HOLISTIC DESIGN STRATEGIES FOR GREEN ARCHITECTURE

Abstract

"The environment is too important to be left to the environmentalists" HELMUT SIHLER We are witnessing the dawn of the season where all the actions of humankind are evaluated with reference to the impact; they have upon this planet of ours. All human activities in their various stages of development are scrutinized for their possible interference, often negative, in the affairs of the global and local environment. The way many activities, like transport, manufacturing, architecture, construction, and agriculture, are proceeding is taking its toll on the global ecosystem leading to the disruption of nature's mechanism to sustain ecological balance. This paper is an attempt to show how the practice of architecture could take a whole new way of meaning in what is known as green architecture which is a holistic way of designing buildings so that all the elements and systems of the building are designed in an integrated manner to minimize their impacts upon the environment and upon the occupants of the buildings (Indoor air).