An Overview of Green Building Design

Green building design is a newer concept that utilizes several aspects of the construction, planning, and building technologies that have emerged to reduce the environmental impact of construction. In recent years, as more attention in nearly all sectors has been not only focused on green building design more generally, but also focused on the task of restructuring old patterns to create a more sustainable and healthy environment, the building and construction industry has had to make a number of wide-scale changes to the way it has traditionally functioned. "Recognition of the role that buildings have in our environment has led to significant efforts to design, build, and maintain more sustainable structures" (Parris 3). Aside from green building design and the shifting away from certain building materials in favor of those that have less of an impact on our environment, there has also been a shift in the way all aspects of construction and new buildings are designed and intended to function. Despite the fact that green building design is still in its relative infancy, it is catching on and all aspects of the design and construction process are being involved in ways that not only attempt to maximize the short-term benefits such as immediate energy savings, productivity, and aesthetics, but to also employ techniques and ideas that are good for the long-term sustainability and appeal of the buildings on a macro-level.

Although green building design projects often involve more capital to move forward with, the incentive is that over the lifetime of a building the benefits, cost-related as well as in other areas, will eventually outweigh the costs. Some of the benefits associated with green building design include a greater level of aesthetic beauty that is in harmony with its surroundings, the reduction of pollution, building byproducts, and the use of materials that do not cause damage to the environment, either directly or indirectly. These green buildings seek to assist residents of the community by being centrally located to reduce the need for individual cars, and employ landscaping and other tactics aimed at reducing byproducts and using recycled materials. At a time when energy consumption is at an all-time high (and the costs are rising) these green building design techniques seek to maximize energy efficiency through passive design ideas and high-efficiency lighting, cooling, heating, and other electrical appliances. Studies of green buildings already in existence have yielded overwhelmingly positive results. For example, one study that examined a set of buildings in an urban and rather blighted area of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania produced a set of data that revealed how there was an improvement across the board as a result of the implementation of green building design. According to this study, the use of green building design "can result in significant economic savings by improving employee productivity, increasing benefits from improvements in health and safety, and providing savings from energy, maintenance, and operational costs" (Ries 259). In addition to these more economically-slanted figures, the green building attempted to mitigate some of the past environmental damage from surrounding buildings in terms of general aesthetic appeal and in terms of the builder's use of existing materials from the site. This particular case study on green building design showed how, without a doubt, both the short and long term objectives of developers and builders can be met in a way that maximizes profitability as well as either aids in the reconstruction of an environmentally damaged area or attempts to mitigate past environmental damage.

Like all new technologies and developments in sustainable thinking and planning, the introduction and mass acceptance and understanding of green building design begins at the top. Developers, architects, and designers must spearhead the efforts to make it clear how many advantages there are to these new techniques. As it stands, green building design is catching on as more design teams recognize that "green building design is about more than just the materials [chosen] or the mechanical and electrical systems installed or the architectural features of the building....Owners and architects of green buildings are revolutionizing the design process to make it more holistic, integrated, and ultimately more efficient and cost-effective" (Cole, Lindsay 21). Whereas in the past most design teams were headed by a central architect and planner, there are now new attempts at restructuring this organizational structure in the spirit of the design of these green buildings themselves. These changes allow for a more open exchange of ideas at all levels of the design process and ultimately, the green buildings are becoming the products of a more "organic" type of planning and building. While the general public's response to green buildings still remains an unknown for the most part, with this integrated approach, it is hoped that more people at levels of the green building projects will contribute something valuable to make the project grow in terms of effectiveness, general aesthetics, and creativity. Perhaps this more open process to the simple planning of green building projects will be reflected in the final structure.

The future and general acceptance of green building design and techniques looks rather bright, particularly because of the level of support and recognition from large environmental and governmental agencies and organizations. "Green building and sustainable architecture are rapidly moving from the periphery to the mainstream architecture and construction industries... As the largest property owner in the country, the U.S. federal government has also been moving toward the adoption of green building practices and the government sponsors a number of programs designed to establish and promote more sustainable buildings" (Parris 3). Green building design is no longer seen as a fringe idea proposed by a few visionary architects or developers, but is increasingly viewed as a vital new way of thinking because of the threats, environmental and otherwise, we face, particularly in urban or developed areas. One of the most significant issues that might impact wide-scale acceptance of green building design is the fact that the costs associated with simply implementing such a building can be quite high. One way that those associated with this new and efficient way of constructing buildings can help bring more such buildings into existence is to make sure they relate the long-term benefits of such a building. While the initial costs of the construction and design process may seem prohibitively expensive, awareness of issues such as the rising cost of energy and the health and costly personnel problems found with traditional practices, if made clear, might prompt green building and design to flourish.

In short, the eventual wide acceptance of green building design and construction is dependent on a few factors. First of all, although there are clear data sets reflecting the positive levels of economic and environmental sustainability, the initial costs might impede the construction of new green buildings. In addition, despite all the scientific evidence emerging about the damage that has already been done to our environment, there has yet to be an overwhelming corrective movement, especially in an industry that tends to put fiscal concerns above all others. Despite these setbacks and possible impediments to the wide acceptance of green building design, there a numerous causes for hope as the future of this development lies ahead. While right now we focused on the building of structures that compliment and help the environment for new buildings, eventually green building design processes will focus on past errors in construction. As one researcher notes, "while the current focus is on green design-reducing and mitigating the environmental consequences of buildings-the future concerns will embrace mitigation, adaptation to new conditions and restoring previous adversely impacted regions and human settlements" (Cole, Raymond 2377).

In other words, by making it clear that the long-term benefits are worth any cost at this juncture and also by proposing a future where green design has caught on to the point that it can correct unsustainable and damaging past building issues, the hope that green building design will catch on will be realized and the urban landscape can become integrated into the natural surroundings as well as completely efficient and self-sustaining.

Works Cited

Cole, Lindsay. "Designing Outside the Box." Alternatives Journal 30.5 (2004), 21-21.

Cole, Raymond J. "Assessing the future of green building." Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 117.4 (2005), 2377-2377.

Parris, Thomas M. "Green Buildings." Environment 49.1 (2007), 3-3.

Ries. "The Economic Benefits of Green Buildings: A Comprehensive Case Study." Engineering Economist 51.3 (2006): 259