Trends in Green Building Products

Trends in Green Building Products

Irene Jaye Marquez Yusi

Technological Institute of the Philippines

Abstract

Green Building refers to a structure and a process that is environmentally responsible and resource efficient throughout a building’s lifecycle. This paper aims to discuss the Trends in Green Building Products that would able to define the process of Environmental Product Declaration and Environmental Building Declaration. A discussion on the technique to assess environmental impacts such as Life Cycle Assessment will also be covered. Basic concepts on Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design - the most popular green building certification programs used worldwide is stated.

Keywords: Green Building, Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), Lumiventt Technology, Zero Energy Buildings, Smart Glass, Cool Roofs, Environmental Product Declaration (EPD), Environmental Building Declaration (EBD), Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)

Green Building is a set of design, construction, and building operation practices that minimize a building’s total environmental impact. Decisions made while planning, building, renovating, and maintaining homes have long-term direct impacts on many different aspects of our environment, such as air quality, health, natural resources, land use, water quality and energy use. At the same time, our building decisions have major economic implications, from the cost of land and materials to the labor and financing to build (Kruger, A., & Seville, C. 2013).

Based on the book Green Building: Principles and Practices in Residential Construction, the main attributes that should always be considered when designing, building, or maintaining a building are the following:

• Energy Efficiency – reducing the energy required by reduced consumption and increased efficiency through appropriate equipment selection and high quality construction method.
• Resource Efficiency - reducing the total quantity of materials required for construction; including selecting extracted, processed and delivered materials on the job site by reusing previously used materials and recycling of construction waste.
• Durability – using materials and methods that require less maintenance; which increases the life of the structure by reducing the frequency of repair and replacement. With this, less waste is generated and fewer materials are needed through the construction phase.
• Water Efficiency – reducing the amount of water use through increase efficiency and minimizing opportunities for more consumption.
• Indoor Environmental Quality – improving health by controlling moisture, toxic materials, and pollutants.
• Reduced Community Impact – considering the selection of materials’ impact on the health and economic conditions of the workers and local residents
• Homeowner Education and Maintenance – educating homeowners and occupants to operate and maintain their place to remain efficient, healthy and durable
• Sustainable Site Development – avoiding development of environmentally sensitive areas, orienting buildings to take advantage of the sun, promoting building near public transit and amenities to reduce driving, maintaining vegetation, and providing storm water management to reduce contaminant runoff to public waterways (Kruger, A., & Seville, C. 2013).

The article “7 Green Building Trends to Watch in 2015” discusses the rise on global building trends. The trends presented are :

1.) Using sustainable construction materials by using biodegradable and recycled materials such as natural paints, which are void of the Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) typically found in their traditional counterparts to eliminate indoor pollution and decompose naturally without contaminating the earth.

2.)  Green architecture with cross-ventilation. One of the growing trends for buildings and condominiums in cities and business districts in the Philippines is DMCI Homes’ Lumiventt Technology. Taken from the words “lumen” meaning light and “ventus” meaning wind, this green architecture design allows the free flow of natural light and air into high-rise condominiums. The Lumiventt Technology incorporates three-story high garden atriums every five floors and vents at both sides of the building, translating the basic principles of airflow into a breathable building design technology.