Water Designing for Sustainability, Purity and Comfort

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to present designs involving water and architecture and explore this dual impact that water has on human lives and the environment. On one hand, architects use materials and forms to communicate ideas, while at the same time the use of water elements could become a point of gathering, a source of power, a place of culture and reflection, or a place of imagination. Many examples of history will be mentioned, where connections among people, water and environment were fortified. For example, in ancient Greece, “balaneion” was called the bath, where all social events were discussed and sometimes many philosophical declamations took place. People need connections to the past in order to help them make some sense of the increasingly complex world. Nowadays, sustainable architecture encourages the use of water for many environmental and social reasons. Water could be effective at cooling interior spaces, and when combined with plants it could provide natural air conditioning. This paper will highlight some recent innovations, which we have already accomplished on our projects. The use of vertical wall of plants and waterworks is able to enhance interior spaces and provide comfort to their users by achieving energy efficiency and at the same time creating positive impacts on health, safety and community welfare. In a holistic view, sustainable architecture could be an interconnected network of natural and social systems that provides a diverse range of environmental, cultural and economic benefits. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.sace.4.5.4722