A green building is far more than a building with a planted wall, or a grassy roof. So what is a green building, what features does a green building have, and why is a green building important?
A “green building” is a building that through its design, construction, renovations, and internal operations effectively reduces and/or completely eliminates its negative impact on the environment. Furthermore, through innovation and design, a green building can create a positive impact on our climate and the immediate environment.
Green buildings also preserve precious natural resources and through their sustainable build and operation, they not only preserve but actively improve quality of life.
What are some of the signs or features that a green building may have?
Efficient use of energy, water, and other natural resources, often working to recapture and recycle the natural resources to decrease waste and preserve them.
Use of renewable energy to power the building, such as solar energy, wind power, or it can source its energy from a local renewable energy source such as a community solar project, solar farm, or wind turbines.
Green buildings have pollution and waste reduction measures, and the enabling of re-use and recycling.
Good indoor environmental air quality to improve the quality of life for the building, reduce emissions, and provide clean air for the people inside the building.
Use of materials that are non-toxic, ethical, and sustainable.
Consideration of the environment in design, construction, and operation, this includes considering the environment when choosing the building materials.
Consideration of the quality of life of occupants in design, construction, and operation
A green building incorporates a design that enables adaptation to a changing environment for the better.
What buildings can become green buildings?
Today, technology exists so that any building can be a green building!
Be it your home, your apartment, an office, a school, a hospital, a shopping mall, a community center, and essentially any building structure that provides a service of some kind or another.
Will you need to have all the above features in place to be considered a “green building”?
The answer depends on what state, or what country your building is in, as well as what kind of a building it is. Not all green buildings need to be exactly the same.
An office building may have different requirements to become a green building than a manufacturing plant. That’s because a manufacturing plant will need to be designed in a way that it does not pollute the environment.
Different states and countries also have different green building requirements based on the environmental goals, and their climate and environmental situation. While a green building positively changes its environment for the better, the idea is to have all buildings working together to create a 100% sustainable system that promotes life.
This is why at Bio Developing Corp, we are dedicated and specialize in helping you transform your existing building into a green building or to help you build one from the ground up, fulfilling all the necessary requirements.