Can we afford ecologically sustainable buildings?
Can we afford ecologically sustainable buildings?
When talking about ecological sustainability, economic sustainability is for us a parallel subject. Economic viability of any project is crucial, in order not to jeopardize its environmental ambitions. If the project fails financially and cannot be used in economically sustainable manner, it was all waste of natural resources, no matter how green the building is.
Saving natural resources, means for us saving also economic resources. Any potential surplus investment in ecologically sustainable construction is set off by taking advantage of cost-effective design and construction technology and targeting faster construction period, designing more effective building usage and affordable maintenance in long term, and providing more persistent long-term value in the future investment environment where ecological requirements are set significantly higher than today.
When taking on a project, we first want to look at the numbers and the potential functions: what is the real potential of the site and the location, what is the ideal size of the project and how to maximize the use of it now and in the changing future environment. This is the easiest and the most effective way to save both financial and natural resources.
Thereafter we aim to create the most time- and cost-effective architectural, structural, and technical solution, taking advantage of modularity and the latest prefabrication technology where possible. Operational costs are driven down by energy efficient design, passive environmental design solutions, a flexible spatial planning concept and the balanced use of renewable energy sources where feasible.
Collaboration on this early stage is the key, as investment in interdisciplinary advice is fundamental. The decisions and the guidelines generated at this stage have by far the biggest financial impact on the project, and the economic effect is multiplied thereafter as the project evolves in later design stages, into construction and into usage.
We take the issue of economic and ecological sustainability seriously, and so do our clients. As if we do not, the consequences will be equally dire for our wallet as well as the environment.
