This document discusses principles of green building and sustainable architecture. It advocates building in a way that is adapted to the local environment through materials, climate, ecology and practices. Buildings should be designed to last over 100 years rather than just 20, and reuse existing structures where possible. Architecture should be beautiful and evolve local traditions to meet modern challenges through present resources and techniques. Buildings must also fit within the hierarchy and context of surrounding structures. The document quotes Prince Charles expressing concern that sustainability not be viewed as just high-tech but rather draw from local identity, ecology and human scale through natural, locally sourced materials and community-oriented design.

1. About Green Building
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2. About Green Building
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3. About Green Building
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4. About Green Building
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5. Building Research Establishment
Innovation Park
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6. Toward the Eco-Vernacular
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7. Toward the Eco-Vernacular
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8. Toward the Eco-Vernacular
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9. Toward the Eco-Vernacular
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10. Toward the Eco-Vernacular
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11. Toward the Eco-Vernacular
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12. Architectural Principles
• Recognition that sustainability means building for
the long term – one hundred years, rather than
twenty years;
• Building in an adaptable and flexible manner,
reassessing and reusing existing buildings
wherever possible;
• Building in a manner that fits the place, in
terms of materials used, proportion and
layouts and climate, ecology and building
practices;
• Building beautifully, in a manner based upon
tradition, evolving it in response to present
challenges and utilising present day resources
and techniques;
• And finally, understanding the purpose of a
building or group of buildings within the
hierarchy of the buildings around it and
responding with an appropriate building type
and design.

13. “I am concerned that if we do not demonstrate that sustainability can
be achieved in a manner that is derived from local identity and
ecology, natural, organic and human scaled, ecological design will
come to be viewed as hard-edged, high tech and somehow related
to steel and glass. And this will lessen its appeal to the vast majority
of human beings across the globe, who instinctively know that cities
built of natural, locally sourced materials, designed with a harmony
and proportion, sustain our spirit, our sense of community and the
planet.
In meeting the challenge of sustainability, we must first look within to
what has worked in the past, and then evolve these approaches to meet
today’s challenges, using the best of contemporary knowledge, skill and
technology.”
HRH The Prince of Wales, remarks to open the International
Conference on Intelligent, Green and Energy-Efficient Building,
Beijing, China, 3 March, 2008