How green home designs have changed since the 70s

The Green movement has seen a considerable evolution since the early 70s. Those momentous years of the Peace Movement, Vietnam War and the twilight zone of hippie culture, building 'Green' was still emerging. Many concept homes were designed in those early years which looked more like cave dwellings or ant hills and one really wondered whether people were actually serious about living in such homes.

Environment, ecology and living with the nature were very much a concept then, but was the domain of few people. That has changed to Green buildings being built by large construction companies with considerable support from the government. A trendy concept of the 70s has now transformed into an 'official mascot' of many a nations.

In the 70s there was no real professional effort at building Green homes. Designs mimicked natural designs of indigenous people without really trying to incorporate the wishes and aspirations of modern day living. There was no concerted effort at scientifically arriving at Green home designs. Today, Green home designs follow strict certification processes in countries the world over. In the US, The Leadership in Energy and Environment Design (LEED) is an initiative that sets standards for Green Home designs. The same standards have been incorporated by some countries while others have evolved their own. In the 70s, Green home designs tended to concentrate on 'stand alone' projects. Present day evolution looks at Green Home designs as a full fledged eco system. Now, factors such as recycling, indigenous practices, environment and architecture are examined holistically.

Science too has played an important role in the evolution of Green home designs. In the 70s powerful computers were not available. Computer Aided Designs (CAD) with wind flow computations and solar capture calculations make designing Green homes far more efficient than the 70s. Even 'greening' of construction materials has received an impetus thanks to advances in science. Nature friendly, recycled products, made possible by advances in science are regularly used by construction companies. A typical example is of Fly ash, a waste product which can as well be used in mixed cement with same qualities. 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.