The Environmental Impacts of Eco-friendly Construction

1357 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Sustainable architecture

The Environmental Impacts of Eco-friendly Construction
A considerable change which has occurred in the late 1990s around the world, is an increased number of regulations to minimize environmental damage. People, also have become more conscious of environmental protection and as a result there is increased demand for green architectural design which consists of eco-friendly construction. Eco friendly construction refers to building with a reduction of energy consumption, waste, pollution and degradation of the environment, to protecting health and efficiently using water resources (Dean 2003). However, a significant problem for environmentalists, architects and urban planners, is how to reduce the effects of climate change by eco-friendly building. This assignment will discuss how eco-friendly buildings help protect the environment, describe the types of green materials, used and why, and explain how is the quality of these kind of buildings can be improved. Finally, it will summarise the research findings and evaluate the implications of eco-friendly building for future urban development.

One type of explanation for the increased number of green buildings relates to the impacts of climate change. Lane (2003), for example, argue that today, almost the half of world-wide energy consumption is used by buildings, and as much as one fourth of global greenhouse gas emissions, in developing and developed nations. Furthermore, the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate (IPCC) evaluated building-related greenhouse gas emissions to be approximately 8.6 million metric tons of CO2 in 2004.This indicates that eco-friendly buildings should be constructed in order to reduce the damages of climate change, because they...

... middle of paper ...

...on.

REFERENCES
Dean, A 2003 Green by Design, Creating a Home for Sustainable Living, Gibbs Smith Publisher, Utah, United States.
Lane, G 2003 Energy-Efficient Housing Design A Combined Approach, The Earth Sheltered/Superinsulated/Passive Solar House, Van Nostrand Reinhold Company, United States.
Levine, M, Urge-Vorsatze, D, Blok, K, Geng, L, Harvey, D, Land, S, Levermore, 2007, Residential and commercial buildings, Climate Change 2007, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom & New York, NY, United States , viewed 28 January 2014,

Spiegel, R & Meadows, D 2006 Green Building Materials A Guide To Product Selection and Specification, John Willey & Sons, Inc., New Jersey, United States.
Strongman, C 2010 The Sustainable Home, Merrell Publishers, London, United Kingdom

Show More
Related

  • Rhetorical Analysis Of Forget Shorter Showers By Derrick Jensen

    1293 Words  | 3 Pages

    LEED, or Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design, is a certification program for green buildings with stringent requirements for building energy efficient and environmentally responsible structures. Some requirements of this program include specific building materials, smart grid capable, gray water reclamation systems, green space minimums, high levels of insulation and low thermal transfer glass (US Green Building Council). Green buildings are a must if we are to sustain our current level of growth. Despite the higher initial cost of these buildings, the long term energy savings make these buildings a smarter choice for

    Read More

  • Key Factors Of Passive Solar Design

    846 Words  | 2 Pages

    In passive solar design, the vertical and horizontal surfaces control the heat transfer; in winters collect and distribute solar heat and dissipate heat in summer. Passive solar techniques utilize solar energy through direct or indirect solar gain to achieve environmental comfort in the building. The key factors in passive solar building design are: site planning and design; thermal mass; solar geometry; ventilation and vegetation.

    Read More

  • Hair Analysis In Forensic Science

    528 Words  | 2 Pages

    Being a forensic scientist, with experience of over 20 years in the field, I’ve developed an expert level knowledge of topics such as hair analysis. I routinely classify and perform tests on specific pieces of evidence lifted from a crime scene. After analyzing the data, a forensic analyst, such as myself, will then prepare a detailed report that documents the work that was performed and the findings of the procedures. The integrity of these reports are remained due to the strict adherence to laboratory rules.

    Read More

  • One World Trade Center

    1591 Words  | 4 Pages

    In conclusion, the designers and builders of the tower have an undesirable job: creating a building that is functional, modern, sustainable and unique. At the same time it is honoring the memory of the people that died in and around the buildings that stood there before. While the green sustainable features have been criticized for being too expensive, they will do more than save just water, electricity and emissions. They and the grace of the building will inspire a generation of green and safe skyscrapers for the twenty-first century. This building has become one of the safest, environmentally friendly and expensive ever built, but as critics slate the building for various reasons, one cannot take away the determination through political, social and economic status that designers and workers have created such a beautiful building with great meaning.

    Read More

  • "Going Green" in the Workplace

    1453 Words  | 3 Pages

    Whether you are considering building new or simply renovating, there are many verdant options that a company can use to reduce expenses. There is a price difference present between the costs of traditional and eco-friendly building materials. Typically these costs contribute about 2-3% towards the increase on price when choosing to use green building materials (Lawson, 2009). At first you think 2 - 3%, really is not significant at all, however if you consider many of the larger companies easily spends upwards of 5 – 6 million dollars on new constructions. That is quiet a magnitude of money; ranging anywhere from $100,000 – $180,000 in extra investments, depending on the options that are chosen.

    Read More

  • Social Construct of Codes

    552 Words  | 2 Pages

    Green building advancement dates back to the late nineteenth century when it started with the concepts of environmental conservation and preservation, and public health protection. The idea at that time was opposed because the public felt that it contradicted social norms that defined how a private home should be constructed for the good of the public. It was later accepted as a measure of environmental conservation and at the present, green building programmes are fully established departments in various counties in the United States. Home builder associations and non-governmental bodies have taken the collective responsibility in advocating for green building. Many people now believe that these programmes reflect a paradigm shift in the cultural perspective, in view of public health and environmental conservation (Moore, and Nathan 51).

    Read More

  • St Diamond Building Case Study

    2123 Words  | 5 Pages

    Globally, green buildings are being recognised and accredited, leading to the introduction of various tools and indices with one common objective that is to evaluate, measure, distinguish and sets apart this uniquely designed buildings from the rest. The Diamond Building carries a Green Building Index (GBI) accreditation, a first in Malaysia. Among the achievement of the ST Diamond Building are:

    Read More

  • Sustainable Design

    2494 Words  | 5 Pages

    Sustainable design seeks to reduce negative impacts on the environment, the health and comfort of building occupants, thereby improving building performance. The basic objects of sustainability are to reduce consumption of non-renewable resources, minimal waste, and create healthy, productive environments (“Sustainable Design”). Focusing primarily on the sustainable design principles, there are five, including: low-impact materials, energy efficiency, quality and durability, design for reuse and recycling, and renewability. As sustainability appears to become the necessary trend in architecture, the question concerning the cost versus outcome of “going green” really an investment or a waste of time and money comes to mind. With our research provided below, we believe the expenses may truly be with the investment in the end.

    Read More

  • What Is The Climate Change Scenario Essay

    1850 Words  | 4 Pages

    Buildings and the appliances alone account for 40 percent of America 's energy use and a third of our global warming emissions (NRDC). New buildings will need to meet new energy-efficiency standards that maximize energy savings and existing homes and commercial spaces can be improved to save energy through weatherizing and installing energy efficient heating, cooling and lighting systems. Ultimately, this will not only be energy efficient but also cost effective as well. In the bigger picture, retrofitting just 1 out of every 5 homes would avoid the need to build 13 mid-sized power plants every year. Retrofitting every house in the country would cut as much global warming pollution as taking a half a million cars off the road – and would save more oil and gas than we could extract from drilling in our coastal waters (NRDC). In the long run, creating more efficient communities through homes and buildings, we could cut back on the global warming issues we are dealing

    Read More

  • Green Buildings: Sustainable Growth And Environment And The Environment

    1639 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Green Building is a way to increase the positive effects and fade the negative effects through the life cycle of the building.

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Sustainable Development In Civil Engineering

    759 Words  | 2 Pages

    Implementation of green concepts has been significant not only in design engineering but also in construction. Therefore the knowledge about green design has been a very important fact for the sustainable development in civil engineering. Concepts such as green buildings, carbon foot print, ecological foot print and LEED rating system have helped to achieve sustainable development for civil engineering

    Read More

  • Green Buildings/Green Architecture

    2880 Words  | 6 Pages

    Kats, G., Alevantis, L., Berman A., Perlman J., & Mills, E. (2003, October). The Costs and Financial Benefits of Green Buildings: A Report to California’s Sustainable Building Task Force. Retrieved from http://www.usgbc.org/Docs/News/News477.pdf

    Read More

  • The Benefits of Green Building

    1334 Words  | 3 Pages

    The use of green materials is better for the environment because they have a positive impact on the planet. Looking at our environment today we see a place that has been facing a massive climate change. Scientists have been concerned over global warming for decades. The ongoing increase of the earth’s temperature is believed to be caused by the greenhouse effect (“Global Warming” 27). Building with green materials produces significantly lower greenhouse gas emission. Specifically, wood as a material for building products, requires considerably less energy than other building products such as steel and concrete. Wood product manufacture results in fewer greenhouse gas and other air-polluting emissions (“Green Building Benefits”). Green building also results in waste reduction. In the United States, construction and demolition creates a huge amount of solid waste. Green building limits the waste prod...

    Read More

  • Green Architecture

    661 Words  | 2 Pages

    The beginnings of today's green revolution can be traced back to the environmental awareness of the 1960s and European design. New construction techniques have lead to the development of innovative materials and design concepts. Green buildings are designed, constructed and commissioned to ensure they are healthy for their occupants. Successfully designed green projects can involve an extensive array of factors, ranging from the resourceful use of materials, to careful consideration of function, climate, and location.

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Environmental Psychology

    868 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...s undergone several iterations to include the variety of different project development types, align with policy changes, and adapt to new technologies and innovations in sustainable buildings denoted in Table 1 (U.S. Green Building Council, 2009; Winchip, 2011). Currently, the LEED rating system product portfolio includes: Homes, Neighborhood Development (ND), Commercial Interiors (CI), Core and Shell, New Construction (NC- and Major Renovations), Existing buildings (Operations and Maintenance), Schools, Retail (CI), and Healthcare elaborated in Table ? (Green Building Education Services, 2011; Winchip, 2011). For the purpose of this study, LEED New Construction (NC) version 2.2 will validate the objective quality of the sustainable buildings as the LEED Auburn University building inventory indicates two completed certified building projects demonstrated in table 1.

    Read More

More about The Environmental Impacts of Eco-friendly Construction

Open Document