BTCH 0413 – LECTURE NO.
2 buildings can even enhance the health of the
SUSTAINABILITY IN CONSTRUCTION
1. INTRODUCTION TO GREEN BUILDINGS AND
COMMUNITIES
 Built environment – refers to any environment
that is man-made and provides a structure for
human activity
 Green Building – today’s best practices become
tomorrow’s standard practices
2. THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF BUILDINGS
 Why is green building necessary?
- Buildings and communities, including the
resources used to create them and the energy,
water, and materials needed to operate them,
have a significant effect on the environment
and human health.
- In the US:
o 14% of potable water consumption
o 30% of waste output
o 40% of raw materials use
o 38% of carbon dioxide emissions
o 24-50% of energy use
o 72% of electricity consumption
 Why is green building necessary?
- Cumulative effect of conventional practices in
the building industry has profound implications
for human health, the environment and the
economy:
o Clearing of land for development often
destroys wildlife habitat
o Extracting, manufacturing, and
transporting materials may pollute
water and air, release toxic chemicals,
and emit greenhouse gases
o Building operations require large inputs
of energy and water and generate
substantial waste streams
o Transportation to and from buildings by
commuters and service providers
compounds the harmful environmental
effects associated with vehicle use, such
as increases energy consumption and
pollution
- By building green, we can reduce that
environment damage. In many cases, green
environment and the people who use them.
- A study by the New Buildings Institute found
that in green buildings, average energy use
intensifies (energy consumed per unit of floor
space) are 24% lower than in typical buildings.
Additionally, the US General Services
Administration surveyed 12 green buildings in
its portfolio and found these savings and
improvements:
o 26% less energy usage
o 27% higher levels of occupant
satisfaction
o 13% lower maintenance costs
o 33% lower emissions of carbon dioxide
3. WHAT IS GREEN BUILDING?
 Green building pursues solutions that represent
a healthy and dynamic balance between
environmental, social, and economic benefits.
 Sustainability and green often used
interchangeably, are about more than just
reducing environmental impacts.
 Sustainability means creating spaces that are
environmentally responsible, healthful, just,
equitable, and profitable.
 Greening the environment means looking
holistically at natural, human, and economic
systems and finding solutions that support
quality of life for all.
 People (social capital) – all the costs and
benefits to the people who design, construct,
live in, work in, and constitute the local
community and are influenced, directly or
indirectly, by a project
 Planet (natural capital) – all the costs and
benefits of a project on the natural
environment, locally, and globally
 Profit (economic capital) – all the economic
costs and benefits of a project for all the
stakeholders (not just the project owner)
4. GREEN BUILDING AND CLIMATE CHANGE
 Buildings and land-use are responsible for a
large proportion of greenhouse gas emissions
 It is not enough for green buildings to lessen the
effects that humans have on our climate. It
must also prepare us for the inevitable
consequences of climate change on our homes,
communities, and society as a whole. A lower-
carbon future will not only have higher-
 performing buildings, but also require higher-
performing communities.
 The built environment, including buildings and
transportation systems, accounts for more than
two-thirds of all greenhouse gas emissions.
 Greenhouse gas emissions come from many
components of the built environment, including
building systems and energy use, transportation