The importance of sustainable building

As we’re constantly reminded about the impact that modern-day living is having on the environment, we’re becoming increasingly conscious about our carbon footprint and how to reduce it.

Companies are especially being forced to think about the impact that they’re having on the world and are facing more pressure than ever to conform to environmentally-friendly practices. The construction industry is one in particular that is being confronted with a huge amount of change as sustainable architecture is looking to pave the way for future building work.

What is sustainable building?

Otherwise known as green building, sustainable design is the practice of increasing the efficiency of how buildings and their sites use water, energy and other materials. This is done in a bid to reduce the impact they have on the environment as well as the health of human beings.

The benefits of sustainable buildings include:

• They work in harmony with local climate, tradition and culture
• They are much better for the local environment
• They conserve energy, resources and recycling materials
• They reduce the amount of hazardous substances that humans and wildlife are exposed to

Why is sustainable building so important?

As the world’s population continues to increase, naturally this means that we need more buildings to house people. The growth and development of cities and communities is having a huge impact however:

• Trees are being cut down
• Land is being built over
• Building and running these buildings is producing chemicals that are toxic to our environment and our health

According to the United Nations Environment Programme, the outcome of this activity is wreaking havoc with our planet. Buildings have been found to be accountable for nearly half of all the world’s energy expenditures. As well as this, they are also responsible for 40% of greenhouse gas emissions, 25% of the earth’s potable water and in developed countries, more than 20% of all solid waste generated.

These figures alone are enough to reinforce the message that more must be done to minimise the environmental damage that building work is having. 

How does sustainable building work?

Sustainable architecture helps the environment because it actively uses innovative design, renewable materials and energy-efficient technology. By doing this, our dependence on traditional energy sources is reduced and the end result is as follows:

• The environmental cost of construction is reduced as less material waste is produced and sustainable products are being used
• The long-term environmental impacts of building is improved because we’re constructing more efficient buildings which are using a fraction of the energy that older style buildings are

The good news is that sustainable design isn’t just limited to new builds – it can in fact be incorporated into existing buildings. This can be done in a number of ways including adding insulation, using solar panels and replacing old and inefficient heating systems with low-energy models.

In a bid to encourage homeowners to upgrade to sustainable technologies and businesses to adopt more energy-efficient practices, the government runs a number of schemes which offer support for the installation of the products mentioned above.