Since long, builders have experimented with materials to build structures with less environmental impact. But green buildings take it one step further.
They conserve natural resources, improve air quality, protect our natural environment and save corporate and residential owners both money on water and energy costs.
Energy Efficiency
Energy efficiency is a cornerstone of green building. It helps mitigate environmental impact by decreasing greenhouse gas emissions and resource depletion, and also lowers operating costs while improving occupant health and comfort.
Reduce energy demand through innovative technologies like phase change materials and Trombe walls that help lower energy demands.
Many green buildings can achieve zero utility bills through renewable energy sources and tax incentives, making them more affordable for occupants, increasing real estate value and helping reduce our impact on the environment. Green buildings also reduce vulnerability to climate change by including measures such as site selection, stormwater collection and renewable generation on-site.
Water Efficiency
Green building emphasizes water efficiency. Utilizing strategies and techniques that reduce how much water a structure consumes during its construction, green buildings conserve this natural resource by limiting consumption while encouraging rainwater capture and reuse.
Green buildings are designed to be energy self-sufficient. They rely on renewable sources like solar power for producing their own electricity as well as thermal heating and cooling services, thus eliminating the need for non-renewable fossil fuels.
Green buildings use eco-friendly building materials in their construction to reduce chemical pollution in indoor air, such as formaldehyde. These local materials do not offgas for years and contribute to headaches, fatigue and asthma symptoms.
Indoor Air Quality
Air pollution and indoor environmental quality (IEQ) are major considerations in green buildings. Selecting low-VOC building materials, paints and furnishings helps promote healthier indoor environments; while providing adequate ventilation and minimizing energy use help maintain clean air.
Studies that compare IAQ in green and conventional buildings tend to report superior IAQ levels in the former, leading to reduced stress levels and greater vitality among occupants of green buildings. This may be attributable to less pollution impacting on immune systems or contributing to respiratory ailments like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or asthma.
Green buildings may improve IAQ by installing walk-off mats at entranceways, prohibiting smoking indoors near windows or air intakes, using high efficiency MERV filters for heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems and only using environmentally friendly cleaning and housekeeping products.
Materials
Green buildings are constructed using eco-friendly materials that have minimal environmental impact. Their construction utilizes non-toxic, natural substances that are easily usable without becoming damaged by heat or humidity fluctuations.
Recycling materials is another cornerstone of green building. Architects and builders often utilize salvaged wood, concrete, glass and steel from salvage yards in creating eco-friendly structures like Jimmy Mitchell did with the Kendeda Building at Georgia Tech using old slate shingles and heart pine joists from old sheds as material sources.
Renewable energy resources also play a part in greening a building. Solar panels offer an alternative source of electricity while daylighting techniques (orienting windows and awnings to capture sunrays) reduce electric lighting needs and green landscape planning makes use of indigenous plant species that need minimal irrigation.
Life Cycle
Green building requirements should be sustainable throughout its entire lifecycle, from site selection and structure design and construction through operation and maintenance, refurbishment and demolition. Green building technologies must work harmoniously together for maximum effect.
The global building sector accounts for an enormous portion of greenhouse gas emissions and energy, water and material usage; as such it offers immense potential for cost-effective reduction in these areas.
Green buildings can bring economic advantages for both owners and tenants in terms of increased property values, lower operating costs and improved productivity. They also help conserve increasingly stretched energy resources while decreasing waste production. Although initial green building costs may be higher than conventional structures, recycled and sustainable materials should help minimize their initial expenses.