As more data becomes available about climate change, there is an increased demand for more sustainable design. From urban farming to organic produce, many people around the world are interested in sustainable living and wellness already. On top of this trend, populations are increasingly moving from rural to urban areas for the social atmosphere. This move to the urban environment relieves the pressure on suburban sprawl and places more responsibility on architects in cities to design more responsible buildings sensitive to the natural environment. In this blog series, we explore the considerations, tools, and techniques architects and engineers use to design more sustainable projects.
Starting sustainable starts like any other project, with data. In addition to gathering data about the program, budget, schedule, zoning, and site it is crucial to collect environmental data as well. From sun path and wind to average temperature and rainfall amounts, this data will be used to make sustainable design decisions during the design process.
Gathering Wind Data – provides an understanding of site position relative to common wind direction and speed. Data diagrams like a wind rose can be collected from local weather stations. This data will help make decisions related to wind-blocking during the winter or areas of the project with great natural ventilation opportunities. On more rural sites, it can be difficult to find a weather station close by. In this case, a mobile weather station can be used to collect data for the project.
