Sustainable building

mode of human development that meets current demands without compromising the needs of future generations

thumb|New, unlaid mudbricks in the Jordan Valley (Middle East)|Jordan Valley, [[West Bank Palestine, 2011]] right|thumb|Mudbrick was used for the construction of Elamite [[ziggurats—some of the world's largest and oldest constructions. Choqa Zanbil, a 13th-century BCE ziggurat in Iran, is similarly constructed from clay bricks combined with burnt bricks.]]

roof of a building that is partially or completely covered with vegetation and a growing medium, planted over a waterproofing membrane.

thumb|Adobe wall (detail) in Bahillo, Palencia, Spain thumb|Renewal of the surface coating of an adobe wall in [[Chamisal, New Mexico]] thumb|Adobe walls separate urban gardens in Shiraz, Iran

thumb|alt=Rock garden with aged clay wall in the background|Zen garden of [[Ryōan-ji, built during the Higashiyama period. The clay wall, stained with subtle brown and orange tones, reflects principles, while the rock garden reflects principles.]] thumb|alt=Traditional tea house in a garden|A Japanese tea house reflecting the aesthetic in Garden thumb|alt=Black raku ware tea bowl with rough texture| tea bowl, Azuchi–Momoyama period, 16th century

architecture designed to minimize environmental and resource impact

house that does not require fossil energy supply

thumb |An ab anbar (water reservoir) with windcatchers (openings near the top of the towers) in the central desert city of [[Yazd, Iran]] thumb |Aghazadeh Mansion in Abarkooh, [[Iran, has an elaborate 18-m windtower with two levels of openings, plus some smaller windtowers.]]

thumb|upright|Interior elevation of a Gothic cathedral, with clerestory highlighted thumb|The church of St. Nicholas' Church (Stralsund)|St Nicholas, Stralsund in Germany – the clerestory is the level between the two green roofs, reinforced here by [[flying buttresses]]

technique for constructing foundations, floors, and walls by compacting a damp mixture of sub soil

planted area on the top covering of a building

energy efficiency standard for buildings

architecture that seeks to minimize the negative environmental impact of buildings by efficiency and moderation in the use of materials, energy, and development space and the ecosystem at large

thumb|Skylight in the rotunda of Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil in [[Rio de Janeiro]] thumb|Oculus (architecture)|Oculus of the [[Pantheon, Rome, an open skylight]] thumb|Skylight in the vault in the Chapel of the Constable of the Burgos Cathedral, a glazed closed skylight from the 15th century

architectural and social movement to live in small homes

toilet using natural processes to decompose matter

form of building greening

protection of buildings against heat transfers

tower block

prefabricated building or house that consists of repeated sections

thumb|upright=1.3|View of Arcosanti from the southeast, showing buildings from Crafts III on the far left to the guestrooms in the right foreground thumb|Part of the complex with fall foliage

thumb|right|South and East view of an Earthship passive solar house thumb|right|Typical floorplan thumb|Earthship Architecture, Taos, New Mexico An Earthship is a style of architecture developed in the late 20th century to early 21st century by architect Michael Reynolds. Earthships are designed to behave as passive solar earth shelters made of both natural and upcycled materials such as earth-packed tires. Earthships may feature a variety of amenities and aesthetics, and are designed to withstand the extreme temperatures of a desert, managing to stay close to 70 °F (21 °C) regardles

architectural element that transmits light for the purpose of illumination

building method that uses bales of straw (commonly wheat, rice, rye and oats straw) as structural elements, building insulation, or both

natural building material made from subsoil, water, some kind of fibrous organic material (typically straw)

thumb|right|Construction block made from hempcrete thumb|Illustration of hemp concrete carbon emission and sequestration, with a net emissions balance indicating carbon negativity

substance with high latent heat of melting or solidifying

any type of house that uses less energy than a traditional or average contemporary house

use of sunlight for water heating with a solar thermal collector

passive solar building

buildings constructed using modules, like shipping containers

practice of using daylight in building by windows or other openings

biomimetic approach to the design of products

ventilation using solar energy

building desgined to be independent from public infrastructure

building surrounded by earth

global bioclimatic scheme for the classification of land areas

ventilation system that recovers energy by operating between two air sources at different temperatures

building material

thumb|400px|Types of recuperator, or cross plate heat exchanger A recuperator is a counter-flow energy recovery heat exchanger that recovers waste heat in the supply and exhaust air streams of an air-handling system or in the exhaust gases of an industrial process. Generally, they extract heat from the exhaust and use it to preheat air entering the combustion system, reducing the need for fuel and boosting the system's energy efficiency.

selective dismantlement of building components

process of supplying air to and removing air from an indoor space without using mechanical systems

structures designed to protect buildings from earthquakes

sustainable construction practice

Wood product from a responsibly managed forest

building material that expands and cures to form a polyurethane foam

thumb|upright=1.35|Steps of usage of the arborloo. thumb|Arborloo in Ekwendeni, [[Malawi]] An arborloo is a simple type of composting toilet in which feces are collected in a shallow pit and a fruit tree is later planted in the fertile soil of the full pit. Arborloos have: a pit like a pit latrine but less deep; a concrete, ferrocement or other strong floor; a superstructure (toilet house or outhouse) to provide privacy; and possibly a ring beam to protect the pit from collapsing. The pit should remain well above the water table in the soil, so as to not contaminate groundwater.

photovoltaic panel in the form of a roof shingle or tile

thumb|300px|The passivhaus standard combines superinsulation with other techniques and technologies to achieve ultra-low energy use. Superinsulation is an approach to building design, construction, and retrofitting that dramatically reduces heat loss (and gain) by using much higher insulation levels and airtightness than average. Superinsulation is one of the ancestors of the passive house approach.

thumb|Structure made with plane trees for the Baden-Württemberg State Horticultural Show in Nagold Baubotanik is a building method in which architectural structures are created through the interaction of technical joints and plant growth. The term entails the practice of designing and building living structures using living plants. In this regard, living and non-living elements are intertwined in such a way that they grow together into plant-technical composite structures.

type of house with a circular plan, usually with a conical roof

Planning and operation of energy production and energy consumption units

technology for heating indoor and outdoor areas

low maintenance landscaping

Building method

passive solar building technology

use of sunlight for air heating with a solar thermal collector

housing community in Freiburg am Breisgau, Baden-Württemberg

room air distribution strategy where conditioned outdoor air is supplied at a low velocity from air supply diffusers located near floor level and extracted above the occupied zone, usually at ceiling height