The Origin of Green Building

When do you think the first green building was built? Odds are, you’re picturing something built in the past 50 years or so. What if I told you that the first truly green buildings were the stone dwellings of the Anasazi Indians from a.d. 1?

The Anasazi were a rich culture of farming people who lived in the Four Corners region of the United States (where Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah meet) up until 1300, when drought forced them to migrate. The best examples of their buildings appeared around 700 and consisted of apartment-house-style villages. These villages, built at the tops of mesas, included multiple-room dwellings of beautiful stone masonry.

Why are the pueblos of the Anasazi considered to be green buildings?

Understanding the sun and heating, the Anasazi oriented their dwellings to the light. These were textbook passive solar buildings featuring natural ventilation.

Rainwater was captured and irrigated because water is a valuable resource.

The Anasazi buildings predated electricity but were heated and cooled without heat or air-conditioning.

Natural stone, mud, and wood were the only materials used.

The buildings of the Anasazi were completely nontoxic and healthy.

Centered around a village concept, the Anasazi buildings fostered interaction and a sense of community.

Many of the so-called “innovative” green features we marvel at today are actually ancient methods of building. Fresh air, passive solar orientation, passive cooling, and many other concepts have been in use for thousands of years.

For a more modern example of green building, you just need to look to the global energy crisis of the 1970s for some pioneering efforts in energy conservation. Arguably, the pioneering Willis Faber and Dumas Headquarters by architect Norman Foster could be considered the first modern green building. Built in 1977, the building features a grass roof, a naturally sunlit atrium, and mirrored windows used to reduce solar gain.

Why is this building considered to be a green one?

The building is located in the center of the town of Ipswich, centrally located for ease of access.

The building features a landscaped roof garden.

The glass curtain wall is tinted to counter solar gain and is suspended from a continuous clamping strip. The building’s design exhibits a pioneering use of low energy consumption.

An irregular shape of black glass creates a striking and natural form.

The building is designed to encourage social contact. These social ideas shaped the arrangement of the plan.