Residential Design Guide - Green Building
More than Ever Before, Building Green Works
by Jeanette Joy Fisher
If you're old enough, you can remember when the concept of green building was considered to be just a strange notion held only by tree huggers and other members of the environmental lunatics. However, that's no longer the case, and green building is one of the hottest trends in America today, so much so that it's considered unusual NOT to have at least some environmentally friendly and energy efficient components in new construction.
Commercial Green Building Leads
Leading the way has been commercial contractors, which, happily for both the consumer AND the environment, will ultimately translate to mainstream home building, as well. There have been dozens of studies that have shown significant benefits to employees, lower vacancy rates, less absenteeism, increased productivity, and considerable energy cost savings in green commercial buildings over the past decade.
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Green Construction Costs
One of the factors driving the green revolution is that costs of materials have come down significantly. There are also savings to be made by constructing a building of the correct size for its intended use. Buildings are no longer simply built with the hope of someday filling them. Using proper technology, coupled with correct size, can make green building extremely attractive.
Common Green Building Materials
Green building also has moved away from the simple idea of recycling as much material as possible. Instead, new technology is incorporated into the building to make it energy efficient and more livable for the people inside. Green materials themselves have come very long way from several decades ago, as well. The technology is so pervasive, in fact, that most people no longer think about it. A good example is the low-gallon-per flush toilets that have become standard in most new construction.
Although there may be a waiting list for some of the most popular high-tech green building materials, a great many of them are readily available at any time across the nation. The fact is that since we live in a supply and demand economy, retailers are beginning to stock the green building materials that their customers are asking for, and that trend will only continue to get stronger as the years go by and technology continues to improve.
Another drawback that stifled the progress of early green construction was the unconventional look many energy efficient buildings took on. Today, there's no reason to build anything that looks any different from your neighbors on either side. You can have photovoltaic panels that are highly decorative, for instance, and will completely integrate with the overall look of your house or office.The final thing that holds many people back from going green in their homes is the myth that they can't pick and choose among all their options. They think they have to either be completely green or completely the other way, but nothing could be farther from the truth. In fact, there's no reason why you can't incorporate a number of green materials and technology into your home in the beginning, and then add to them as you become more comfortable with them…AND once you begin to see just how much money that going green can save you!
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