Sustainability_Project

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GREEN BOX is the first modular Garden-House that is prefabricated, reusable, and transportable, has an infinite life cycle, is bioclimatic, has zero energy consumption, and does not generate waste.

Designed by the architect Luis de Garrido (recently chosen as “Architect of the Year 2008” by the International Steel Building Association ISBA, and American Institute of Architects AIA), the home could be an international benchmark in sustainable architecture, as it comprehensively meets all of the known sustainable indicators. In fact, Luis de Garrido states that GREEN-BOX is the building that is nearest to his conceptual architectural model of “Artificial Nature”. In addition to its totally ecological character, the home is very economical: Building it costs half what a conventional building would cost (about 550 euros m2), so that it could become a building model for the new social and economic system.

The home has zero conventional energy consumption, and regulates itself thermally through its bioclimatic design and optimum use of geothermal and solar energy. In the same way, the home’s design and construction has been carried out with the aim of reducing its energy consumption to a minimum in both its building process and its dismantling process.

All of the building’s components have been designed in a modular way to be dry-assembled. Thus, just as occurs in building it, dismantling it does not generate any waste and all of its parts can be used again.

Hence, by repairing or replacing each one of the parts, the building has an infinite life cycle. That is to say, its useful life is infinite. The supporting structure of the homes has been made with prefabricated panels of reinforced concrete, sandwich panels of cement-wood and metallic panels. The purpose of all of this is to show in one building the three most suitable systems of modular construction (steel, wood, concrete). Nevertheless, in spite of all of the characteristics described, no doubt the most important and unique feature of GREEN BOX is the landscaped, sloping garden roof and the vertical garden.

 Both gardens have been made with autochthonous Mediterranean plant species, which ensures that they hardly need water (just rainwater) and their beauty is permanent, every day of the year. Of course they do not need maintenance. The sloping garden-roof enables the building to be integrated into any environment, since it becomes established as an extension to the surrounding ground. On the other hand, the vertical garden stands proud, becoming the home’s identifying hallmark. The same vertical garden is to be found in the home’s interior patio.


 * GREEN-BOX has the highest possible level of sustainability **

 The prototype complies perfectly with the five basic pillars on which Sustainable Architecture rests:
 * 1) Optimization of resources and materials
 * 2) Reduction of waste and emissions to the environment
 * 3) Reduction of energy consumption and use of renewable energies.
 * 4) Improvement of human quality of life and health.
 * 5)  Reduction in the building’s price of construction and maintenance.