- Efficiently using energy, water, and other resources
- Protecting occupant health and improving employee productivity
- Reducing waste, pollution and environmental degradation
For example, green buildings may incorporate sustainable materials in their construction (e.g., reused, recycled-content, or made from renewable resources); create healthy indoor environments with minimal pollutants (e.g., reduced product emissions); and/or feature landscaping that reduces water usage (e.g., by using native plants that survive without extra watering).
Green Building History in the U.S.
Some practices, such as using local and renewable materials or passive solar design, date back millennia – the Anasazi in the Southwest built entire villages so that all the homes received solar heat in the winter. The contemporary green building movement arose out of the need and desire for more energy efficient and environmentally friendly building practices. The oil price increases of the 1970s spurred significant research and activity to improve energy efficiency and find renewable energy sources. This, combined with the environmental movement of the 1960s and 1970s, led to the earliest experiments with contemporary green building.
The green building field began to come together more formally in the 1990s. The US Green Buildings Council was founded in 1993
Green Building Research
Green building research is being done by national laboratories, private companies, universities, and industry. According to a USGBC report published in 2006, over 70 percent of the green building research is focused on energy and atmosphere research. The next largest category of research is materials and resources. Indoor environmental quality, including issues pertaining to air, is also being studied.
More information on Green Buildings can be found at the United States EPA site on Green Buildings as well as US Green Buildings Council websites. The contribution of Structural engineering to Green Buildings can be found on SEAOSC's Sustainable Design webpage.
