The attention has shifted to sustainability over the last couple of decades. The threat of global warming looms over every industry, and the construction industry is no different. Buildings consume 30% of the world’s energy and are responsible for 40% of carbon emissions. This implies buildings contribute 40% of carbon dioxide to total world production. These emissions are generated throughout a building’s life cycle due to unsustainable practices during construction, operation, maintenance, and demolition.
Traditionally-designed buildings are a major cause of climate change. To solve the problem, many organisations have started investing in green buildings. Green buildings can employ processes that are resource-efficient, eco-friendly, and economical. In this blog, we will highlight the key features of green buildings and how they are paving the way for a sustainable future.
What are Green Buildings?
Green buildings are structures designed to improve the efficiency of every process involved during its life cycle. A green building differs from a traditional building in its objectives: low energy consumption, high efficiency, and sustainable functioning. From contractors and architects to engineers and clients, everyone needs to cooperate to achieve this. Green buildings save energy, water, land, and raw material and reduce pollution. In the next section, we have compiled a list of key features of green buildings:
Key features of green buildings
- Optimize consumption: green buildings reduce energy consumption by relying on renewable energy sources and robust innovations. Consequentially, they optimize their operating energy usage. Some mechanisms include extra-insulated walls, reduced air leakage, and effective window placement to utilize natural light and reduce the need for electric light. All these small changes accumulate to reduce energy costs. As the right of Light Surveyors London, Party Wall, Fire Consultancy & specialist surveying practice we pride ourselves on providing expert advice that adds value to our clients. We are driven by a commitment to deliver as the consultant of choice. We are proud to have one of the most experienced and dedicated specialist consultant and building surveying teams in the UK.
- Productivity: Because of the intricate and planned design, green buildings provide a fertile environment for their inhabitants. They are built with the social health and well-being of the communities to increase productivity. They employ tactics like proper ventilation, water quality, reduced noise, and lighting to do this. For instance, one impact of such mindful designing is improved sleep duration and quality, leading to healthier social interaction and performance amongst residents. Green buildings also utilize IoT-enabled devices to optimize energy use and deliver user convenience.
- Waste reduction: Green buildings reduce waste typically generated during construction by using on-site solutions like reusing material and employing compost bins. They also utilize greywater, treated wastewater in various applications such toilet flushing and washing cars. This increases water efficiency drastically and reduces the impact of water treatment plants.
- Sustainable maintenance: Operation and maintenance (O&M) is another vital feature of green buildings. The O&M staff is responsible for adding new technologies and practices like recycling and air quality management. Their key objective is to enable resource conservation and encourage the use of eco-friendly products in the building.
- Resiliency: Finally, green building also provide protection from various crises like natural and artificial disasters. They do this by relying on robust power supply and mitigation solutions. Some builders also offer remote operation of your building services to resist the spread of disease.
Discover Sustainable Solutions for All Your Needs
The need for green technology and sustainable practices keeps extending to all industries. In construction, many companies are already working with the innovative technology in a race to build a safer, greener future. At Schneider Electric, our team of experts can find the perfect solution to your needs. We help our clients embrace carbon-neutral practices and reduce their building’s overall energy consumption and waste production.
With our Ecostruxture solution, our IoT-enabled devices enable building owners and operators to employ AI to significantly reduce operating costs and boost productivity by addressing space management, operational efficiency, and occupant experience.
