Ecological Design - Beyond Architecture
Brian O Brien-Source Book 2000

Building greenly in Ireland is a unique adventure, the things that drive green builders mad elsewhere, hurricanes and termites do not exist here, yet simple things, humidity and moderate temperatures make building greenly here complicated. Many green construction techniques are applicable here. Most are updated versions of traditional techniques which start by mixing clay and straw together in some kind of frame. strength.

Cob, Wattle and daub and techniques based on the German 'light clay' and 'straw clay' are enjoying renewed popularity all over the world. Rammed earth and PISE (spraying the mix onto a half mold) is also popular abroad and doable here. Of course building with wood, whether milled or 'green' is potentially the most effective green building technique if sourced from a sustainably managed plantation. Straw bale building, using the bales as large building blocks, is now being done in Ireland. While conditions here make it a little less ideal than abroad it is still attractive given that it is renewable, highly insulative, natural and encourages group self-building.

Portland cement is responsible for almost 10% of the carbon problem in the atmosphere so avoiding it by using lime or other binders is advisable. Green building is of course also doable in large urban settings and the environmental benefits of doing it on urban scale are great.

Energy and Resources
In Ireland passive solar design is the basic tried and true approach to modern green building. Careful sizing and orientation of windows and walls to provide high levels of insulation (probably the single most important thing to get right) can save a lot of energy. Solar panels that create heat as hot water or air are already in widespread use in this country. PV solar panels that create electricity (hundreds of meters of which have been installed in the UK)are also very feasible technically but because of pricing structures here take a long time to pay back. Wind, small scale hydro, and biomass systems can also be used.

If renewable energy sources are not being used it is vital to design a system that maximises the efficiency of whatever fuel is being used. Gas is far more sustainable then electricity if the power station and its performance is taken into account. Also of course, and especially in larger scale or commercial buildings, care must be taken to avoid overheating and counter-productive solar gain by shading the building facade using shades, shutters or foliage, especially in summer.

All walls should be designed to act as a 'third skin' preserving our connection to the environment. Breathing walls, whose use is on the increase in Ireland and the UK is really a 'sweating' construction allowing the passage of moisture but not air is compatible with an energy efficient strategy and is very beneficial to our health.

Remember that saving energy saves money, a benefit that will increase as electricity charges rise and carbon fines are introduced to help us meet our Kyoto targets. Also of course, since most energy in use now produces pollution, switching to renewable sources doubly benefits the environment.

Eco settlements, water harvesting and reduction, habitat and food, permaculture and land use.
Ecological design is the discipline that integrates human activities into Nature and her processes, to create a mutually beneficial relationship - by design. Based on the science of ecology, the study of the interrelationship between a being and its environment, it is more rigorous than the 'humans above all else' attitude of 'sustainable' development and is the overriding framework onto which the other sections of this chapter fit. Ecological design explores the relationship between natural processes: energy, material, water, food, habitat and the project. We will concentrate here on looking at the issues of water, food, habitat and larger scale planning issues (eco-villages and eco-cities) covered by ecological design.

Water, habitat and wastewater
Reducing a buildings appetite for water can be done through installing low flow appliances and minimising the use of potable water (only about 8 % of the water used in our homes is used for drinking but all of it is treated to drinking water standard). Taking responsibility for treating our own wastewater is not difficult. Water from sinks, baths and washing machines (grey water) can be easily treated in reed beds and used for flushing toilets or irrigating gardens, as can rainwater. Including reed beds as part of a projects landscape design is often done in Germany and the Netherlands. Water that is dirtier, say from toilets or industrial processes, can be treated in 'living machines'; a more intensive natural treatment system, suitable for urban and indoor applications. Compost toilets are an excellent way of avoiding water use in the WC at all and produce fertiliser for the garden.

Eco village and eco-city
At the larger scale, planning and city design must amalgamate all of the se approaches into the design of villages and cities. There are already a number of eco-villages, intentional communities and co-housing projects under development in Ireland and the prospects are good. Extending theses ideas to the scale of a large town or city is more challenging but there are many examples from around the world. An eco-city would be elegantly dense, based on pedestrian bicycle and public transport, provide much of its own energy, food and water as well as caring for its waste.

Habitat and Food
Habitat is vital to biodiversity and maintaining it must play a part in all integrated design of shelters and settlements. Reed beds and wetlands as well as mixed use farmland, wilderness and even green urban areas can provide much needed habitat for many species. The inclusion of food as an integral requirement of any green project especially in urban settings is vital. By designing sun-spaces, roofs and balconies carefully, growing crops can become almost effortless and will help us supply some of our own food needs, create habitat, pleasant smells and clean the air around us. Composting and biological treatment of all wastes (as the energy source they really are) is integral to this also.

Sunstainability
Solar power , 'waste to energy' and the designed consideration of processes over a long period are the approaches upon which ecological design is based.
These ideas termed 'sunstainability' by Joanne Tippett, are truly the way to advance the act of design to face todays challenges.