Green Design and Eco-Art

Green Design is about designing carbon-neutral, sustainable and ecologically friendly products. It is focused on creating minimal environmental impact by use of sustainable materials, the practice of reduction/reuse /recycling, energy conservation /efficiency and ease of use/durability. Green design strategies battle Climate change, resource scarcity, toxicity, fossil fuel depletion, ozone depletion, acid rains, eutrophication and nuclear wastes to create a sustainable future. Similarly, Eco-art develops awareness of environmental issues and emphasizes the importance of Green design and ecological activism.

Green Design in Architecture

Green design in Architecture aims to ensure a sustainable future by reducing environmental impacts caused by the construction and the built environment. The global construction sector accounts for more than 11% of global GDP and 40% of CO2 emissions; its constant expansions negatively impact the environment, resulting in global warming and environmental degradation. The negative ecological impacts result in climate fluctuations, global warming /rising sea water levels, natural disasters, wildfires and harm to natural habitats and ecosystems. It is vital to follow Green design strategies of sustainable design, reduce /reuse /recycle of materials, energy conservation /efficiency and focus on life span and well-designed products /structures. A house designed with Green principles minimizes the building’s carbon footprint by using walls with excellent insulation, optimal solar orientation, shading, geothermal piles, recycled materials, minimal maintenance, and a long life cycle. Green design strategies in construction and the built environment are imperative for a sustainable future and the future of our planet.

CopenHill (Copenhagen, Denmark)

CopenHill, also known as Amager Bakke, is a waste-to-energy plant topped with a ski slope, hiking trail and climbing wall; it was completed in 2019 by Bjarke Ingels Group. It is located in Copenhagen and covers 41,000m2; it promotes green design by creating an urban recreation /environmental centre on a power generation facility with a 10,000m2 green roof that consists of a biodiverse landscape which can absorb heat, minimizing stormwater runoff and removing air pollution. The volume of the power plant is formed over the 24-hour operating waste incinerator machinery and building structures that create an 85m high, sloping rooftop, a 490m long tree-lined hiking and running trail which also serves as a mountain-like ski terrain in a geographically flat land area. The facility converts 440,000 tons of waste into clean energy for 150,000 homes annually. The structure has green walls, glazed windows for daylight, and ventilation shafts for air intakes, creating an energy-efficient system for ten floors of administrative space. The structure is a genius work of a multi-purpose and environmentally friendly facility; it is an architectural landmark and an example of a great Green design building.

Suzlon One Earth Global Corporate Headquarters (Pune India)

The Suzlon One Earth Global Corporate Headquarters was designed in 2009 by Architects CCBA Designs and Suzlon Energy Limited, a world-leading wind energy company based in Pune, India. Following the company’s motto, ‘powering a greener tomorrow’, the building is designed to be the Greenest office in India, built on non-toxic and recycled materials, with energy-efficient shaded windows, solar water heating, grey water recycling and natural air circulation systems. The project communicates the benefits of green building and methods of achieving net zero energy by producing energy on-site and finding creative ways to reduce energy loads. The 75,000m2 complex is built on a 10.4-acre site. It earned a Leed Platinum and Teri Griha 5 Star certification with 8% of its annual energy generated on-site through solar panels and windmills. Elements like the wet areas for evaporative cooling and improved air quality, large central spaces for air circulation and energy conservation, and Aluminum louvres for daylight and cross ventilation make the facility a Zero Energy Project with 92 % (4 MW) of energy used green and sustainable. The vernacular project leads as a model building for Green design and a sustainable future.

What is Eco Art?

Eco Art or environmental art is a contemporary genre of art that addresses environmental and ecological issues. It is focused on using natural materials and sustainable practices to promote positive change in global environmental situations and is a significant tool for activism and awareness. Eco Art turns away from the confined settings of the gallery space to use outdoor natural spaces to express concerns for the natural environments through in situ artworks, recycled installations and raw materials. Eco Art can prioritize sustainable practices and ecological dynamics through sustainable materials, addressing environmental issues, reusing, repurposing, and collaborations.

Simon Beck: Snow Art. Les Arcs, France

Simon Beck, Artist and Oxford graduate engineer and cartographer created Eco arts of intricate patterns in the snow by walking in snowshoes and through careful calibrations. His Eco Art celebrated the winter months and the Earth’s environmental cycles, that are imperative for the ecological systems. The abstract images based on mathematical figures are designed on graph paper and created by walking around 40 kilometers daily in Les Arcs in the French Alps. The creations of these artworks demand a fast-paced execution as the changeable weather and snowfall can affect the design patterns. The Eco Art created by Simon Beck is impressive in scale and ranges from 7,000 to 70,000-sq.metres and often lies over snow and frozen lakes. Simon Beck’s works are unique and unreal; their temporary and fragile nature gives them a profound intensity that questions the inevitable global environmental situations.

The Lightning Field by Walter De Maria

The Lightning Field is an Eco Art created by sculptor Walter De Maria, it is a celebrated installation that explores nature and physical environment and has become a precursor to the emergence of Eco Art. The installation consists of 400 stainless steel poles of 2-inch diameter that extend upwards to heights of 15 to 26 feet; they have been placed 220 feet apart in a rectangular 1-mile by 1-kilometre grid in Catron County, New Mexico. The installation’s scale, structure and nature creates a delicate yet monumental experience for the audience; it communicates the values of time, space, land and the environment. It was commissioned by the Dia Art Foundation and exists today in its original locations.

References:

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