Green Building: Advantages & Disadvantages

To preserve natural resources and reduce environmental wastes, many builders and design professionals utilize green building methods. Green building focuses on the efficiency of resources including energy, water, and building materials, while taking into consideration the building impacts on human health and the environment.

Various programs throughout the U.S. encourage professionals within the construction industry to utilize green building methods. The most prominent program is Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), an initiative developed by the U.S. Green Building Council. LEED is a nationally accepted benchmark for producing high-performance green buildings. The initiative takes into account a five-step approach to building, including: sustainable site development, energy efficiency, water savings, material selection, and indoor environment quality.

Although many benefits are involved with green building, there are also disadvantages to consider. Construction employers and design professionals should take the following items into consideration:

Advantages of Green Building

• Efficient technologies: Green buildings incorporate energy and water efficient technologies that are not as readily available in traditional buildings. These technologies create a healthier and more comfortable environment as they utilize renewable energy, reduce waste, and decrease heating and cooling expenses.
• Easier maintenance: Green buildings typically involve less maintenance. For example, green buildings generally do not require exterior painting every three to five years: this simple method helps saves the environment, as well as a consumer time and money.
• Improved indoor air quality: With green buildings, the indoor air quality is improved via natural and healthy materials: green buildings utilize clean energy sources such as solar and wind power, rather than burning coal.
• Return on investment: Considering the average lifecycle of a building (50-100 years), certain green building measures, such as installing solar panels or doubling the amount of installation, can yield a strong return on investment and lead to higher resale values.
• Energy efficiency: Green building methods make the most out of energy, resources, and materials. As enforced by The Department of Energy (DOE), builders and design professionals must adhere to energy code requirements. For more information, visit Building to Energy Code.
• Tax incentives: Incentives exist on a local, state, and federal level to support building green initiatives.

Disadvantages of Green Building

• Cost: Many believe the costs associated with green building make the building methods cost-prohibitive.
• Air Cooling Features: When utilizing green building cooling components, such as natural ventilation, consumers do not have a precise mechanism to increase or decrease exact temperatures: This is a difficult hurdle for many green building occupants to overcome.
• Structural Orientation: In order to best optimize sun exposure, green building may demand structural positioning opposite of other neighborhood homes, causing friction among neighbors. In addition, differences in structural orientation will affect how natural daylight enters the building structure: with this in mind there may be a need to install more overhangs, blinds, or shades.
• Green roofs: In general, green roofs are comprised of multiple layers including a vegetation layer, growing medium, drainage or water storage, insulation, a waterproofing membrane, and roof support. Since they are usually heavier than a traditional roof, builders need to improve upon the existing roof’s strength in order to install a green roof.
• Labor Laws: Labor law compliance requirements, in regards to green building, have not fully solidified. For this reason, it is advisable to seek experienced legal counsel in order to avoid costly liabilities.

Overview

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