In developed countries, residential and commercial buildings account for nearly 40% of all carbon emissions and consume as much as 73% of electricity. While perhaps shocking at first, these statistics are hardly surprising when one realizes that the average person in the developed world spends more than 90% of his or her time indoors. In a world that is rapidly developing and modernising, sustainably-constructed and efficiently-used buildings are severely needed to ensure a sustainable future.
This entails cutting back on the energy use of lighting, ventilation, heating, cooling, appliances, etc., but also requires us to reconsider the means by which we build and the material resources we use in construction. Every day, buildings are made with unnecessarily high energy demands, wasteful means of consuming fresh water, and inconsiderate methods of obtaining building materials. Additionally, many people ignore the economic and social benefits that sustainable architecture can offer in terms of minimising energy and resource consumption and making use of natural light, fresh air and green space. Of course, these financial and social benefits are not without financial and social obstacles, often requiring initial investments and changes in building user habits.
The question is: How can we promote sustainable building practices? How are financial, behavioural and knowledge barriers for individuals, governments and businesses overcome?
We have taken, as our point of departure, five ways of classifying sustainable building design: renovating existing buildings, new skyscrapers and apartments, new public architecture, new low-rise houses + commercial, and pre-fabricated housing.