The Argument for Green Buildings
When working on a LEED project, there are several decisions that will need to be decided which transcend conventional wisdom with respect to our thinking, designing and developing the actual built product. Understanding the basic tenets of green building is paramount to progressing a successful sustainable project. Conventional building methods should be generally regarded as unfriendly assaults to our environment, and hence our natural resources and the quality of life.
The design construction and operation of conventional buildings:
a. Pre Design
b. Poor stewardship of site during development
c. Project design
d. Construction practices
As such, conventional buildings account for:
14% of potable water consumption
30% of waste output
38% of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions
40% of raw material use
39% of energy use
72% of electrical consumption
By definition, sustainability is the ability or the way of the current generation to meet its own needs without any compromise of the ability of future generations to meet their needs. With the projected population and construction growth, couple with the vast amount of resources that our buildings consume, we are going to have to get a lot cleverer about how we build.
The design construction and operation of conventional buildings:
a. Pre Design
- lack of project team communication and coordination
- lack of sustainable support for site selection and building orientation as well as location
- lack of a focus as a responsible member of the community
b. Poor stewardship of site during development
- loss of top soil
- disregard for existing habitat and ecosystems
- lack of coordinated construction parking and material delivery storage areas
c. Project design
- excessive carbon dioxide emissions
- excessive use of energy and electricity
- excessive use of potable water
- excessive burden on our raw materials
- poor indoor environment quality
d. Construction practices
- poor waste management
- lack of sufficient moisture protection
As such, conventional buildings account for:
14% of potable water consumption
30% of waste output
38% of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions
40% of raw material use
39% of energy use
72% of electrical consumption
By definition, sustainability is the ability or the way of the current generation to meet its own needs without any compromise of the ability of future generations to meet their needs. With the projected population and construction growth, couple with the vast amount of resources that our buildings consume, we are going to have to get a lot cleverer about how we build.
