A green building includes environmental considerations in every stage of design with the goals of preserving occupant health, enhancing workforce productivity, and making good use of natural resources while minimizing the negative effects on the environment.

Green homes increase indoor air quality while reducing the use of natural resources such as water, energy, and materials and reducing the generation of waste.

The traditional building design concerns of economy, utility, durability, and comfort are strengthened by green building practices while at the same time being complemented by them.

Thus, a green building is energy-efficient, productive, and environmentally responsible.

Green Building Technology

Green building technology refers to methods and strategies used in the construction of buildings to reduce their negative effects on the environment, such as those caused by climate change, while still allowing people to live and work in comfortable and effective spaces. 

As climatic change ranges, green building technologies must make sure that built environments can sustain their necessary functions and maintain comfortable conditions under anticipated future climatic circumstances. 

Benefits of Adopting Green Building Technology

Benefits offered by green structures are broadly categorised as follows:

  • Environmental benefits
  • Economic benefits
  • Social benefits

Environmental Benefits of Green Buildings

This involves protecting natural resources by making sure that the environment is not harmed in any way during the extraction and manufacture of building materials.

Further, it advocates for the use of less water and less energy from sources that harm the environment, such as coal mining and carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere. Adopting green building concepts has a good impact on our climate and ecosystem as a whole.

Also, green construction reduces water wastage, enriches water reserves, protects natural resources, promotes biodiversity, and improves air and water quality.

Green construction lessens carbon footprint by creating less waste and releasing fewer hazardous gases into the atmosphere. Thus, more energy resources would be conserved when green building features are encouraged.

Economic Benefits of Green Buildings

The economic benefits of green buildings and their associated technologies entail the creation of a market for green building products and services as well as reducing the operating costs of buildings.

Also, green buildings have lower maintenance and operational costs which offsets the initial costs of construction due to their energy-efficient strategies.

According to the General Services Administration (GSA), LEED-certified buildings use 25% less energy and have 19% lower total operating costs compared to non-certified buildings. This makes them more affordable in the long run.

LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. It is a green rating tool that is used globally.

More people and organizations are becoming interested in green building technologies due to the drop in running expenses. It supports the premise that good business practices always result in significant cost savings.

Tenants would be attracted to these kinds of high-performance buildings as they seek to enjoy the low costs of operating the facilities. Operational costs are a very important component of facilities management and being able to minimise that means an increase in the profits for the businesses that reside in these facilities. It is a win for both the developer and the intended users of the buildings.

Social Benefits of Green Buildings

The increased quality of life is one of the social advantages of using green buildings. Green building design ensures that building occupants are comfortable and that design criteria for health and safety are followed.

In addition, green buildings lower the global carbon footprint. This improves everyone’s quality of life by reducing greenhouse gas emissions that otherwise would have caused minor global climate changes and weather disruptions.

Due to their lower running costs, higher indoor environmental quality standards, and their certification, green buildings are more advantageous than their counterparts in the construction industry.

Conclusion

The importance of green buildings has been emphasized by various international institutions and authors.

Green buildings require lower maintenance costs as they are built from sustainable materials and components, which adds value to the property. On top of this is the increased quality of life and the overall environmental benefits, making adopting green building technologies highly recommended.

Also, it has positive implications for the building’s maintenance management team. The influence is on the stakeholders to adopt sound maintenance practices and come up with mitigation mechanisms to counter any negative impacts so that the structure serves its intended purpose.

That’s all for this article.

Let’s continue the conversation in the comment section below.

Cosmas Karisa

I’m a Quantity Surveying graduate from the University of Nairobi with more than five years of office and construction site experience. I have been in charge of several construction projects that have informed my expertise in matters of construction contracts, cost control, project management, and sustainable design research. Also, I teach construction technology on my YouTube Channel.

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