Green construction refers to the philosophy and processes that makes the creation and usage of the built environment as friendly to the natural environment as possible. From the design stage to assembly to the functionality of the structure upon completion, green construction focuses on reducing negative impacts to the planet and even adding some positive benefits.

Green buildings are designed around a philosophy of preserving and improving the natural environment. Integrated design is implemented to construct, operate, re-use and finally deconstruct a building in such a way that it uses energy, water, and the environment in a sustainable manner.

Buildings, as offices, are responsible for around forty percent of the expenses borne by the business in operations. It is estimated that by the year 2050, the residential and office buildings will consume thirty eight percent of the total global energy and will release three thousand eight hundred mega tonnes of carbon into the atmosphere. Green Building is a technique of constructing buildings using processes and materials which are environment friendly and energy efficient at the same time.

What are the Benefits of Green Buildings?

In return, Green Buildings produce better productivity, more efficient energy and water use, savings on power and utility costs, a better indoor environment, enhance the green cover around the building, and an overall improvement in the functioning of the community around them at little cost to the environment. Programs such as LEED provide ratings for green buildings, which encourage market interest in developing this field.

Following are the benefits of Green Building: 

• Reduction of natural resource consumption 
• Reduction of operating costs 
• Health, comfort and safety for all residents
• Energy optimization and reduction of energy consumption
• Increased productivity of the occupants
• Better indoor air quality (IAQ has a tremendous impact on human health)
• Green Building encourages companies to benefit from the Green corporate image and to leave a very positive impression on customers, employees, business partners and shareholders.

Choosing a green building for a home is not just an option but a lifelong commitment to uphold the virtues of natural, sustainable living, a conscious decision to arrest resource depletion and protect nature for our future generations.

The Objective of Green Building: 

The objective of green building concept is to develop buildings which use the natural resources to the minimal at the time of construction as well as operation. Green buildings emphasize on the resource usage efficiency and also press upon the three R’s – Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. 

The technique of green building maximizes the use of efficient construction materials and practices; boosts the use of natural sources and sinks in the building’s surroundings; minimizes the energy usage to run itself; uses highly proficient equipment for the indoor area; uses highly proficient methods for water and waste management. The indoor equipment includes lighting, air-conditioning and all other needed equipment. 

What Are Green Building Materials? 

Green building materials, also called eco-friendly materials, are building construction materials that have a low impact on the environment. They are composed of renewable resources rather than nonrenewable resources. These have to be natural and will not spoil by the heat, humidity, or cold. 

Here are some lists of the building materials that will make your construction project green:

Bamboo:

Bamboo has an incredibly high generation rate and is considered one of the best eco-friendly materials in buildings. It continues spreading and growing without the need for replanting after the harvest. Bamboo is a perennial grass and not wood and grows almost everywhere except in Antarctica and Europe.

Cork:

Cork proliferates like bamboo and grows after harvest in a living tree and will continue to produce more cork, like tree bark. Cork is resilient, reverts, and flexible to its original shape even after sustaining pressure for a long time. It is also resistant and resilient to wear, making it a popular element in the floor tile. 

Straw Bales:

Another building material is straw bales and can be used as framing material and can act as a soundproof material, and have excellent insulation properties. It is also the best choice as a fill material between beam framework and columns.

Reclaimed Wood:

It is suitable for structural framing, flooring, and cabinetry. Reclaimed wood is primarily lightweight and has less strength, and every pierce should be chosen and assessed for inappropriate projects to prevent risk. And also, it is susceptible to degradation and insects, so it needs additional treatment or reinforcement when used. 

Sheep's Wool:

Sheep's wool is an excellent alternative to chemical-laden insulation material. It can insulate homes just like conventional insulation and requires less amount of energy to manufacture. It can increase soundproof and energy efficiency in the structure. It will not degrade quickly like other natural insulation materials such as cotton and straw. It is more prevalent and easier to harvest and generates quickly. 

Hemp Crete:

This green material is concrete like made from woody inner fibers from hemp plants. The fibers are mixed and bind with lime to form concrete-like shape blocks that are light and strong. It dramatically reduces the use of energy in transporting blocks, and it is lightweight. It is sturdy and also has excellent fire-resistant, acoustic, and thermal insulation qualities. Additionally, it is the largest sustainable property and absorbs CO2 more than it emits because of its negative reading of CO2 content. Hemp itself is a renewable and fast-growing resource.

How can we make our buildings green?

There are a number of ways to make a building green. These include:

Taking an intelligent approach to energy

• Minimising energy use in all stages of a building’s life-cycle, making new and renovated buildings more comfortable and less expensive to run, and helping building users learn to be efficient too. 
• Integrating renewable and low-carbon technologies to supply buildings’ energy needs, once their design has maximised inbuilt and natural efficiencies. 

Safeguarding water resources

• Exploring ways to improve drinking and waste water efficiency and management, harvesting water for safe indoor use in innovative ways, and generally minimising water use in buildings.
• Considering the impact of buildings and their surroundings on stormwater and drainage infrastructure, ensuring these are not put under undue stress or prevented from doing their job. 

Minimising waste and maximising reuse

• Using fewer, more durable materials and generating less waste, as well as accounting for a building’s end of life stage by designing for demolition waste recovery and reuse. 
• Engaging building users in reuse and recycling. 

Promoting health and wellbeing

• Bringing fresh air inside, delivering good indoor air quality through ventilation, and avoiding materials and chemicals that create harmful or toxic emissions.
• Incorporating natural light and views to ensure building users’ comfort and enjoyment of their surroundings, and reducing lighting energy needs in the process.
• Designing for ears as well as eyes. Acoustics and proper sound insulation play important roles in helping concentration, recuperation, and peaceful enjoyment of a building in educational, health and residential buildings.

Keeping our environment green

• Recognising that our urban environment should preserve nature, and ensuring diverse wildlife and land quality are protected or enhanced, by, for example, remediating and building on polluted land or creating new green spaces.
• Looking for ways we can make our urban areas more productive, bringing agriculture into our cities.

Creating resilient and flexible structures

• Adapting to our changing climate, ensuring resilience to events such as flooding, earthquakes or fires so that our buildings stand the test of time and keep people and their belongings safe. ?
• Designing flexible and dynamic spaces, anticipating changes in their use over time, and avoiding the need to demolish, rebuild or significantly renovate buildings to prevent them becoming obsolete. ?

Connecting communities and people   

• Creating diverse environments that connect and enhance communities, asking what a building will add to its context in terms of positive economic and social effects, and engaging local communities in planning.
• Ensuring transport and distance to amenities are considered in design, reducing the impact of personal transport on the environment, and encouraging environmentally friendly options such as walking or cycling.

Considering all stages of a building's life-cycle

• Seeking to lower environmental impacts and maximise social and economic value over a building's whole life-cycle (from design, construction, operation and maintenance, through to renovation and eventual demolition).
• Ensuring that embodied resources, such as the energy or water used to produce and transport the materials in the building are minimised so that buildings are truly low impact.

Conclusion:

Green Building Technology is not only environmentally friendly, but also very economical and is being adopted by various construction companies around the world. GBT is a prime example of a modern development that meets the need of the present without compromising the needs of future generations. GBT helps in saving a huge amount of energy, which can then be used for other tasks, thus helping to minimize the use of fossil fuels. Green Building Technology will prove to be a blessing for developing nations, as it helps in limiting energy consumption and promoting sustainable development.

Implementation of the green building concept can lead to a reduction of carbon emission by thirty five percent, water usage by forty percent, solid waste reduction by seventy percent and reduction in energy consumption by fifty percent. Green Building concept also emphasizes on the fact that an area with high biodiversity should be avoided as a site for the construction of a building.