Concept of Sustainable Buildings in the Modern Day Building Industry

Concept of Sustainable Buildings in the Modern Day Building Industry Introduction Over the years, building designs have been changing in an effort to address diverse social, economic, and environmental needs. For instance, the 20th century was characterized by the advent of the skyscraper, in which the steel framing technology was exploited in a bid to surmount the shortage of real estate in different cities in the United States (U.S. Department of energy 2008).Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Concept of Sustainable Buildings in the Modern Day Building Industry specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More All of a sudden, the booming real estate market gave rise to other problems such as congestion and pollution that we now have to contend with. As a result, the modern day building industry seems to have ushered in a new era of change whereby the main goal is to ensure that we reduce as much as possible the various forms of footprint including carbon, energy, as well as environmental foo tprint of both residential and commercial buildings (U.S Department of energy 2008). At the same time, there is a dire need to conserve and optimize scarce resources such as energy, water, land, and clean air. In an attempt to surmount these challenges, players in the building industry are now banking on transformative technologies. For this reason, developers, designers and owners are on the lookout for new ways to reduce the environmental consequences and operating costs of buildings and at the same time, ensure that such buildings appeal to the occupants. This is what has given rise to the concept of sustainable buildings. A sustainable building refers to a structure that has been constructed in a resource-efficient and environmentally responsible manner. Such practices should be implemented in the entire lifecycle of the building beginning with siting, designing, and the actual construction. The same practices should also be utilized when maintaining, renovating, or demolishing such a building (EPA, n.d.). For proper coordination of all these activities, there is need for the various professionals involved to cooperate at the various stages of the project. These professionals include the design team, engineers, architects, and the client (EPA, n. d.).Advertising Looking for research paper on environmental studies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The practice of sustainable/green building is an expansion of and a complement to the conventional design of buildings that appears to emphasize more on utility, economy, comfort, and durability (Mumovic Santamouris, 2009). Even with the constant development in new technologies aimed at complementing the existing practices, sustainable buildings are designed in such a manner as to reduce the possible overall impact that such buildings could have on the built environment, the natural environment, as well as on human health. This can be achieved by e nsuring that such resources as water and energy have been utilized efficiently. Another way of achieving sustainability is by improving employee productivity and ensuring that the health of the occupant of such buildings is protected. Also, there is need to reduce pollution, waste, and environmental degradation (Mumovic Santamouris, 2009). Sustainability involves the ability to fulfill the needs of the current generation while still ensuring that the needs of future generations have not been compromised (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2010). A report released by the U.S. General Services Administration in 2009 reveals that it would cost less to design, construct, operate, and maintain a sustainable building compared to a conventional building. Moreover, such buildings are also characterized by excellent energy performance. Moreover, occupants of such buildings expressed a lot of satisfaction in terms of the overall construction of the building, in comparison with their count erparts who occupied the conventional commercial buildings. Why we need to promote the concept of sustainable buildings Statistics show that today, the amount of energy consumed by the over 4.7 million commercial buildings and more than 114 million households in the United States is more than that which is consumed by the industry sectors.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Concept of Sustainable Buildings in the Modern Day Building Industry specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In this case, the combined energy consumption by commercial and residential buildings in the United States is estimated at approximately 40 percent of the entire energy consumption in the country (U.S. Department of energy 2008). As such, the social, environmental, and financial benefits associated with the integration of renewable energy technologies, energy-efficient products and designs into both residential and commercial buildings are very evident. Nevertheless, up till now, in spite of increased consumer awareness on the benefits and significance of minimizing overall energy emission and consumption, Ellington 2004), there appears to be a very low uptake of the sustainable building concept. In the past few centuries, people who were interested in utilizing the earth’s resources to the fullest to support its progress and development were rarely questioned but in the 21st century, we continue to witness a significant and remarkable shift towards a more accountable approach. For instance, it is slowly dawning on developers, land owners, governments, the private sector, engineers and the general public that the earth’s resources are dwindling fast and for this reason, it is becoming increasingly important that all the parties involved make a concerted effort to ensuring that they preserve the environment so that future generations may also get a share of what mother nature has to offer. In addition, th ese parties are now fully aware of the importance of striking a balance between the environment, and their social and economic wellbeing for increased sustainability (Barr, 2004). That is why we are slowly witnessing a mushrooming of sustainable residential and commercial buildings that have been constructed in an eco-friendly manner. Even so, there is still need to create more awareness on the potential benefits of sustainable buildings if at all we are to witness profound improvements in the management of scarce natural resources and the associated negative effects once these resources are depleted.Advertising Looking for research paper on environmental studies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More As such, by embracing social, economically and environmentallys of renewable sources of energy that can be adopted in a sustainable building include solar power and wind power. The use of renewable sources of energy would therefore result in a major reduction in potential environmental impact on such buildings. In a bid to conserve energy, sustainable buildings should be constructed such that it is easily to identify and implement the various energy saving measures. Energy retrofits are by far more expensive compared to conservation and as such, a lot of effort should be dedicated to ensuring that we conserve energy. One of the strategies of ensuring that we have reduced our energy usage is by targeting those items that consume a lot of energy in the building (Allen Iano, 2008). For example, in a hotel, space conditioning (that is, cooling and heating) has been noted to utilize the most amount of energy. Therefore, in trying to conserve the energy consumption pattern of a hotel, a lot of efforts should be made to ensure that there is no heat transfer that takes place within the building. Other effective strategies that can also be adopted include decreasing infiltration, improving windows, insulating ductwork and exterior partitions, as well as retrofitting lighting fixtures. Another strategy that if implemented can lower costs is to ensure that during off peak times, electricity usage has been shifted (Allen Iano, 2008). The users of a sustainable building should form the habit of always saving energy. There is not much investment that goes into conservation measures and as such, they should be utilized more often. In terms of reducing operating costs, conservation measures have also proved to be the most cost-effective. Materials efficiency Certain building materials are considered as being sustainable. They include such renewable materials as straw, and bamboo, recycled metal, dimension stone, lumber obtained from certified forests, and recycled metals. O ther non-toxic, renewable, recyclable, and/or reusable materials that can also qualify as sustainable building materials include sheep wool, linoleum, truss, compressed earth block, baked earth, sand stone, flax linen, cork, wood fiber plates, and expanded clay grains, among others (EPA, n. d.). Other materials on the suggestion list of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for inclusion as sustainable building materials include foundry sand, coal combustion products, and demolition debris (EPA, n. d.). It is also recommended that building materials be extracted and produced closer to the site of the building as a way of reducing energy that would be expended upon their transit. Whenever possible, it is also recommended that the manufacturing of building material should take place off-site, after which they should then be delivered on-site. This is aimed at increasing benefits of off-site production, including reduction of recycling, reduced waste, less dust and noise, and high quality elements. Waste reduction Sustainable building is committed to ensuring that there is a drastic reduction in the wastage of building materials, energy, and water, among other vital resources. In addition, it is also important to ensure that water is not wasted when undertaking construction. Engineers involved in the construction stage of a sustainable building should ensure that they minimize the volume of materials that end up in landfills (Allen Iano, 2008). This way, it becomes easier to reduce the amount of materials in the landfill. Once the useful life of a building is over, most of them are demolished and the ensuing waste finds its way into landfills. Though deconstruction, such waste could be harvested and reclaimed to form useful building material (EPA, n. d.). We can also reduce wastes by extending the useful life of a building. Water Efficiency The concept of sustainable building is also concerned with activities aimed at ensuring that the protection of the qual ity of water is assured, and that the consumption of water has been minimized. One of the fundamental aspects of water consumption is that in certain areas, the supplying aquifer may not be able to sustain demand for water because its ability to self-replenish is slower (Mumovic Santamouris, 2009). For this reason, the personnel involved in the maintenance of such buildings should ensure that the water collected on-site has been put to good use by re-using it whenever possible. Protecting and conserving water in a building can be ensured by installing a dual plumbing design. This way, the occupants of a sustainable building can be assured throughout its entire lifetime. As a result, it becomes easier to recycle the water used to flush toilets, thereby ensuring water conservation. The use of water conserving fixtures like low-flow shower heads and ultra-low flush toilets can also help to reduce waste-water (Mumovic Santamouris, 2009). Also, the non-sewage water could also be put to better use, like for irrigation purposes instead of just letting it go to waste. This way, we can be able to reduce the demand for water from the local aquifer. Water conservation In order to minimize the overall water usage, efforts should be made to prevent pipes from leaking as this amount to wastage. How water pipes can also be insulated, and water meters installed. Water meters enable the collection of data on the consumption patterns of water. This way, one can easily establish specific water reductions goals with the intention of estimating the success of water conservation. Collecting rain water can also help to supplement piped water. In case the plumbing system within the building is leaking, it may result in over 10 dumping of water. In order to reduce such leaks, a concerted effort should be made to ensure that there is proper and regular maintenance of the plumbing system (Yan Stellios, 2006). Use should b made of low flow fixtures for they have that they are easy to install, not to mention that they are also cost comparable. The production of hot water should take place closer to the points of usage. This avoids wasting a lot of water and energy used to heat this water. One can save a lot of energy and water by increasing installing recirculating and pipe insulation units. Conclusion Sustainable buildings have gained a lot of popularity in recent years as it is starting to slowly dawn on us that our natural resources are dwindling very fast. For this reason, we need to ensure that we conserve energy, materials, and other resources such as water by adopting efficient and effective building principles. The main motivating factor for sustainable buildings is to ensure that the economic, social, and environmental concerns of a building are addressed. As such, sustainability buildings aim to ensure that the environmental impact of buildings is reduced as much as possible. Sustainable buildings often refer to those structures that have been designed in a resource-efficient and environmentally responsible manner. Such practices should be implemented in the entire lifecycle of the building starting with the basic step of site selection whereby the site selected for constructing the building should be environmentally friendly. Some of the common techniques applied in the design of sustainable buildings include proper site selection, optimizing the use of energy, use of environmentally friendly materials, improved indoor environmental quality, optimizing maintenance and operational activities, and improving the quality of the indoor environment. The entire building design should also emphasize on achieving an economic, social, and environmental balance. The same goes for the actual operation and construction. In addition, the maintenance, renovation or demolition of such a building should also follow these practices. The various professionals involved in the construction of a building need to cooperate so that all these activities can be properly coordinated. Reference List Allen, E, Iano, J. (2008). Fundamentals of building construction: materials and  methods. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley Sons Inc. Barr, S. (2004). Are we all environmentalists now? Rhetoric and reality in environmental  Action. Geoforum, 35, 231-249. California Sustainability Alliance (2011). Green Buildings. Retrieved from http://sustainca.org/programs/green_buildings_challenges Chang, K. (2000). Scientists Watch Cities Make Their Own Weather. Retrieved from http://nytimes.com/. EPA. (n.d.). What is a green building: Fundamental Principles of Green Building and Sustainable Site Design. Retrieved from http://epa.gov/statelocalclimate/documents/pdf/12_8_what_is_green_GGGC.pdf Ellington, M. (2004). Energy hogs a new advertising campaign raises consumer awareness on saving energy. Retrieved from eere.energy.gov/state_energy_program/update/printer_friendly.cfm?volume=51 Mumovic, D., Santamouris, M. (2009). An Integrated Approach to En ergy, Health and  Operational Performance. London: Earthscan U.S Department of energy. (2008). Energy Efficiency Trends in Residential and Commercial Buildings. Retrieved from http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/publications/pdfs/corporate/bt_stateindustry.pdf U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (2009). Green Building Basic Information. Retrieved from epa.gov/greenbuilding/pubs/about.htm U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.(2010). Why build green? Retrieved from epa.gov/greenbuilding/pubs/whybuild.htm Yan, J., Stellios, P. (2006). Design for Sustainability. Beijing: China Architecture and Building Press.