Sustainable and Green Design

In the past, designing was articulated based on time and budget considerations alone. Environmental concerns and sustainability questions were not as common. Today, however, builders are increasingly thinking of better ways to create sustainable, environmentally friendly areas for their clients.

Environmental Considerations
Utilizing sustainable, high performance building strategies, builders are increasingly incorporating sustainable environmental, or green design, elements into their projects. Green design elements such as low-flow bath fixtures, and exterior and interior lighting that reduces nighttime light pollution and building materials that meet specific environmental goals are increasingly used. Simple, sustainable elements are becoming more common, such as adding shower amenities to an office building, which allows individuals to bike to work and thereby reduce road congestion and air pollution.

Green Building Consultants
Green building consultants are becoming increasingly more popular as builders face increasingly more pressure from environmental agencies. They work directly with owners, developers, architects, engineers, and real-estate professionals to ensure energy and resource-efficient, environmentally progressive designs. Green building consultants ensure ecological and environmental concerns are met by using lighting and mechanical design resource-efficient construction, energy and water efficiency, and overall building design efficiency. Green designers pursue environmental excellence to produce fundamentally better buildings that are more appealing, efficient, and profitable for the owners.

Recyclable
Recycling has become a government run initiative to produce less waste by creating products out of materials that have been recycled and that can be recycled after use. Green building consultants and designers are increasingly using materials that can be recycled after use. For example, designers are increasingly incorporating recyclable carpets into projects. Recycled carpeting, made from soda bottles, lessens environmental concerns and reduces 1.8 million tons of waste from carpet disposal every year. By using recyclable products in a design, green designers can ensure sustainable and environmentally friendly designs.