Green buildings reduce environmental impacts from construction sites and throughout their life cycles, including energy consumption incurred to obtain materials, process them for use in assembly processes and transport them, as well as powering equipment with operating energy.

Green construction brings numerous benefits, from creating a more eco-friendly planet to improving quality of life for residents and property values due to optimal resource utilization.

Energy Efficiency

Pro: Occupants of green buildings experience long-term energy and cost savings while simultaneously lowering emissions and environmental impact by tapping renewable sources of power.

As well as solar panels and south-facing walls, energy efficiency is achieved through insulation, lighting that automatically dims or turns off, programmable heating and cooling systems and water heaters, and low VOC paints and cleaning products. Green infrastructure such as bioswales or rain gardens (depressions planted with vegetation) reduces run-off by allowing rainwater to infiltrate into the soil and replenish aquifers more effectively.

Green buildings utilize recycled and regional materials and resources to support local economies and businesses. Their designs aim to minimize waste production during construction as well as post-occupancy waste removal. Furthermore, engineered wood products often make efficient use of repurposed pieces while simultaneously reducing costs associated with extraction, processing and transportation of virgin timber. LEED certification system has become one of the most popular systems used for green building certification – its criteria includes site selection criteria such as public transportation access reduction water use reduction construction waste management energy efficiency green power recycling reused materials ventilation thermal comfort daylight and views as well as indoor environmental quality standards – these criteria set against any standard setting or certification scheme rated.

Indoor Air Quality

Green buildings prioritize creating healthy and well-ventilated environments to promote employee health, comfort, productivity, and morale. Green buildings encourage non-toxic building materials which emit less pollution and limit VOC (volatile organic compounds) emissions into the environment. Green buildings feature large windows to let in natural lighting and fresh air for reduced artificial lighting needs while saving on energy bills.

Conventional building products often release volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the indoor environment, leading to health issues like watery eyes and fatigue. Green building construction uses paints, flooring materials and other products with reduced or no VOC content to avoid emitting these harmful chemicals into the atmosphere.

Studies on indoor air quality in green and conventional buildings have produced mixed results; generally speaking, green buildings seem to fare better; however, many of these studies fail to account for factors that might alter ventilation or indoor air quality, such as temperature, relative humidity or occupant behavior; thus statistical significance between green and conventional homes might not always be present when comparing parameters between them. This may account for statistical insignificance between them for certain parameters studied between them.

Materials

Use of green building materials and methods can significantly decrease energy, water, and waste consumption – helping mitigate climate change while creating healthier environments in which to live, work, learn, and play.

Green buildings typically utilize renewable energy sources like solar power and implement passive solar design strategies, including daylighting to reduce lighting needs and green roofs to mitigate stormwater run-off. They may also utilize recycling, reuse, and reduction programs.

As among the greenest building materials, bamboo and cork are two materials with very fast growth cycles – bamboo takes only three to five years to form structural components; cork regenerates every few years without harming trees; while living materials like mycelium which grows within concrete pores for strengthening or crack filling purposes and has minimal energy requirements while actually helping absorb carbon dioxide over their lifetimes.

Location

Green buildings use less natural resources and reduce their ecological footprint, creating a positive environmental legacy throughout their lifespan.

Energy efficiency is at the center of sustainable building, and ENERGY STAR labels serve as an easy way to identify energy efficient buildings. Many green buildings also utilize renewable sources of energy like solar panels or wind turbines for additional savings.

Conserving water is another key aspect of green building, and using rainwater to replenish groundwater supplies can help safeguard local water quality. Building compactly and using green infrastructure techniques can also decrease polluted stormwater runoff into local waters.

Location has an enormous effect on building performance. Placing green buildings near transit lines or walkable neighborhoods can reduce travel time to access work, shopping, services, schools and natural areas; as well as improve their resilience against flooding or rising sea levels.