The green side of architectural design
Colours are our passion. Because nature inspires everything we do, we can be sure of one thing: green will never be out of style. The sustainability trend took over our world in an instant. And it doesn't seem to be slowing down! Many industries, including construction and architecture, are constantly looking to implement new eco-solutions.
City jungle
One of the many environmental issues we face is the still growing human population. ONZ predicts that by 2050, there will be ten milliard people on Earth. That means one thing: our cities will keep growing. Where once grew forests will emerge new buildings and skyscrapers, taking away our last remnants of greenery.
Green is the new black
To cope with the neverending city jungle, architects have found a solution that is not only easy on one's eyes but good for the lungs. A green roof is a type of roof that is covered by vegetation planted in the waterproofing membranes, partially or completely. It's a great solution to urban heat island – an area of high temperature achieved through human activities in the city and sun rays heating the building surface.
Because of the limited space, the idea of managing the upper surface of buildings grows with popularity. Designers are eager to create gardens that hang underneath the sky. This beautiful solution metamorphoses with the building as the season passes. However, such creations have a bigger purpose than a solely aesthetical one.
A big chunk of the heat in the building escapes through the roof. Green roofs are a natural solution to this problem, as they have insulative properties. They're great at keeping warmth and serve as protection from the wind. Research conducted in Canada proves that adding green roofs to even 50% of available space in the center of Toronto would cool down the city by 0,1-08 Celsius degrees. What's more, green roofs' noise-reducing properties make daily life much more comfortable for the residents.
Another way to deal with high temperatures is to use bright paint for the facade. Dark colors absorb light which in effect heats the building faster. In contrast, light colors reflect UV rays and slow down the warming-up process. An especially great choice of color for the facade would be white, which you'll find six different variations of in the inspired by nature Harmonious & Balanced color palette!
White colours palette is avaialble here.
Water your plan(e)t
The green roof system is a great solution to modernize already existing buildings. Many different spaces can be transformed in such a way: from garages, through industrial or mercantile spaces, to residential housing. That way they can serve as a habitat for many different animal species, such as bees, birds, or butterflies. But that's not all!
Green roofs are a great way to lower heat absorption and save water. The rainwater stored on the roof gets absorbed by the plants and released back into the atmosphere. This process creates a closed circuit where all pollutions don't leave the soil.
Be green, from head to toe
Plants have a positive influence on not only the environment but the citizens' living conditions as well. In a world where people are separated from the sun by several meters long buildings, it's always worth trying your best to stay close to nature.
Read more about our fight for sustainability on Sustainability Page.