Green building has not gotten as much traction as it should, given its many benefits, writes Lance Hosey, Chief Sustainability Officer with RTKL.
Despite reports that LEED-certified buildings can cut greenhouse gas emissions and water consumption by half, while costing 25% less to operate, only about 1% of the U.S. building stock is green. Hosey attributes this situation to six misperceptions about sustainable design:
1. Myth: Sustainability Equals Environmentalism. Reality: Green design is not just for tree huggers. It also produces economic value.
2. Myth: Sustainability Equals Technology. Reality: Sustainability is not just about solar panels and wind turbines.
3. Myth: Sustainable Design Costs Too Much. Reality: Today, LEED-certified buildings can be built at the same cost or even lower cost than conventional construction.
4. Myth: Sustainable Design Takes More Time. Reality: Integrated design, which brings together a project's key stakeholders, designers, consultants and contractors early to get consensus on goals, can save time by ensuring more thorough coordination and avoiding costly changes later.
5. Myth: Sustainability Isn't About Design. Reality: Green design is not just about specifications in a technical manual. For instance, decisions about a building’s shape have a significant impact on the resources needed.
6. Myth: Sustainable Design Isn't Beautiful. Reality: The look and feel of design are essential to sustainability. “Following the lessons of sustainability to their logical conclusion will inspire more designers to reconsider the impact of every decision, including form and image,” Hosey says.
Related Stories
Codes and Standards | Dec 18, 2023
ASHRAE releases guide on grid interactivity in the decarbonization process
A guide focusing on the critical role of grid interactivity in building decarbonization was recently published by ASHRAE. The Grid-Interactive Buildings for Decarbonization: Design and Operation Resource Guide provides information on maximizing carbon reduction through buildings’ interaction with the electric power grid.
75 Top Building Products | Dec 13, 2023
75 top building products for 2023
From a bladeless rooftop wind energy system, to a troffer light fixture with built-in continuous visible light disinfection, innovation is plentiful in Building Design+Construction's annual 75 Top Products report.
Codes and Standards | Dec 11, 2023
Washington state tries new approach to phase out fossil fuels in new construction
After pausing a heat pump mandate earlier this year after a federal court overturned Berkeley, Calif.’s ban on gas appliances in new buildings, Washington state enacted a new code provision that seems poised to achieve the same goal.
Green | Dec 11, 2023
U.S. has tools to meet commercial building sector decarbonization goals early
The U.S. has the tools to reduce commercial building-related emissions to reach target goals in 2029, earlier than what it committed to when it signed the Paris Agreement, according to a report by the U.S. Green Building Council.
Industry Research | Dec 9, 2023
Two new reports provide guidance for choosing healthier building products
The authors, Perkins&Will and the Healthy Building Network, home in on drywall, flooring, and insulation.The authors, Perkins&Will and the Healthy Building Network, home in on drywall, flooring, and insulation.
University Buildings | Dec 8, 2023
Yale University breaks ground on nation's largest Living Building student housing complex
A groundbreaking on Oct. 11 kicked off a project aiming to construct the largest Living Building Challenge-certified residence on a university campus. The Living Village, a 45,000 sf home for Yale University Divinity School graduate students, “will make an ecological statement about the need to build in harmony with the natural world while training students to become ‘apostles of the environment’,” according to Bruner/Cott, which is leading the design team that includes Höweler + Yoon Architecture and Andropogon Associates.
Industrial Facilities | Nov 14, 2023
Some AEC firms are plugging into EV charging market
Decentralized electrical distribution is broadening recharger installation to several building types.
Sustainability | Nov 1, 2023
Researchers create building air leakage detection system using a camera in real time
Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory have developed a system that uses a camera to detect air leakage from buildings in real time.
Sustainability | Nov 1, 2023
Tool identifies financial incentives for decarbonizing heavy industry, transportation projects
Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) has released a tool to identify financial incentives to help developers, industrial companies, and investors find financial incentives for heavy industry and transport projects.
Codes and Standards | Oct 10, 2023
Green Seal will not certify any paints, coatings, floor care products containing PFAS
Green Seal will no longer certify any paints and coatings, floor care products, adhesives, and degreasers containing any per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), commonly called “forever chemicals.”
