# Facts about green building

- Link: https://greenlivingguy.com/2019/12/facts-about-green-building/
- Published: 2019-12-04T00:56:10-05:00
- Author: greenlivingguy

When we talk of green building, many people most noteworthy aren’t really sure what
the whole thing is. It is a complex notion with so many factors involved. So if 
you are a fan of living green then you should definitely read through this article.

So are you struggling with the term ‘green building’? Because chances are you may
have heard of it under another name. Maybe the terms sustainable building or [green construction](https://greenlivingguy.com/2007/03/green-construction/)?

Of course there are concerns about the state of our environment. That’s namely [climate change and resource scarcity](https://greenlivingguy.com/2020/04/businesses-focus-short-term-sustainability-goals-not-climate-change-resource-scarcity/).
They are significant reasons for the increased focus on sustainability in construction.

More importantly, buildings use significant amounts of energy. Also they generate
climate change-causing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. According to the World Economic
Forum, around 30 percent of GHG emissions come from facilities. All built by the
infrastructure and urban development industry. Constructing buildings also uses 
about 3 billion tons of raw materials every year.

So climate change and other environmental problems become more clear and well-understood.
Now the construction industry is taking steps cutting its environmental impact and
helping address them.

However, this kind of building is resource-efficient.  Also, it’s absolutely environmentally
responsible all throughout a building’s life-cycle.

Obviously, this is a pretty demanding task (to stay green with such complex constructions).
So all members of the team need to collaborate together. I mean the architects, 
the engineers, the design team and naturally the client. All who should be informed
of all next steps throughout the project stages.

Green building isn’t only a matter of eco-friendly behavior. That’s because it expands
to concerns of utility, comfort, durability and economy of building design. Actually,
the whole idea behind this green construction is reducing waste.  As well as dealing
with environmental degradation and pollution. Finally, it’s supposed to increase
the efficiency of water and energy use.

Heating and cooling constitute a significant part of the cost of operating a building.
They also require large amounts of energy. [Green building techniques](https://greenlivingguy.com/2020/10/why-sustainable-building-techniques-are-the-future-of-construction/)
aim to make heating and cooling more efficient. One way green builders do this is
by improving the [insulation in a building](https://greenlivingguy.com/2014/01/dow-building-insulation-products-achieve-recertificatio/).
They call it to [tighten the thermal envelope.](https://www.superiorwalls.com/resources/green-info/)
Another way of looking at it is cutting the amount of air that escapes.

Green buildings also cut the cost of lighting which can make up 10 to 30 percent
of a building’s energy use. All by incorporating more efficient technologies such
as LED bulbs. As well as allowing in more natural light.

Similar to green building is a natural building. It’s pretty much the same concept.
Yet it’s just executed on a smaller scale. It also focuses on natural materials 
that also can be found locally.

#### ![Living Building Challenge goes LEED](https://i0.wp.com/greenlivingguy.com//srv/htdocs/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/40DE5D75-FD6B-436C-8826-9F9D1D9BFFDC.jpeg?zoom=3&resize=354%2C589&ssl=1)

**THIS IS DESIGN FOR THE FUTURE**

So in the Living Building Challenge, you can create buildings that are [the following](https://living-future.org/basics/):

1. Regenerative spaces that also connect occupants to light, air, food, nature, 
and community.

2. Self-sufficient and remaining within the resource limits of their site. Living
Buildings consequently produce more energy than they use. As well as they collect
and treat all water on site.

3. Most importantly, they will be Healthy and beautiful. Living buildings give more
than they take. Thereby creating a positive impact on the human and natural systems
that interact with them.

**
 CATALYZING CHANGE

Consequently the USGBC doesn’t provide a checklist of best practices. Because the
Living Building Challenge encourages teams to think [holistically](https://greenlivingguy.com/2019/10/discussing-green-well-behaved-building/).
Thereby to find solutions that tackle multiple issues at once.

For example:

1. A water system’s power needs must factor into the energy budget.

2. Materials must be non-toxic and low impact to satisfy the demands of the Materials
Petal.

3. Projects must integrate local culture, biophilic elements and beauty in order
to foster community and natural connections. In addition, the program outlines a
design framework that promotes the highest standard of sustainability for the built
environment. Rather than a checklist of current best practices, the LBC includes
a series of performance goals empowering project teams to find creative design solutions.

Truth is, some green building programs (maybe even most of them) don’t really address
the issue of the retrofitting existing homes. Yet others that do, do it through 
public plans for energy efficient refurbishment.

Good thing is that green construction principles are applied to retrofit work. That’s
as well as new construction.

Reducing environmental impact of building is the aim of green building. There are
some rules (not official ones, though) that most apply to green building.

#### Here they are:

_1. buildings should be as small as possible
 2. if there is no need for building,
don’t build 3. Do not contribute to sprawling

#### **How do buildings affect climate change?**

All the energy that’s used on daily basis to power and heat our buildings. It all
leads to the consumption of large amounts of energy.

This is mainly from burning fossil fuels – natural gas, coal, and oil. Because these
generate significant amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2). Carbon dioxide is known to
be the most widespread greenhouse gas. So, what’s fundamental to green building 
is reducing the energy use. Then greenhouse gas emissions aren’t produced with constructing
buildings.

Also, an effort is also constantly made to slow the pace of global climate change.
With green buildings we collectively maximize both the economic and environmental
performance of buildings.

#### Some specific economic, environmental and social benefits of green building are:

**Economic benefits**
 Reducing operating costs Improving occupant productivity 
Optimizing life-cycle economic performance Creating, shaping and expanding markets
for green product and services

**Environmental benefits**
 Enhancing and protecting biodiversity and ecosystems
Reducing waste streams Conserving and restoring natural resources Improving air 
and water quality

**Social benefits**
 Enhancing occupant comfort and health Minimizing strain on 
local infrastructure Improving overall quality of life Heightening aesthetic qualities

So if you are wondering whether only certain types of buildings can go green? Well
the answer is no!

Because and most importantly: All buildings and of any type have the potential to
become a sustainable building.

That’s obviously every building type has different efficiency needs. Their needs
depend on the particular function.

In conclusion, if you are thinking of turning the existing [buildings green](https://greenlivingguy.com/2021/08/how-can-we-make-our-buildings-green/),
you can. Because it’s done through improved operations, remodeling and retrofitting.

Finally, additional Useful information for this article has been kindly provided
by [New home builders](https://web.archive.org/web/20170924033323/http://inonehomes.com.au/).