top of page
Writer's picturerolando hernandez

What is green building?

Updated: May 1, 2023

Green

Green Building
Green Building

Green Building is a holistic concept that starts with the understanding that the built environment can have profound positive and negative effects on the natural environment and the people who inhabit buildings daily.

Green Building

Green building is an effort to amplify the positive and mitigate the negative of these effects throughout the entire life cycle of a building. It builds upon the classical building design goals of economy, utility, durability, and comfort. By enlarging the scope this way, the green building provides project teams with a more robust framework to incorporate the three pillars of sustainability (people, planet, and prosperity) in their projects.

While there are many different definitions of green building out there, it is generally accepted as the planning, design, construction (and demolition), and operations of buildings with several central, foremost considerations: energy use, water use, indoor environmental quality, material selection, site and location within the surrounding community. These elements comprise the basic parameters for the different credit categories within the LEED green building rating system. LEED acts as a framework for decision-making for project teams in all these areas, rewarding best practices and innovation and recognizing exemplary projects with different levels of LEED certification.


Examples of green building concepts create a positive environment for residents with a focus on health and wellness, experiences with nature, and connections to the surrounding environment. Some of the key features are:

  • Individual ventilation system with continuous fresh air

  • Optimized fresh air filtration systems

  • Ultra-low-emission paint, flooring, wood, and insulation

  • 6 electric car charging stations and an energy-saving automatic parking system

  • Rooftop vegetable gardens

  • Smart thermostats

  • Solar power production

  • 100% sourced wood that is non-tropical, reclaimed, or certified by the FSC

Commentaires


bottom of page