One of the most interesting development today in the real estate industry is the move to go green. This has been brought about by necessity. The practice of building anything however we want it, with only scant regard to the effect to our environment has been proven to be not cost effective at all...and not affordable in the long run.
Our planet finally, is showing the effect of our shortsightedness, and the quick profit we thought we had, suddenly is proven to be short of the expense to deal with the catastrophic effects of climate change: stronger typhoons with more rains and coming at a different schedule produced floods and catastrophes we are not ready to deal with. Then the day after does not give us comfort at all with hotter days than normal and in extended duration, again not at its normal schedule.
Our country being in the tropics is severely affected by this. Global warming has given us temperature of 39 degrees last summer. Our homes are not ready for this so much so that we have the same heat inside if not more. The response to this is to get airconditioners, which of course make us consume more energy produced by fossil fuelled power plants. Instead of helping we are aggravating the situation.
But thanks to green ideas... it is now possible to have homes with temperature at least 2 degrees lower than the outside. No need for airconditioners, occasional electric fans only. What’s more? It is so simple!
Its all about Airflow. Anyone who works with engines and machines knows that the system must include cooling system. Engines mostly are watercooled very few is aircooled. The only one I know which is aircooled is vintage volkswagen! Our homes must have its cooling system too. It must be natural and continuous. You guessed it. It must be air!!!
Notice that most of the homes that do not have airconditioners have the oven effect, “kulob” in Tagalog. Even if you open all the windows and doors the situation remains the same. The cooling system is not working. It does not work because there is no continuous airflow from outside. The key word there is continuous. My friend came up with the solution to this problem. It is a system design if you will, that makes the air flow continuously.
Clifford Espinosa an Architecture graduate of UP was able to save P20 million pesos for a church from airconditioners alone. Who knows how much more they saved from electricity and maintenance.
There is a science to it as he explained to me. He told me that our homes have their own climate which behaves the same way with the climate outside. His design is based on that science...that’s why it works.
There are many other ways of going green. We have to do it. There is no other way to go.
