Page 28 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 33
P. 28
The Environment
The Environment
By Ronald Mbiu, Nairobi Kenya.
n the quest for sustainability, the built Ancient Practice: For centuries, indigenous
environment has seen a renaissance of peoples around the world designed
Ipractices that, while ancient in origin, structures to naturally maintain comfortable
have found renewed purpose in today’s temperatures. Examples include thick adobe
climate-conscious world. This return to walls in hot climates that slowly absorb
historical techniques is not a regressive step and release heat, and courtyards that create
but a progressive approach that marries the microclimates. People also oriented buildings
wisdom of the past with the technology and to maximize natural light and heat from the
comforts of the present. As we rediscover sun.
these methods, a mindset shift is crucial—not
to see them as relics of an older time but as Modern Revival: In today’s sustainable
solutions that were always ahead of their architecture, concepts like thermal mass,
time. strategic ventilation, and window shading
are being integrated. Building designs are
1. Passive Cooling and Heating incorporating breezeways, green roofs, and
Techniques natural insulation materials to minimize
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