Building and community planning, design, construction, and operation have an enormous direct and indirect impact on our environment. Buildings not only use resources such as labor, energy, and raw materials, but they also generate waste and potentially harmful atmospheric emissions. As the global and local economy and population continue to expand, planners, designers, and builders face a unique challenge to meet demands for new and renovated facilities that are accessible, secure, healthy, efficient, and productive while minimizing their impact on the environment.
With the proliferation of sustainable (green) building practices around the world, this concept of sustainable building is becoming more and more prevalent throughout the building and development industry. The principles of sustainable building are similar regardless of the system under which they are applied. To build and develop sustainably, we must:
- Protect and integrate building with the natural environment
- Increase energy efficiency
- Reduce water consumption
- Promote the reuse and regional use of building materials
- Reduce building waste and pollution
- Protect occupant health and increase wellbeing
These principles must be integrated into the planning, design and construction processes by regional and community planners, real estate developers, funding agencies, architects, engineers, contractors, and facility managers to create buildings and communities that benefit all of the stakeholders, including end users, and the environment.
In addition, and even more importantly due to the shear quantity of existing building stock in relation to newly constructed buildings (10 to 1 in most developed cities), these sustainable principles also apply to existing buildings to better conserve resources, reduce the carbon footprint, and promote occupant well-being.
Just as important as their creation, is insuring that green buildings and green communities are operated and maintained as they were designed after construction through on-site measurement and verification and real time monitoring. The advantages of a green building and green communities are lost if they are not operated and maintained over their productive lifetime.
Benefits of Sustainable Building
There are several environmental benefits to sustainable building. These benefits include reduced pollution and waste and the restoration or preservation of natural resources.
Sustainable buildings have better indoor air and light quality. Reduced level of pollutants and toxins in the indoor environment and more natural day light help people feel better and maintain their sense of wellbeing. Studies have shown this leads to increased productivity and occupant health in the built environment. In addition, the use of sustainable materials compares in quality to their non-sustainable counterparts, yet sustainable materials often offer more durable or healthier alternatives. Local or regional economies also benefit as these materials are sourced near the project site.
Sustainable buildings are generally more energy efficient than traditional buildings (up to 40% or more). Better site and systems design, proper equipment sizing, and a tightly sealed envelope all contribute to a reduced need for heating and cooling. With constrained global energy resources, energy efficient buildings create value for the owner and provide grid relief for utilities.
