction of occupants toward indoor environment quality of certified green office buildings in Taiwan. Building and Environment, 72, 232-242.

Lacroix, R. N., Stamatiou, E., & Planner, A. D. T. (2007, July). Green architecture and sustainable development: Applications & perspectives. In Proc. of the 3rd IASME/WSEAS Int. Conference on Energy, Environment, Ecosystems and Sustainable Development (pp. 603-606).

Madhumita, R. (2008). Importance of green architecture today. Dept. Of architecture, Jadavpur university, Kolkata, India.

Nash, R. F. (2014). Wilderness and the American mind. Yale University Press.

Ragheb, A., El-Shimy, H., & Ragheb, G. (2016). Green architecture: A concept of sustainability. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 216(6).

Su, T. C., Wang, Y. C., & Lin, H. T. (2013). Simulated and actual energy use of a green building: A case study on the magic school of green technology. In Applied Mechanics and Materials (Vol. 368, pp. 1174-1178). Trans Tech Publications Ltd.

Tseng, S. H. (2008). Green library design and evaluation: the Taipei Public Library, Taiwan. New Library World.