Publisher's Commentary: Industry Insights — Making Commercial Construction More Environmentally Friendly
By: Troy Del Favero, E&M Consulting, Inc.
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Green building and construction have become more prevalent over the past decade with environmental conservation efforts. Newer buildings are being built with solar panels, biowalls or roofs, or biodegradable materials as a way to reduce their ecological footprint.1 Not only are the buildings becoming greener, so are the construction sites. Materials being used are natural lumber, clay plaster, straw bales and mortar, and energy sources such as biodiesel and vegetable oil are replacing diesel and oil. This can allow for less air and water pollution during the building’s lifespan.2 Existing buildings can be retrofitted to include updated HVAC and plumbing systems and energy efficient windows in place of old, drafty windows.3
Learning green building techniques can be difficult, but there are tools and courses that have been created to help. The U.S. Green Council Building Council has rating systems and courses to learn and become LEED certified.? Companies have developed collaborative green design software to help make it easier to compare and contrast all of the different green building options available. This software allows companies to run scenarios like showing the cost and benefits of using certain energy sources or project water usage for a certain building.? Green building is becoming more accessible, and it’s now easier than ever for builders to implement sustainable practices.
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Sources:
4. www.usgbc.org/leed