Green building is a holistic concept that starts with the understanding that the built environment can have profound effects, both positive and negative, on the natural environment, as well as the people who inhabit buildings every day. Green building is an effort to amplify the positive and mitigate the negative of these effects throughout the entire life cycle of a building.
While there are many different definitions of green building out there, it is generally accepted as the planning, design, construction, and operations of buildings with several central, foremost considerations: energy use, water use, indoor environmental quality, material section and the building's effects on its site.
LEED is green building
According to data from the United Nations (UN), in 2050 around 68% of humanity will live in cities. These represent only 3% of the planet's surface, but consume 78% of energy and produce 60% of greenhouse gas emissions. For this reason, in 2016 the UN itself improved the New Urban Agenda to advise countries on their urbanisation processes and make cities more habitable, inclusive, healthy, resilient and sustainable.
Iberdrola is a member of the Madrid World Capital of Construction, Engineering and Architecture Association (MWCC). This entity promotes these sectors both in the capital and throughout Spain, consolidating the international leadership of Spanish companies and making Madrid and Spain visible as a world reference centre in the urban solutions sector.
What is a green building and its importance in sustainable urban planning
As opposed to the commuter towns that were the result of the Industrial Revolution and the developmentalism of the 20th century, the new trends in urban planning include the construction of eco-neighbourhoods which are urban projects that aim to reduce the impact on the environment and change the living habits of citizens to make them more responsible for their surroundings. The construction of buildings and other infrastructures using sustainable technologies and materials is key to this type of initiative.
A green or sustainable building is a building that, because of its construction and features, can maintain or improve the quality of life of the environment in which it is located. To do this, it is essential to achieve a high level of efficiency: reducing the consumption of energy, water and other resources minimises pollution. The LEED certificate (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is the internationally accepted official recognition that establishes whether a building deserves to be considered sustainable.
A history of green buildings
The concept of ecological architecture was introduced in the 1960s. The energy crisis in the 1970s further fueled the development of renewable energy resources, including solar, geothermal, and wind energy, as well as more energy-efficient buildings. In 1980, the concept of “sustainable development” took hold, and a few developed countries had begun widely implementing energy-saving building systems. In 1990, the United Kingdom introduced the world’s first green building standard, followed by formation of the U.S. Green Building Council in 1993.
The U.S. Green Building Council established the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building rating system later in the 1990s to create a central framework for codifying and verifying the effective implementation of green building practices. It has grown into a robust and internationally recognized standard, despite its origination and predominant application in the United States.
Since the 1990s, agencies and countries around the world also have adopted their own green building programs and standards. Regardless of the system for guiding its implementation, the green buildings concept remains universal. It has evolved into a necessary cornerstone in the building sector and a major focus of academia and industry in seeking to address global energy challenges.
Why is green building important?
Some 38% of global energy-related carbon emissions stem from building construction and building operations. With greenhouse gas emissions known to be the leading cause of anthropogenic global warming, sustainable design and sustainable building are emerging as critical efforts to mitigate the impacts of climate change.
In addition to environmental impact, green building programs also yield other benefits such as:
-Lowering building operating costs and utility bills through reduced energy consumption and water use.
-Enhancing public health, quality of life and productivity through more comfortable and healthier indoor environments.
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Helping developers and building owners meet environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards.
-Increasing the likelihood of buildings becoming high-performing assets, with green buildings often achieving higher market value than comparable structures.
-The Kaiser Permanente Medical Office Building, Santa Rosa, California The medical office building includes heat pumps that reduced annual energy use by approximately 40%. A photovoltaic array was also installed in the building’s parking lot, producing enough electricity to offset the building’s energy use.
- Urbanización El Paraíso, Colombia The residential multiunit project in a small Colombian city features natural lighting and ventilation systems that prevent disease associated with indoor air pollution and mold. It also includes a rainwater storage system and landscaping with native species. The project was built near a municipal transport route, a park and several public services.
-18 King Wah Road, Hong Kong S.A.R. of the PRC This commercial building was retrofitted with upgrades that promote sustainability. The interior surfaces of its car park were covered in a special photocatalytic paint that breaks down air pollutants for better air quality. It also features an energy-efficient, solar-powered air conditioning system, design elements that allow more daylight into the building, and air filtration and ventilation systems to ensure indoor air quality.
