Sustainable Design: What is it?

 

 

A fashionable term, a modern trend, or a real necessity? Let's explore this concept using the example of a real project. We called it Ecostyle Apartment. And, perhaps thanks to this example, you will discover for yourself many interesting aspects that you did not think about before.

Eco-friendly materials. Let's start from the beginning, the foundation of the whole future story. When creating an eco-friendly interior, preference should be given to natural materials: wood, stone, cotton, sisal, etc. The project should be not only aesthetically pleasing, but also not harmful to the health of the future owner and the environment. However, sometimes it is simply impossible to embody all the functions and their aesthetics using only natural materials. In this case, we select substitutes that maximally comply with environmental standards and have corresponding certificates of the international standard.

 

 

Eco-friendly light and color. Yes, this also matters. Lighting plays a key role in the feeling of comfort - it is good when there is a lot of natural light, it contributes to a positive mood and health. In this project, we encountered rather narrow windows. To make the room as light as possible, we had to increase the angle of the bevels and choose light shades in the overall color of the interior. Namely, a combination of white + color and texture of light wood. We also added many sources of lighting to the room, which can be used in different scenarios at different times of the day. LED lighting was used: most of the sources are hidden and illuminate the necessary zones due to reflection from the surface, without irritating the nervous system. Since our customer works from home, the lighting was designed in such a way as not to tire, but at the same time to promote a long and active phase of brain work.

 

 

Silence. The noise level can negatively affect our psycho-emotional state. We do not even notice how much our life is filled not only with loud sounds, but also with background noise. They do not allow us to be effective, taking away a lot of attention and strength. To prevent this as much as possible, the project used a combination of sound-absorbing materials and strategic furniture placement. Thus, a quiet and calm space was created

 

 

Conscious water consumption. Water filtration systems and devices that help to minimize its consumption are a must in today's world. Water is a very important resource that directly affects our health. Therefore, during the design, we provided for a system of coarse and fine water purification, as well as its mineralization.

 

 

Heating and ventilation. Energy-efficient heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems help to create a comfortable indoor climate and minimize the impact on the environment. As part of this project, we decided to use a combined heating system - this is underfloor heating and radiators. This made it possible to heat the room as evenly as possible without creating unnecessary convection currents. For air conditioning, energy-efficient inverter devices with the possibility of mixing fresh air were chosen. They also have different modes of its purification. Plants. One of the main requirements of our client was to place many living plants in the apartment. From the point of view of ecology, they create a favorable microclimate and connect with nature, again, they purify the air. In the same way, plants return us to the thought that it is necessary to make efforts and take care that our world remains alive and beautiful.

 

 

So, eco-friendliness in our understanding is not just another fashionable trend. This is a philosophy of caring for the world and for oneself in the first place. Consciously creating the space around us, we simultaneously take care of the environment as well.