Benchmark Study on Green Buildings - Royal Architectural Institute ...
Benchmark Study on Green Buildings - Royal Architectural Institute ... Benchmark Study on Green Buildings - Royal Architectural Institute ...
TrustMark scheme was introduced to help consumers find qualified contractors with good track records for home renovations, which increases the likelihood that homeowners will seek home improvements and also the likelihood that these improvements will be of the highest quality. The UK has the Energy Saving Trust (EST), which runs many incentive programs to help people increase their home’s energy efficiency, decrease its energy consumption, or increase its use of renewable energy. The EST is also the administrator of public campaigns to reduce energy waste, as well as the manager of the UK’s own energy labeling system, called Energy Saving Recommended. The UK also uses the Energy Star product rating system for energy efficient office equipment. As it does for energy, it does for water as well. The UK Waterwise initiative was designed to help people reduce the amount of wasted water. Although the UK has no official water efficiency labeling or rating system, Waterwise initiatives such as the provision of water saving tips and products are helping people reduce their water consumption. The UK ESCO industry is also growing in size and popularity as more people become aware of the problem of wasted energy, and take measures to help regulate the situation. Like other leading sustainability-promoting nations around the world, the potential market for ESCO services is huge and activity is just starting to take off. Some sustainable communities are also completed and being built in the UK. The Beddington Zero Energy Development (BedZED) was completed in 2002 and has proven to be a huge success. Additionally, the UK Government’s Millennium Communities initiative has resulted in the creation of 7 sustainable developments across the country, which are currently under construction but have already produced promising results. Finally, several building societies including the Norwich and Peterborough Building Society (NPBS) and the Ecology Building Society offer green mortgages and loans at reduced interest rates to help homeowners interested in renovating their home improve its energy efficiency. 8.0 Conclusions Section: 8.1 Barriers: Upon a review of world-leading green building countries, several main barriers to increasing the prevalence of green buildings have been identified. 8.1.1 Education & Awareness: The first and probably the most important green building barrier is simply the lack of knowledge or awareness of the wide-ranging environmental problems caused by conventional buildings and the benefits of green buildings. Many people are unaware of the amount of energy and resources average buildings consume, as well as the amount of greenhouse gases they release. When people think about climate change, they generally focus on the transportation industry, its congested highways and its millions of vehicles, or the manufacturing industry with its processing plants and dirty smokestacks. However, studies have shown that the construction of buildings consumes 32% of the world’s resources, that the building sector consumes 12% of the fresh water and 40% of the energy consumed in OECD countries, and that 40% of the waste going to landfills is from the construction and demolition of buildings. Attention needs to be focused on improving construction industry practices and making the final products more sustainable, as well as making more people aware of green buildings. 23
An often cited problem with green buildings is that designers and developers are not capable or skilled enough to create a sustainable building. If these actors are unaware of sustainable construction or unfamiliar with how to go about implementing it in their work, they cannot be expected to produce a green building. Creating a green building often requires an additional set of skills among the designers, planners, and tradesmen, or an extra group of workers altogether. Many people interested in green buildings have stated that there is a shortage of qualified experts in their geographical area, which makes green building implementation an even greater challenge. Additionally, the lack of publicly available, objective and statistically sound information outlining the benefits of green buildings over conventional buildings acts as a barrier because it maintains the general public’s lack of knowledge and awareness about green buildings. This barrier can be addressed by government, non-governmental organizations, environmental organizations, the media, and numerous other groups. 8.1.2 Costs & Funding: Another barrier to green building uptake is the perceived higher cost of green buildings compared to conventional buildings. Due to the expense of construction, there is more focus on short term low-cost construction, rather than on the long term results and benefits possible through green building. This is partially a result of developers wanting to minimize construction time and costs, but also due to occupants not understanding the benefits from living in a green building and not wanting to pay slightly higher purchase prices or rents associated with sustainable buildings. In many cases, the group who would pay for and implement the green technologies has no incentive to do so, as the benefits of the technology accrue to other parties. This is often the case with condominium development, where the developer would pay but the owners would benefit (from lower energy and water bills, for example). In other scenarios, such as stormwater control measures or methods of controlling building pollution, the cost is exclusive to the property owner, while the benefits are diffused throughout society. So, the costs-savings relationship of implementing green buildings and green technologies is a considerable barrier. Although the costs are often higher, studies have found that green buildings obtain higher retail values compared to conventional buildings of the same volume, and that customers interested in green buildings will go to great lengths in order to occupy these structures. Studies have also shown that green buildings save the owner and occupant money over the long term compared to conventional buildings as they are more energy and water efficient, have a longer life-cycle, and generally have lower maintenance costs. Green buildings also offer intangible benefits to occupants through improved comfort, health, and productivity. Through proper site and materials management practices, builders can also reduce the ecological footprint of their building activities substantially. Developers need to take a step back and look at the bigger, greener picture of their work. The longer the timeline, the more an owner of a green building will save compared to the owner of a conventional building, even with the tendency for green buildings to cost a little more upfront to build. 24
- Page 1: Benchmark
- Page 4 and 5: Appendix A: Green Building Council
- Page 6 and 7: B-4 Japan……………………
- Page 8 and 9: • The Housing Corporation……
- Page 10 and 11: sustainable buildings in these coun
- Page 12 and 13: Levels of Certification LEED BREEAM
- Page 14 and 15: Incentives for Use Other Comments L
- Page 16 and 17: US Green Building Council (USGBC):
- Page 18 and 19: Government of Canada, and is a foun
- Page 20 and 21: 7.2 Canada: Upon the review of Cana
- Page 22 and 23: 7.4 Japan: Japan is one of the worl
- Page 26 and 27: Along with the perception that gree
- Page 28 and 29: 8.2 Recommendations & Areas for Imp
- Page 30 and 31: Even in world-leading green buildin
- Page 32 and 33: desires the greener development. Se
- Page 34 and 35: know that they are not acting alone
- Page 36 and 37: environmental quality, health and p
- Page 38 and 39: A-3 Germany: Currently, Germany doe
- Page 40 and 41: own jurisdictions) to be applied ex
- Page 42 and 43: product approval (CE mark on a prod
- Page 44 and 45: green buildings and technologies. E
- Page 46 and 47: the rest of the SAI program is set
- Page 48 and 49: groups. The ACEEE is not a membersh
- Page 50 and 51: encourages students to apply the le
- Page 52 and 53: conditions, and eventually they are
- Page 54 and 55: companies conceive, propose and exe
- Page 56 and 57: een called upon to reduce their ene
- Page 58 and 59: 2005. The expanded program will hel
- Page 60 and 61: voluntarily report on results. The
- Page 62 and 63: the purchase and installation of a
- Page 64 and 65: into a clean energy future and requ
- Page 66 and 67: Energy Star & various rebates: The
- Page 68 and 69: smaller-scale municipal infrastruct
- Page 70 and 71: NGO & NPO programs and incentives:
- Page 72 and 73: council has said that the municipal
An often cited problem with green buildings is that designers and developers are not<br />
capable or skilled enough to create a sustainable building. If these actors are unaware of<br />
sustainable c<strong>on</strong>structi<strong>on</strong> or unfamiliar with how to go about implementing it in their work,<br />
they cannot be expected to produce a green building. Creating a green building often<br />
requires an additi<strong>on</strong>al set of skills am<strong>on</strong>g the designers, planners, and tradesmen, or an<br />
extra group of workers altogether. Many people interested in green buildings have stated<br />
that there is a shortage of qualified experts in their geographical area, which makes green<br />
building implementati<strong>on</strong> an even greater challenge.<br />
Additi<strong>on</strong>ally, the lack of publicly available, objective and statistically sound informati<strong>on</strong><br />
outlining the benefits of green buildings over c<strong>on</strong>venti<strong>on</strong>al buildings acts as a barrier<br />
because it maintains the general public’s lack of knowledge and awareness about green<br />
buildings. This barrier can be addressed by government, n<strong>on</strong>-governmental organizati<strong>on</strong>s,<br />
envir<strong>on</strong>mental organizati<strong>on</strong>s, the media, and numerous other groups.<br />
8.1.2 Costs & Funding:<br />
Another barrier to green building uptake is the perceived higher cost of green buildings<br />
compared to c<strong>on</strong>venti<strong>on</strong>al buildings. Due to the expense of c<strong>on</strong>structi<strong>on</strong>, there is more<br />
focus <strong>on</strong> short term low-cost c<strong>on</strong>structi<strong>on</strong>, rather than <strong>on</strong> the l<strong>on</strong>g term results and<br />
benefits possible through green building. This is partially a result of developers wanting<br />
to minimize c<strong>on</strong>structi<strong>on</strong> time and costs, but also due to occupants not understanding the<br />
benefits from living in a green building and not wanting to pay slightly higher purchase<br />
prices or rents associated with sustainable buildings. In many cases, the group who would<br />
pay for and implement the green technologies has no incentive to do so, as the benefits of<br />
the technology accrue to other parties. This is often the case with c<strong>on</strong>dominium<br />
development, where the developer would pay but the owners would benefit (from lower<br />
energy and water bills, for example). In other scenarios, such as stormwater c<strong>on</strong>trol<br />
measures or methods of c<strong>on</strong>trolling building polluti<strong>on</strong>, the cost is exclusive to the<br />
property owner, while the benefits are diffused throughout society. So, the costs-savings<br />
relati<strong>on</strong>ship of implementing green buildings and green technologies is a c<strong>on</strong>siderable<br />
barrier.<br />
Although the costs are often higher, studies have found that green buildings obtain higher<br />
retail values compared to c<strong>on</strong>venti<strong>on</strong>al buildings of the same volume, and that customers<br />
interested in green buildings will go to great lengths in order to occupy these structures.<br />
Studies have also shown that green buildings save the owner and occupant m<strong>on</strong>ey over<br />
the l<strong>on</strong>g term compared to c<strong>on</strong>venti<strong>on</strong>al buildings as they are more energy and water<br />
efficient, have a l<strong>on</strong>ger life-cycle, and generally have lower maintenance costs. <strong>Green</strong><br />
buildings also offer intangible benefits to occupants through improved comfort, health,<br />
and productivity. Through proper site and materials management practices, builders can<br />
also reduce the ecological footprint of their building activities substantially. Developers<br />
need to take a step back and look at the bigger, greener picture of their work. The l<strong>on</strong>ger<br />
the timeline, the more an owner of a green building will save compared to the owner of a<br />
c<strong>on</strong>venti<strong>on</strong>al building, even with the tendency for green buildings to cost a little more<br />
upfr<strong>on</strong>t to build.<br />
24