Green buildings (aka sustainable buildings) ideas became much more popular during the 1990s. In 1992 the first green building program began in Austin, Texas, the following year the U. S. Green Building Council (USGBC) was founded and in 1998 they launched the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) which is a green building rating system and certification program that is nationally accepted. Location is important when constructing a green building and many factors are to be considered when choosing a construction site. Environmentally sensitive areas are not most desirable when searching for a location.
The most beneficial spots to build upon are former parking lots, shopping centers, and/or factories. Buildings should be constructed within easy walking distance from public transportation, schools, and stores so that bicycles or walking can be used as opposed to driving your car (which emits pollution into the air).
Also the building should be placed where it can receive great amounts of natural daylight to reduce lighting requirements, and make the most of what can naturally be used. Windows should also strategically be placed to bring in daylight.
A new technology that is now used frequently instead of standard windows is dual glazed windows (they reduce heat gain in the summer and heat loss in the winter).
On the exterior of the building trees or shading devices can be used to block sun rays especially in the southern and western areas of your region. Construction materials are just as important as location and design. Non-toxic materials should be used such as low and zero volatile organic compound paints etc. For flooring if you’re using wood then rapidly renewing resources such as bamboo or strawboard are an excellent choice.
The Term Paper on National building code
... Night time r) Average number of handicapped people in building; location Daytime and Night time s) Number of persons normally ... unobstructed vents, louvers, open roof vents, hanger type doors, building doors, windows, roof or wall panels or movable fixed sash. D ... high rise buildings. More details of these requirements appear subsequently. (b) Normal colour used for exits is green. Illumination of ...
Recycled materials should be used as much as possible throughout the structure i. e. kitchen tiles. Insulation in the building should be made of non-toxic materials and have high heat resistance. Commonly used materials for insulation are natural like cotton or soybeans. A very important factor of a green building is efficient water use; it makes a big impact on the environment. Buildings make up for 12% of water consumption in the United States alone. Green buildings have features such as toilets and faucets that consume less water but still get the job done. Wastewater treatment systems are costly but have great payoffs.
These systems convert waste and wastewater into liquid fertilizer. These practices give soil organic nutrients and remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere at the same time (which offsets greenhouse gas emission).
All of the things factored together will make a beautiful and energy efficient green building and create benefits for the environment…it may be costly but over time these practices make a huge difference. If one person utilizes a green building in some way, form, or fashion the trend will increase over time and in turn the quality of our environment will too.
