Green building, or green construction, is a catchall phrase that refers to a wide-spectrum of building types, styles and materials. Often green building signifies construction that is energy efficient, uses minimum resources, utilizes sustainable or reclaimed materials and non-toxic materials. Everything from rammed earth dwellings to solar panels to living roofs to houses built off the grid, are all considered to be green buildings.
GreenBuilding.com describes sustainable building as, “a design and construction practice that promotes the economic health and well-being of your family, the community and the environment”. Increasingly green building architects are looking beyond energy efficiency and sustainable material use to include a more holistic approach to building which includes; minimizing water usage, rain catchment, grey water recycling, ecological impact, thermal comfort, natural lighting, access to outdoor spaces, increased greenspace, harmony with the surroundings and noise reduction.
Building green results in between 10-40% more energy efficiency than conventional building practices.
Building green is more than a hippie fad; in fact, ecological construction is a significant contribution to our efforts to mitigate climate change. The U.S. DOE Buildings Energy Databook reports buildings represent 70% of US electricity consumption. Currently many pre-existing buildings are energy inefficient, use copious amounts of water and produce large quantities of waste during the construction process.
Green building continues to be a high growth sector with more and more industry professionals getting involved in redefining how we make buildings. Green housing construction grew by 30% in the USA between 2005 and 2006, according to McGraw-Hill Construction, an industry information source.
The 2008 report US Construction Overview from FMI Corporation, a global construction industry banking company, reports green buildings are being pushed from niche to mainstream as increasing demand for green residential housing, sustainable building materials and government initiatives support the green building trend.
In early 2008, it was estimated more than one billion square feet of space had been LEED certified.
LEED Certification
In North America the US Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) provides the highest standard for green building certification. Their voluntary Green Building Rating System works to encourage global adoption of sustainable green building and development practices. The rating and certification system is comprised of four categories ranging from Certified to Platinum, awarded based on a total of 69 possible credits. Elements taken into account include energy & water use, site, indoor environment quality, materials and innovation. There are LEED projects in 50 US states and 41 countries including Canada, Mexico and India. In early 2008, it was estimated more than one billion square feet of space had been LEED certified.
The Canadian Green Building Council (CaGBC), LEEDS Canada Initiative, has a target of certifying 100,000 new green commercial buildings and one million green homes by 2015. The CaGBC reports that green building is “…the single largest opportunity to make progress toward Canada’s 2020 target of 200 Mt reduction in GHG”.
Environmental Impact
The University of British Columbia’s Sustainability Office reports the building industry is responsible for 30% of the world’s energy consumption. With resources running out and individuals becoming increasingly cognoscente of how many traditional buildings were designed without taking into account the energy it takes to construct, maintain, heat and cool the building; eco-conscious builders and architects are currently trying to make new projects and retrofit pre-existing buildings as energy efficiently as possible, while simultaneously limiting waste generated from the construction process. Building green results in between 10-40% more energy efficiency than conventional building practices.
Energy Efficiency
Many North Americans, because of access to cheap oil (Americans use more than 25% of the world’s total oil consumption), became accustomed to having unlimited resources to heat or cool enormous houses and energy inefficient buildings. Building trends for the last 30 years, have for the most part, been built with little or no thought to energy consumption.
A Morrison Hershfield report, A Business Case For Green Buildings in Canada, estimates Canadian buildings are responsible for 1/3 of the country’s total energy consumption. In addition to the high rates of energy consumption, carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases are another byproduct of heating and cooling inefficient buildings. Canada’s buildings create 35% of the country’s greenhouse gases.
Indoor air pollution causes 14 times more deaths than outdoor air pollution.
Human Health
Indoor air pollution causes 14 times more deaths than outdoor air pollution, reports the World Health Organization. The American-based Environmental Protection Agency reports indoor air pollution is one of five top environmental threats to human health. Many conventionally built homes are highly toxic environments from the glues, paints, lead, volatile organic chemicals (VOCs), adhesives, formaldehyde, etc. used during construction and finishing. The chemicals contribute to indoor air pollution through off-gassing that may continue for years after new construction or renovations. Statistics Canada reported in 2003, an estimated 1.3 million people were diagnosed with Multiple Chemical Sensitivities. Most North Americans spend roughly 90% of their day indoors, making indoor air quality a serious factor in human health.
Unfortunately airtight homes also contribute to toxic contaminants that accumulate indoors. Having airtight or well-insulated homes is an important part of energy conservation though ensuring good air quality is free from toxic chemicals also needs to be factored into building or home construction. Green building projects tend to utilize low VOC paints and other water-based materials, non-toxic or natural adhesives and finishes. They also choose to use organic materials over plastic composites, carpets, plywood, treated woods, insulation and factor in adequate clean airflow.
Resources
Architects/Designers/Planners For Social Responsibility: http://www.adpsr.org/
Builders Without Borders: http://www.builderswithoutborders.org/
BuiltGreen: http://www.builtgreencanada.ca/
Canadian Green Building Council: http://www.cagbc.org/
Design Green: www.designgreen.org/
Eco Congregation: http://www.ecocongregation.org/
Ecological Building Network: http://www.ecobuildnetwork.org/
Ecology Building Society: http://www.ecologybuildingsociety.co.uk/
Eco-House Natural Products: http://www.eco-house.com/
Engineers Without Borders: http://www.ewb-usa.org/
Global Green USA: http://www.globalgreen.org/
Green Building: http://www.greenbuilding.com/
Greener Building: http://greenerbuildings.com/
Green Building Magazine: http://www.buildingforafuture.co.uk/
Green Building Pages: http://www.greenbuildingpages.com/
Green Works: http://www.greenworksbuildingsupply.com/
Indian Green Building Council: http://www.igbc.in/
Sustainable Building Centre: http://www.sustainablebuildingcentre.com/
US Green Building Council: http://www.usgbc.org/
World Green Building Council: http://www.worldgbc.org/
Green Pages
Prison Design Boycott Campaign organized by the Architects/Designers/Planners for social responsibility, it asks individuals to pledge to not participate in the design, construction or renovation of prisons. They ask individuals to envision a more just and productive alternative to incarceration: http://www.adpsr.org/prisons/
Buy A Green House is a unique online resource for individuals looking to buy green homes around the world: http://greenhomesforsale.com
Visit the Earthship Brighton, a sustainable building made from recycled tires and other local reclaimed waste and natural materials, on the 1st and 3rd Sunday of every month. The tour takes about 1 hour. For more information: http://www.lowcarbon.co.uk/
Show/Hide comment form
