What is Green Building?
A green building is the
integrated structure of design, construction and operational practices that
significantly removes its negative impact on the environment and its tenants.
It is an opportunity to use resources efficiently while creating healthier environments
for people to live and work in. Green building can also reduce construction and
performance costs significantly.
What makes a building "Green"?
Green buildings leave a
lighter footprint on the environment through saving resources. It also balances
energy-efficient, cost-effective, low-maintenance products for construction
needs. That means, green-building design is engaged to find the delicate
balance between home building and a sustainable environment.
What makes a building "Green"?
A green building is
responsible environmentally and it is resource-efficient throughout its
life-cycle. These characteristics develop and balance the classical building
design in the context of economy, utility, durability, and comfort.
In order to reduce the
overall impact of the built environment on human health and the natural
environment, green buildings are designed as follows:
- Using energy, water, and other
resources effectively.
- Keep the health of tenants safe
and increasing employee efficiency.
- Decreasing waste, pollution and
environment degradation.
For example, green
buildings may integrate sustainable materials in their construction (e.g.,
reused, recycled-content, or made from renewable resources); creating healthy
indoor environments with reduced toxin (e.g., reduced product emissions);
and/or feature landscaping that reduces water usage (e.g., by using native
plants that survive without extra watering).
What are the benefits of green building?
Green buildings have an
huge impact on the environment, human health, and the economy. Successful
implementation of green building policies can maximize both the economic and
environmental performance of buildings. However, the most significant benefits
can be obtained if the design and construction team takes an combined method from
the earliest stages of a building project. Potential benefits of green building
can include:
Environmental benefits
- Increase and protect
biodiversity and ecosystems
- Develop air and water quality
- Diminish waste streams
- Save and restore natural
resources
Economic benefits
- Minimize operating costs
- Generate, increase, and outline
markets for green products and services
- Develop tenant productivity
- Enhance life-cycle economic
performance
Social benefits
- Enrich tenant comfort and
health
- Amplify visual qualities
- Reduce stress on local
infrastructure
- Enhance overall quality of life
How do buildings affect climate change?
In order to heat and
power our buildings huge amounts of energy is used. Here, the source of energy
is burning fossil fuels - oil, natural gas and coal - which generate
significant amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2), the most extensive greenhouse gas.
Decreasing the energy
use and greenhouse gas emissions produced by buildings is therefore essential
to the effort to reduce the speed of global climate change. Buildings may be
linked with the release of greenhouse gases in other ways, for example,
construction and destruction debris that destroys in landfills may generate
methane, and the removal and manufacturing of building materials may also
generate greenhouse gas emissions.