Green buildings incorporate environmentally responsible and resource-saving measures into all aspects of their design and operations, such as using renewable energy sources or recycling materials.
They often go beyond minimum construction standards by using premium materials and practices that reduce maintenance costs and raise appraisal values for resale purposes. Furthermore, they employ cutting-edge technologies to maximize energy, water and material efficiencies.
Energy Efficiency
Green building involves using energy-efficient appliances and renewable energy sources such as solar or wind to lower energy consumption and pollution levels, with materials from sustainable or recycled sources like bamboo and reclaimed wood sourced from sustainable or recyclable sources to minimize environmental impacts during construction. Furthermore, sustainability initiatives like recycling systems or on-site compost bins help support ongoing operations by helping reduce waste production.
Alternative energy solutions such as solar panels or wind turbines have become the go-to solutions for many green buildings, while advanced technologies like bifilacial solar panels that harvest sunlight on both sides or building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) that seamlessly fit into rooftop architecture make green buildings even more energy-efficient and eco-friendly.
Water efficiency is another essential concept in green building design. Sustainable buildings conserve resources by employing rainwater collection systems that ease strain on shared water supplies, as well as employing sustainable plumbing practices like low-flow faucets and toilets to limit wasteful usage, greywater recycling systems that recycle wastewater from washing machines or sinks into landscaping, or to flush toilets; or low-flow faucets and toilets which save water useage while conserving resources.
Water Efficiency
Water efficiency is of utmost importance in green buildings. People use fresh, clean water for bathing and dish washing; however, extracting and transporting this resource requires considerable energy use and treatment costs. Green buildings aim to minimize their water usage to protect local sources.
Strategy includes installing ultra-low flush toilets, low-flow faucets and appliances which use less water than traditional models. Greywater systems recycle wastewater from sinks and washing machines into landscaping (but not drinking) applications or to flush toilets – an effort which helps preserve our limited freshwater sources.
Green buildings take steps to use energy-saving construction materials and paints and cleaning products that don’t contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs), as well as promote using renewable technologies such as solar panels or building-integrated wind turbines for their power needs. Furthermore, plants help manage stormwater runoff while simultaneously cooling urban areas.
Indoor Air Quality
Green buildings should emphasize creating a healthy living environment for their occupants. To this end, green building designers should strive to use low VOC emitting building materials and interior components, along with proper air distribution methods and heating/cooling systems tailored specifically for local climate.
Studies have demonstrated that occupants in green buildings generally report less discomfort, perhaps as a result of IAQ standards closer to health guidelines being maintained than conventional ones.
Studies conducted on five pairs of green and conventional buildings in Mumbai conducted comparative comfort parameters (temperature and relative humidity) as well as concentrations of IAQ pollutants such as CO2, formaldehyde, and particulate matter concentrations to compare comfort parameters between buildings – which the results demonstrated that green buildings performed significantly better in terms of temperature, carbon dioxide emissions and formaldehyde production than their conventional counterparts.
However, the study failed to demonstrate statistical significance for most other parameters; nonetheless, indoor air quality (IAQ) has become an integral component of most major green certification schemes.
Materials
Green buildings aim to reduce global climate change through energy-saving equipment and practices such as using sunlight for heating and lighting as well as recycling and composting waste generated from construction sites.
Design of green buildings must also take into account their impact on the site and surrounding environment, including protecting soil, waterways, wildlife and other features of nature. Furthermore, conducting life cycle assessments on materials (assessing their embodied energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, resource consumption as well as disposal effects) is also highly recommended.
Green buildings utilize recycled and sustainably-sourced building materials as well as eco-friendly paints, insulation, flooring and furnishings that reduce environmental impacts such as rain gardens, bioswales or permeable pavement that allow rainwater to seep into the soil and replenish aquifers.