Sustainable building systems, technologies, and solutions not only help us conserve resources, but also decrease the carbon footprint normally associated with buildings.
In the following article, we will cover:
According to latest numbers, commercial and residential buildings are collectively consuming approximately 29% of the world’s energy and feedstock fuels. What’s even more concerning is that their contribution is expected to significantly rise in the next couple decades. See below:
Images courtesy BP.com
This rising energy consumption has also been drastically increasing the building industry’s carbon footprint. CO2 emissions from electric and heat sources within buildings accounted for approximately 10 Giga tonnes (GT) of CO2 in 2018, an unprecedentedly high number. This is higher than the 8.5 Gt CO2 emitted by the materials industries, and the 3.6 Gt CO2 emitted by the transportation sector.
The above numbers indicate just how critical it’s for buildings to be more energy-efficient. This not only requires an adoption of smart and sustainable technologies, but also a change in the operating and maintenance models.
However, you don’t have to completely alter your building’s façade, or replace all of its hardware and machinery for it to become sustainable. You simply need to choose the right (interoperable) solutions, and implement the right procedures. In this article, we will cover everything you need to know to transform an old building into a green and sustainable one:
Any building that uses resources efficiently, has minimal-to-no negative impacts on the environment, a low carbon footprint, and a healthy indoor climate can be called sustainable.
Achieving such characteristics often requires (among other things) a strong dependence on renewable energy sources, sustainable building systems (like an adjustable heating and ventilation system), a smart energy management solution, and environment-friendly waste management procedures.
There are many features of a green and sustainable building that sets it apart from its energy-intensive counterparts. Let’s look at some:
As we have already seen above, buildings are one of the primary consumers of energy, and one of the primary producers of greenhouse gases, at the global level. But those are not the only environmental challenges that sustainable buildings help us solve. Here are a few others:
A widely prevalent misconception among building owners and managers is that sustainability retrofits will not only cost a lot, but also cause extensive disruptions in business. However, in reality, none of that is true.
Making a building sustainable doesn’t have to require an entire rebuild, or a complete architectural and hardware revamp. It can also be done by extending functionalities of some existing modules, and incorporating some new equipment/software. Here are a few tips to get you started:
For playing a part in the fight against environmental degradation, every sustainable building deserves plaudits. With that said, here’s a look at some of the best sustainable building examples from around the world:
The Crystal, an event venue and visitor center built by Siemens in London, is one of the most sustainable buildings in the world. It has both the prestigious sustainable building certifications, the LEED Platinum and BREEAM Outstanding under its belt. Some of its smart and sustainable features are: intelligent energy management, thermal wheels that recover more than half of the outgoing energy, 70% natural lighting, a zero-discharge water facility, and electricity usage monitoring.
The Bullitt Center is a six-story commercial office building located in Seattle, Washington. The building is completely self-sufficient when it comes to water and electricity. Photovoltaic cells on its roof act as the primary source of electricity. Its state-of-the-art water and sewerage processing systems ensure that it doesn’t depend on the city’s water supply or sewerage systems.
The second tallest building in the world, the Shanghai tower, also holds its own when it comes to sustainability. It uses wind turbines to enlighten most of its outer and park areas. All of its ventilation, heating, and lighting are smart, which lead to massive reductions in energy utilization. Its insulating glass façade has been designed in a way to maintain the indoor temperature to an optimal range.
Singapore may be one of the most expensive cities in the world, but it is also home to some of the most sustainable buildings worldwide. The Khoot Teck Puat Hospital is a prime example. The building uses solar panels for all its electric needs, and a solar thermal system to produce hot water that runs throughout the hospital. Water from the adjacent Yishun Pond is pumped into the hospital’s irrigation system, where it gets processed before being used for landscaping purposes.
The Finansparken Bjergsted in Stavenger, Norway is the epitome of sustainable architecture. 7 of its 10 levels have been made completely out of wood, making it the largest wooden commercial building in Europe. The ventilation, heating, lighting (both artificial and sunlight) can be adjusted via a smartphone application. All of the building’s electrical components have been tagged, making them identifiable and manageable from the central system.
Last but not least, the CIS Tower in Manchester is one of UK’s tallest buildings. A whopping £5 Million was spent on its solar panel retrofit, approximately 4 decades after its construction in 1962. The Institution of Mechanical Engineers has referred to the building as the “largest commercial solar façade in Europe” It has more than 7,000 photovoltaic cells that provide up to 180 megawatt hours of energy every year, along with 24 wind turbines that also act as an energy source.
Up until a decade or so ago, there were only a handful of sustainable buildings around the world. For example, in 2006, there were only 296 LEED-certified projects in the United States. However, the number grew to 67,200 in 2018. representing a 226-time increase.
Similarly, the availability of smart and sustainable building management systems has also risen exponentially in recent years. Solutions like ClevAir can integrate with existing building systems and start saving energy in no time. The green and sustainable building market is among the fastest growing industries in the US. Here’s hoping that with more and more buildings being made green, we can soon envision a sustainable future for our planet.