Cradle to cradle method
We can see that the world population is growing more and more (the United Nations indicates that 70% of human beings will live in urban centers in 2050) there are countries with emerging economies and their inhabitants are discovering the new needs that the consumer world creates for them, And with these, we are creating a world where cities eat up fertile agricultural fields, create huge amounts of waste, pollution, pollution, etc.
For a long time, people have been talking about methods to destroy our environment a little less. People think that by polluting less, for example, by saving ourselves from taking the car one day, we are already doing well, when in reality what we are doing is less bad.
The objective of the cradle to cradle process is to adopt an existing model in nature so as not to produce waste
The method cradle to cradle goes further than current reduction methods and proposes, not only destroy a little less, butadopt the existing model in nature in which not a single waste is produced but plants and animals when they finish their life cycle serve as food for the earth and form a cycle.
In nature there are no 3 R’s (recycle, reuse, reduce), and that is why cradle to cradle proposes to overcome this maxim and start using materials and processes similar to those of nature in whichgarbage serve as food(for the fields of light) and of interest, see the article on what is the blue economy and how does the circular economy work, which go along the same lines.
Cradle to cradle method It intends to move from the current concept of the cradle to the grave to the concept of the cradle to the cradle, and that the life cycle is constantly started again. Theupcycling , as they call it, it is something that can be constantly reused.
This theory that was presented in the book "Cradle to cradle: remaking the way we do things"From the German chemistMichael Braungart and the american architectWilliam McDonough in 2002, it says that no consumer good should be created if at the end of its useful life it becomes useless and polluting garbage.
The important thing in this theory is reuse and although it does not reject the 3 R's, it considers that they only try to minimize the damage. At Cradle to Cradle process, therefore, what is most important is the design, and for design you need industry.
These authorsthey do not reject our consumer prosperity as they believe that this is the way to change our ecosystem and industrial production for the 21st century. It is for example the best way to develop new biodegradable or reusable products.
Cradle to cradle essential principles:
- Use of healthy materials: assess the continuous cycle of materials.
- Material reuse: maintain the natural flows of the nutrients of the materials.
- Use of renewable energies: use 100% renewable energy in all processes
- Water management: water is a precious resource that must be cared for and / or improved.
- Social legitimacy: celebrate people and natural systems.
So what does it mean to build with the Cradle to cradle method?
The idea of Cradle to cradle is to conceive buildings from a more ecologically effective design so that they do not need to waste energy in order to achieve optimal results and comfort.
What is the point of not building a home designed to take advantage of the benefits of orientation, natural light, drafts, and basic construction methods that are not wasteful?… If this was already done in Roman times.
The buildings must imitate trees, living beings that are a microenvironment in themselves since they provide shelter, cooling, regeneration, producing more energy than they consume and purifying the wastewater they produce.
Thus, buildings that follow the Cradle to cradle method are buildings that they imitate nature using landscaped facades and roofs, which generate more energy than they consume, which are integrated into nature instead of coming into conflict with it and in which the water is renewed.
At the end of the useful life, the materials must be biodegradable and be returned decomposed to the soil giving it nutrients, or they must be reused in other works or constructions starting the cycle again. The materials should not be used if they are to become useless garbage.
As one of its principles says, and in order to generate more energy than is consumed, renewable energies will be used. Materials will be chosen taking into account all phases of product development: extraction, processing, transport, use, reuse, etc.
To meet the objectives of the reuse of materials, it is preferable that these can beassemble and disassemble quickly and separately. What would be more or less modular architecture.
We can see some examples of these buildings:
The objectives of Cradle to cradle are to maintain a diverse, safe, healthy and fair world, with clean air, water, soil and energy that are enjoyed economically, ecologically, ethically and elegantly - William McDonough in an interview with La vanguardia.
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Points of interest:
- Natural lighting in architecture.
- Architecture with containers. Advantages and disadvantages analysis.
- Energy audits. Steps to follow and not get lost.
- Analysis of an efficient rehabilitation.
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Article prepared by Albert Abadal Niubó (Technical Architect - Sustainable and efficient building specialist) in collaboration with OVACEN.
