There has been an appreciable development of the Green movement today since the 70s. Those momentous years of the Peace Movement, Vietnam War and the twilight zone of hippie culture, building Green was still emerging. Open a brochure of Green Home designs from the 70s and probably what stared out at you were structures shaped like anthills or cave dwellings. You wondered at the sanity of it all.
The concept of living with the nature, environmentally friendly initiatives was very much a part then, but was the preserve of some people. That has changed to Green buildings being built by large construction companies with considerable support from the government. So what started out as a popular cultural idea in the 70s, has now gained the stamp of international approval.
Professional touch was lacking in the efforts at building Green homes in the 70s. Then people tried to replicate natural designs of indigenous people with out really attempting to have a convergence with modern day living. There was no concerted effort at scientifically arriving at Green home designs. Modern day avatars of Green home designs follow a rigid certification code in many counties in the world. In the US, The Leadership in Energy and Environment Design (LEED) is an initiative that sets standards for Green Home designs. Countries the world over, from the West to the East have incorporated the LEED standard and in some cases their own standards. In the 70s, Green home designs tended to concentrate on stand alone projects. Today, designers approach Green home designs as full-fledged eco systems. All aspects of the environment, architecture and every avenue for using indigenous methods and recycled materials is explored in a holistic manner.
Science too has played an important role in the evolution of Green home designs. In the 70s powerful computers were not available. Present day Computer Aided Designs (CAD) make accurate calculations for wind flow solar capture thus helping build more efficient Green buildings than was possible in the 70s. Scientific progress has also helped green materials used in construction. Construction companies now regularly use recycled products, which are closer to nature thanks to advances of science. For example, cement an important ingredient in any construction today can be mixed with Fly ash, a waste product, which is just as efficient as original cement. The global environmental challenges are forcing countries to understand the need to conserve our resources. Thus Green home designs have traveled from a niche specialization in the 70s to the mainstream of the construction business today.

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by: hugatree
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