Technological Change in Construction Affecting Sustainability – Green Building Technology
Issues concerning construction and the environmental sustainability have been of great concern. Many technological changes have taken place in construction industries to attain a sustainable life. Technological improvement has emerged because of the impact of the construction with the environment. A major technological improvement that has taken place in the construction industry is green building technology.
Green building is a new technology that has been introduced in building and construction companies It is also referred to as sustainable building. The green building technology aims at increasing the efficiency in buildings with their site uses by using processes and structures which are environmentally friendly and resource efficient. The green building technology aims at changing the nature of operation, construction, maintenance, design, demolition, and renovation of buildings.
Green building technology aims at finding a sustainable balance between home and industrial building and the sustainable environment. For this to be achieved, it requires keen intervention in different construction sectors including the design team, the engineers, and the architects together with the project clients in each phase of the construction project. The green building technology is aimed at expanding and complementing of the classical system of building design which is concerned with the economical sustainability, their utility, comfort, as well as durability.
The green building technology is designed in order to curb the impact from the built environment to that of human health and natural environment in different ways. These ways include;
1. Sustainable water usage, energy and resources available.
2. Promoting the health of the occupants and improving the productivity of employees
3. Reducing resulting wastes, environmental pollution, and degradation.
Buildings have got a great impact on the environment if they are not checked. The impact caused by the construction of building also extends to the health of people within the building. The technological change in construction looks at the resultant improvement over a long period, which is the entire life-cycle in construction including its subsequent operations, disposal costs and the maintenance of the building.
The global green building industry is eyeing for a momentous growth at 10.12% CAGR over the predicted years (2018-2023).
Some of the common materials utilized in the construction of such buildings include recycled plastic, grasscrete, timbercrete, rammed earth, wood, mycelium, straw bales, hempcrete and bamboo.
These factors as per the Market Research Future (MRFR) report include focus on superior quality products, rising need for renewable resources, consumers changing lifestyle, technological innovation, increasing funds for the development and commercialization of refueling infrastructure, and benefits over conventional technologies such as consumes less energy, reduces waste, conserves water and reduces emissions.
On the contrary, limited awareness regarding the utilization and advantages of eco-friendly materials used in construction in underdeveloped and remote regions and high production cost related to manufacturing packaging materials that are green may hamper the growth of the green building market over the predicted years.Key PlayersLeading players profiled in the green building market include Green Building Store (U.K.), Weinerberger AG (Austria), E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company (U.S.), SGS (Switzerland), Saint Gobain S.A. (Germany), Green Build Products (I) Pvt Ltd (India), Kingspan Group plc (Ireland), Ginkgo Sustainability (Canada), Bauder Limited (U.K.), NATiVE (U.S.), and others.May 2019- The Williams Parkway Operations Centre has attained LEED Gold certification from the Green Building Council in Canada.
This is an administrative building having public and staff parking, green space, event terrace and a garden.
Exterior products are further segmented into building systems, solar products, HVAC systems, smart lighting and others.
