When all they had were crude tools and their imaginations, building designers made the most of both.

For centuries, functional, sustainable buildings that used little or no electricity weren't part of a "green movement." They were a necessity.

"During the early 1900s, buildings were designed to encourage air to flow through them," says architect Jody Henry, project manager for SHW Group. "This was one of the 'greenest' things we could do, especially in the hot and humid climate. We oriented buildings to have increased north and south exposure and less east and west exposure, as those angles had the most heat gain.

"Bedrooms were located on the east side of the building and dining rooms were on the west side, so the actions of the day followed the rise and fall of the sun. This would allow us to have our lights off and reduce heat gain in the building."

It sounds like a modern sustainability plan but, in fact, it was the common-sense way to design houses and buildings. A trend toward luxury and amenities, combined with technology, led designers away from such planning.

"When air conditioning was invented, we went away from all of these 'green' trends," Henry says. "We were able to close off the building and orient it whatever way we wanted. We started to ignore the simple rules of smart design - the rule of nature."

Creative ways to shade windows - concrete trellises, vines and operable louvers - gave way to high-tech automated blinds and even glass that tints as the sun strikes it at various levels.

Today, as designers aim to make their buildings more efficient, she says, they turn to both traditional methods and technology - even early technology.

"Remember the Clapper? - clap your lights on and off?" Henry asks. "This was a great way to save energy and one of the earliest and most popular occupancy sensors. In the 21st-Century schools that SHW Group designs, we incorporate occupancy sensors in every classroom. When a teacher enters the room, the lights come on, and when he or she leaves, the lights remain on for a certain timed period and then shut off. This effectively conserves energy and decreases electricity bills."

Full Story: http://houston.bizjournals.com/houston/stories/2008/12/01/
focus1.html?b=1228107600%5E1739684

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