Ecological Houses Or Bioconstruction

The construction of ecological houses is booming all over the world. If you have reached this page, perhaps it is because you want to renovate your current house, buy one, or do it yourself. They are built with different natural materials in search of sustainability, responsibility, and energy efficiency. How to reduce the ecological footprint at home? The price of ecological housing is very variable depending on the projectBio construction since it depends on many factors, but if it is efficient, it helps to reduce costs in the long term. If there is something that they all have in common, it is undoubtedly respect for the environment and that they are very pretty. Below you can see recommendations and examples of sustainable houses.

Characteristics of Sustainable Construction or Bio Construction

Sustainable construction or green building is a way of building respecting the natural environment with sustainable ideas. It is responsible for reducing the impact during the construction processes, during its use, and also when its demolition occurs. Predicting the final destination of waste is also part of green building and sustainable architecture.

One of the most important factors in bio construction is defining the orientation of the house. Depending on the hemisphere where you live, you have to choose the orientation that allows the maximum sun to enter the interior during the coldest period.

In ecological houses, biocompatible materials are applied, without contaminants, with low environmental impact, and are of vegetable origin. Hygroscopic materials help regulate the humidity inside ecological homes, as they absorb water vapor. You may be interested in the article on sustainable construction materials.

Masonry is a system of building walls or walls using stones, wood, blocks, or bricks.

Dry stone is a traditional construction technique using superimposed stones without any type of mortar.

Light wood framing is an alternative to brick, being cheaper, stable, quick to build, and takes up little space. No water is used. It is an ecological way of buildingthe  if the wood comes from controlled felling forests.

In bio construction, it is about avoiding concrete, cement, and PVC, which are highly toxic. To make responsible decisions, it will be necessary to know the origin of each resource. The information does not always flow from the producer to the distributor or seller and the consumer. The most logical and ecological thing is to use recycled materials (without dangerous chemical additives), which are found in the same place, which favor landscape integration.

Keeping energy consumption low, in short, is saving. The energy efficiency certificate is a study of the energy consumption of the house according to the characteristics of walls, windows, doors, heating, electricity

Living Roof

A living roof or green roof is very beautiful and aesthetic. In many civilizations, vegetation has been used for the construction of roofs. The turf houses of Iceland date back to the 9th century. Once the roof is waterproofed, it is filled with earth, expanded clay, and coconut fiber, in which to grow grass, plants, or flowers. It needs a slight slope so that it does not accumulate excess water.

Geodesic dome

A geodesic dome is a geometric construction, without the need for beams or columns, very common in bioconstruction. It has the shape of a half-sphere formed by a network of triangles, which distribute the loads. Strong and easy to build with wood, metal, or plastic.

Eco-sustainable and Sustainable Homes: Useful Information

Transforming or renovating your house into an eco-sustainable home to consume fewer natural resources is possible. We propose some ideas to improve your home, make it more sustainable and respect the environment.

Houses made of wood and derivatives often generate fear due to the risk of fire, however, they are safe and resistant. Its main problem is humidity, but it can be prevented.

To save water you can install a rainwater harvesting and harvesting system, store it and use it for whatever you need.

A nice fireplace or a wood stove can air-condition your house during the winter. A pellet stove is a cleaner and more comfortable option. Pellets are small cylinders of biomass with a high calorific value.

Beyond producing energy, we can also produce food in a garden. In an urban garden or a cultivation table, you can cultivate even if you do not have much space.

For the treatment of gray water from washing dishes and dishes or bathing people, biological filters are used that work by decantation, with which water suitable for watering the garden or for filling the WC tank can be obtained. It is important to always use biodegradable detergents.

With a biodigester and remains of organic materials such as feces, it is possible to obtain methane gas, biogas for cooking, and fertilizer. It is a better alternative to the septic tank.

Dry Toilet For A Sustainable Home

The dry toilet or dry bathroom is a toilet without water. You need a funnel for urine and on the other hand a container for feces. Being separated does not smell. Urine can be cleaned with a trickle of water and feces can be covered with earth, sawdust, or ash. Feces may have some dehydration system. The residue is periodically deposited in the compost bin, where it will finally serve as compost for the garden.

Energy self-sufficient buildings

Self-sufficient buildings produce the energy they need. The management of energy in the self-sufficient model can generate the electricity it consumes, through biomass, solar panels, wind turbines, and batteries.

A building that is self-sufficient in energy can even share or sell surplus energy.

The thermal insulation of a building serves to retain enough thermal inertia, to maintain a more constant temperature and minimum consumption.

Modern Bioclimatic Houses

Bioclimatic houses are built considering the environmental and climatic conditions: the sun, the rain, the temperatures, the wind, the altitude, the terrain, the humidity, and the vegetation.

Bioclimatic architecture seeks energy savings through proper orientation and the use of materials such as glass that captures and retains solar energy as a greenhouse effect. The glass allows sunlight to pass into the interior in winter and is transformed into heat when it cannot go out again. The sun’s rays are almost vertical in summer and cannot enter through the windows if they are well designed with eaves.

To carry out the construction of a bioclimatic design, indigenous resources of the place are used to reduce the carbon footprint.

Solar architecture is not new since it was already applied in ancient times. Bioclimatic architects favor air currents to cool spaces with natural cooling systems.

Canadian wells, also known as Provençal wells, are air conditioning systems that take advantage of the subsoil temperature. Geothermal energy is of renewable and clean origin.

Bioclimatic houses have to be provided with solar energy or some type of renewable energy. It is a house integrated into the environment and simple. Inside you can appreciate the well-being and comfort of its inhabitants without the need for air conditioning.

Prefabricated Ecological Houses

If you think about buying a prefabricated house, there are some made of ecological materials, you only need the plot. There are affordable prefabricated ecological constructions, without harming nature.

Modular architecture has some advantages over conventional architecture. One of the advantages of modular homes is speed. Installs in a few days. Terms and prices are fixed in advance. This type of construction can be transported if necessary.

They have a sanitary floor to prevent soil moisture. They consist of thermal and acoustic insulation on the façade and an air chamber on the roof.

Rural Thatched Houses: Cheap Projects

Straw houses are one of the constructions with the best value for money. To carry out your self-construction you only need time and friends. If you are looking for cheap ecological houses, you have to build them with your hands.

The straw has a great insulating, thermal and acoustic capacity, the house breathes and maintains the level of humidity. It is very energy efficient.

There are different ways to build with straw. A straw house needs a light framework or a structure of wood, cane, or bamboo, in which the bales of straw or muddy straw will be fixed. Subsequently, the walls are plastered over some type of waterproofing.

It can also be built with adobes. Adobe is a brick made of mud and straw dried in the sun for about 20 days. The straw serves to give consistency and cohesion. The adobe walls are built in traditional masonry.

Cob is a mixture of clay, sand, straw, and common mud with which you can build without the need for precast bricks. It has a lot of adherence and personalized architectural forms are achieved.

BTA lightened earth blocks are made up of earth and straw. The clay is lightened, with straw and vegetable fibers to reduce weight and increase insulating capabilities.

Dried droppings are sometimes added to make these raw soil mixtures. Although the construction seems rudimentary, it has great resistance and good habitability.

Permaculture OR Permanent Agriculture

Permaculture is a lifestyle that places the balance between nature and humans at the center of concerns. Agriculture is permanently established in a place of coexistence and cooperation.

You learn to live with respect for nature, integrating into the ecosystem in the community. Rights and duties are distributed equitably and actions are also taken with the following generations in mind.

In the ecovillages or ecological villages, people return to the land, and life is humanized through coexistence and self-government in a place where they can share, agree, organize and work as a team. Permaculture is a life system that integrates all the elements towards sustainability, seeking harmony with the environment and zero waste.

Sustainable Building Certifications

The real estate sector, aware of the demand for ecological construction, certifies with different seals.