Sustainable building methods
“The construction industry is the number one consumer of raw materials in the world and 50% of the solid waste in the US is produced by the construction industry”
The construction and operation of buildings consumes over a third of the world’s energy consumption, and 40% of all the mined resources. The current pace and method of construction is unsustainable. There can be no argument that at some point in the future (arguably must quicker than most people in the Midwest realize) the current consumption of energy and natural non-replenishable resources will be depleted unless something is done to disrupt the current standards of construction industry. The areas where flooding, wildfires, record hurricanes, water shortages and droughts such as California are already making these standards part of their future vision but not yet in the Midwest until now.
For the last 50 years, the world population multiplied more rapidly than ever before. In 1950, the world had 2.5 billion people; and in 2005, the world had 6.5 billion people. Today we are approaching 8 billion people and by 2050, this number could rise to more than 15 billion. These growth numbers are staggering and is why there can be no argument as the population inevitably grows our planets’ resources cannot support the current way we are building and consuming the oil and gas reserves. We must transition to the renewable energies to support our developments.
Another huge threshold challenge to overcome.
The bulk of the resources being used are non-renewable. Once they are used up they are non-replenishable and are gone. Striving to make buildings sustainable, while saving construction and operating costs and improving health and occupant well being is not only possible and practical, it should be the goal of the building industry. Achieving this goal requires an awareness of the problem and the skills to design, specify, construct, and operate buildings in a manner that is often quite different from current standard approaches. The construction industry is one of the most fragmented in the world and relies on a seamless interplay of all participants along the value chain and throughout a project’s life cycle.
Environmentally conscious buildings must be designed for dramatic reductions in energy use, global warming potential, and carbon footprint. Structures must provide a healthy, supportive environment with consistently high performance levels over the long term. The value of the building must be measured over the full span of its useful life, from initial acquisition costs to ongoing maintenance and final disposition.
For the last 50 years, the world population multiplied more rapidly than ever before. In 1950, the world had 2.5 billion people; and in 2005, the world had 6.5 billion people. Today we are approaching 8 billion people and by 2050, this number could rise to more than 15 billion. These growth numbers are staggering and is why there can be no argument as the population inevitably grows our planets’ resources cannot support the current way we are building and consuming the oil and gas reserves. We must transition to the renewable energies to support our developments.
Another huge threshold challenge to overcome.
The bulk of the resources being used are non-renewable. Once they are used up they are non-replenishable and are gone. Striving to make buildings sustainable, while saving construction and operating costs and improving health and occupant well being is not only possible and practical, it should be the goal of the building industry. Achieving this goal requires an awareness of the problem and the skills to design, specify, construct, and operate buildings in a manner that is often quite different from current standard approaches. The construction industry is one of the most fragmented in the world and relies on a seamless interplay of all participants along the value chain and throughout a project’s life cycle.
Environmentally conscious buildings must be designed for dramatic reductions in energy use, global warming potential, and carbon footprint. Structures must provide a healthy, supportive environment with consistently high performance levels over the long term. The value of the building must be measured over the full span of its useful life, from initial acquisition costs to ongoing maintenance and final disposition.
The biosphere is the ecological zone that extends roughly forty miles from the ocean floor to the stratosphere and within which the Earth’s geochemical processes interact with biological systems to maintain just the right conditions for the perpetuation of life on Earth. The complex feedback loops of the Earth’s biosphere operate like an internal nervous system, assuring the well-being of the system as a whole.