Interview with Luis de Garrido, architect of intelligent and sustainable buildings
March 29, 2010
What are the techniques that are currently used in Windows and doors for intelligent buildings?
Doors and Windows are the most important part of the building, to be met by a balance between insulation, thermal inertia, lighting and ventilation. But the most important fact in the consumption of the buildings is a balance between the lighting and ventilation. Many of the facades of intelligent buildings have little of intelligent because they have good lighting and little ventilation. Enter too light and they have little ventilation.
Why is this fact?
Because the ventilation was entrusted to a machine, that has caused two serious problems. The first, which can cause illnesses such as Legionella and the second, causing problems of ventilation for closed environments.
How can we fix it?
The coating of the building, the skin, should generate a natural ventilation. In doing so the materials must be porous so they "breathe", Windows must have mobility and an intelligent window should be monitored intelligently the light that enters the interior of the building, because those who are near the facade have too much light and those who are distant do not have enough. In short, the skin of the façade is essential to make a building bioclimatic, sound and sustainable.
What are the main defects of the existing facades?
They are too static, are not flexible, and the temperature change during the year by what must be designed in such a way that their behaviour is flexible and adapt the level of light that enters the building. In addition, they must also change the concept of architectural design.
What you mean exactly?
On the facades, architects do not have to do what they want but also what the customer needs within and this affects the design, which should be far more innovative and impressive, but they are the result of solving environmental problems and the problems of people living in the building. Few office buildings I know in which workers are happy with ventilation, when it is very easy to solve it, but do not appreciate these problems or to the happiness of the people.
Why has this happened so far?
Because architecture has traditionally been very subjective, based on the egos of architects "I do this because it gives me the WINS" and it is already. But intelligent and sustainable architecture is more objective to subjective, we have to safeguard the welfare and health in the interior of the House, then in the environment, and that is, is the room for my creativity or my genius as an architect, but what is. The role of the architect is essential and must be recycled.
What are the new trends in intelligent buildings?
All my buildings are now self-sufficient energy-talking and especially with water. We treat the sink and the shower water to make it completely safe drinking water. The 'green design' is the future trends of construction of homes and buildings, because until now there has been virtually nothing. Previously had only a balance between two things, the ego of the architect and the desire to do business of the sponsor, there was no other single factor. A green building is more than putting a few chips and a few solar protections or a ventilation system. There will be another trend.
But is somewhat more expensive eco architecture?
But what else will give that a building will cost 100,000 euros or you cost 105,000 115,000 if they are going to sell for 250,000? Apart from the promoter should be 30 thousand euros, as happens lately, instead of 150. Then "blessed the crisis that we now have!" because there is no stealing of such blatant form and if you do, going to the courts.