Learning from the Recycling Ideas of Nature for Sustainability: Council House (CH 2 )

Abstract

Building sector is playing an active role in the depletion of energy resources. Ecological balance is hanged by a thread due to increasing waste and pollution problem. Thus, ongoing discussions about sustainable development and environ- mental consciousness are focusing on the “nature and built environment relation- ship”. Furthermore, recent researches show that nature has good ideas to improve a systematic approach to architectural design for sustainability. This discipline, known as biomimicry, leads researchers working within interdisciplinary groups to achieve built environments like “ecosystems” highly efficient, recycling, low wasting. Accordingly, by learning from nature, using waste in building construction by “recycling or reusing” has taken important place in terms of energy conserva- tion. In this context, this chapter discusses a case study, Council House Building, in detail from designing process to construction, from material usage to renewable energy concerns. The findings demonstrated that a building can be designed with sustainable design goals. This building can be called “a working ecosystem” due to several strategies like efficient use of solar energy, natural ventilation and lighting, using waste water, etc. It is also possible to conclude that biomimicry in the realm of architecture should be discussed and formulated for formation of sustainable built environments.