Sustainable Design

Buildings are significant users of energy and contributors to environmental waste and pollution. It makes good sense for all of us to be mindful of the energy use and environmental impacts of our homes.

At Bizios Architect, we have been strong believers in and users of basic sustainable design strategies for a long time. Our back to the basics approach has been inspired by the vernacular architecture of the places in which our homes are built. Several of the design strategies we employ yield big benefits but often cost very little or nothing at all. Here are a few examples.

Site selection:
We carefully select the specific location of a house on its site so that we can take advantage of solar access and breezes, use site vegetation for shading and wind breaks as well as minimize the impact to the environment and improve the site.

Solar orientation:
We form spaces for light and energy efficiency. We orient, locate and size windows to allow the sun in during the winter for natural lighting and warmth. We shade glazing in the summer, especially during the hot afternoon summer hours. We design the configuration of windows on the north, east and west elevations to balance the light in the interior spaces and take advantage of views yet avoid glare and heat gain or loss.

Natural ventilation:
We locate and size operable windows and shape the volume of spaces to facilitate cross and stack effect ventilation.

Spaces for outdoor living:
The way the spaces inside and outside a house are organized can have a dramatic effect on the home's energy consumption as well as on the comfort and quality of the occupants' lives. We employ design strategies that extend living to outdoor rooms. We are fans of screened porches.

There are many other strategies, products and technologies that can be considered within the context of your specific project, including the climate and site as well as your lifestyle and budget. We will help you through critical design considerations and guide you through the many options that are available to you for environmentally sensitive and responsible design.