What Green Architecture First Looked Like

Sustainable building is an ongoing goal today, as many heed the call of global warming and environmental degradation. Modern construction is incorporating more elements that help reduce carbon footprint, but there was a time when humans naturally lived in harmony with nature.

Architects Bill and Ben Chaleff are exploring the evolution of green architecture with a three-part talk at the South Fork Natural History Museum in Bridgehampton.

Held on July 9, the first talk focused on architects over the course of history and how each improved structure, from caves to houses, changed the way humanity thinks and builds. Ultimately, each structure the Chaleffs highlighted was a reflection of how people adapted to their environments and considered geography, climate, natural resources and culture.

There are a lot of tremendously exciting buildings in this world that we can see today," that have existed for hundreds or thousands of years, said Bill Chaleff.

Among the structures highlighted included a house on stilts perched above water in Peru; a dry-stone building with a conical roof known as a trullo in Southern Italy; and oak bark shingles over a frame on the Shinnecock Reservation.

Over time, people learned how to maximize solar orientation by facing their homes south. Ben Chaleff cited the saltbox style, dating back to the 1600s, with its long pitched roof that slopes down to the back. Often, the two-story side would face south, leaving the sloped section to deflect winter winds from the north. In addition, locally "they would often use eelgrass out here stuffed into the walls for insulation," he said.

It appears that the decline of living in harmony with the environment may have begun with the Industrial Revolution in the early 19th century and with it the idea of interchangeable and identical parts.

A question and answer period followed the talk. "What local materials could we build with here?" asked one audience member.

"One that's used quite a bit is the quartz in the sand that we have, which is perfect in concrete," Ben Chaleff replied.

Another member of the audience asked if there were materials that could be used to keep houses cool in summer without using air conditioners, "at a time when we're facing hotter and more humid temperatures." Bill Chaleff suggested building with more masonry.

"I don't mean to take all these examples as a literal solution," he said, suggesting, instead, to take the approach, methodology, and the thinking behind the examples in history, "because those societies were healthy, meaningful societies for the majority of their inhabitants."

The next talk on July 16 will touch on using nature as a model as well as land use and zoning. The final talk, on July 23, will focus on modern-day strategies and technologies for green building. Both talks start at 7:30 p.m.

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