Sustainable building, also known as green building, can be best described as the implementation of environmentally conscious, resource friendly systems and processes throughout a building’s lifecycle. In other words, from design to demolition, every aspect of the building is created to be as eco-friendly as possible.
Green construction has gained traction in recent years and isn’t slowing down anytime soon. For those looking to build green, they are easy and simple practices one can implement. Here are just a few ways you can try green building for your next project.
1. Sustainable Construction Materials
At any given construction site, the consumption of resources is considerable. By integrating recycled and/or biodegradable materials, we could see a major impact in both waste reduction and air pollution. On your next green construction project, make these simple swaps to make a big difference.
In place of wood beams, one could allot these recycled steel beams within the green construction. It could help to prevent further exhaustion to a valuable natural resource: wood. These steel beams also offer more resilience towards severe weather conditions.
It may be deemed nearly impossible to construct a building that uses next to no energy. However, that is not the case. Zero-energy buildings are designed and engineered to function independent of the electric grid, by use of only renewable resources, e.g. sun and wind. How can one utilize renewable resources when constructing a green building?
Roughly 30% of heating and air conditioning is lost through windows. Although low-e coatings and smart windows are still relatively new, they are quickly becoming a well-known resource for green building.
What type of ideas have you implemented into your green construction process? Comment below to let us know, and be sure to download our ebook, "The Top 10 Inventive Green Engineering Trends for 2017," to learn more about the up-and-coming green building trends!