Environmental Architecture
What is Environmental Architecture
The small island environment of the Maldives poses unique challenges when it comes to development, whether it be islands or lagoons. Environmental Architecture is the environmentally sustainable design and placement of infrastructures in and around an island or lagoon. Water Solutions aims to bridge the gap between new development in Maldives and long-term sustainability by scientifically approaching the optimal placement of architectural elements so that minimal environmental disturbance occurs. Due to our unique geography, sensitivity, and fragility of environment, even the best architects need to consider the principles of environmental effects for long-term sustainability in development. Thoughtful environmental architecture can result in huge financial savings in the implementation and operational stage.
Why is environmental architecture important in Maldives?
One may be wondering why it is important to invest in this “new concept” when thousands of dollars are spent on Architects to develop multi-million-dollar properties. The answer is very simple. There are some things that even the best architects cannot “Design, Do or Implement” in a small island environment without prior knowledge of small island dynamics. Architects and master planners can design beautiful buildings and structures but need to work together with environmental experts to make their structures robust in the long-term. Islands and coral reefs are dynamic environments whose behaviours will be influenced by developments on or nearby them. Environmental architecture will provide the “Do’s and Don’t’s” to the architects so costly mistakes can be avoided early in the planning stage. The financial and environmental burden of not incorporating environmental architectural elements in the design stage of any project can be very high. Throughout the Maldives, one can see the consequences of not incorporating environmental architectural elements from many resorts, harbours and other coastal developments. Some of these mistakes have caused significant impacts to the environment and resulted in high cost in liabilities.