Sustainable construction uses renewable or recycled materials and alternative energy strategies to create environmentally friendly buildings with a smaller carbon footprint. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) provides useful information for sustainable design and construction, including the use of renewable energy sources and environmentally friendly insulation.
Sustainable construction is an environmentally friendly approach to creating new structures, as well as renovating existing buildings. The concept of green building is based on the idea of using renewable materials in the construction of the building, as well as using alternative energy strategies to make the building comfortable for the occupants. Using various methods considered to be environmentally sound, the building and its occupants will leave a smaller carbon footprint on the landscape and thereby promote the well-being of the environment for future generations.
The sustainable building process seeks to make best use of building materials that are already available or of a renewable nature. This provides a wide range of resources that can be used when engaging in the task of creating sustainable architecture. The design may call for the use of recycled materials, such as bricks or harvested lumber, or even unconventional materials such as glass bottles or old car tires. Sustainable projects can also use harvested materials such as straw for insulation or wall construction, effectively using a resource that is easily renewable each growing season.
In addition to using renewable or recycled building materials, the sustainable architect will also address the use of green methods to provide energy and utility services for the building. This may involve including solar panels to harvest natural energy for heating, cooling, and appliance operation within the space. Turbines to capture wind and create energy can also be incorporated into sustainable building design. These systems can be used as the main source of energy, or be used to increase the power obtained from the local electricity grid, if current regulations require the connection of the new building to an existing grid.
One of the best resources for creating and designing sustainable buildings is Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, commonly referred to as LEED. This type of system provides data on various types of sustainable design and construction that can have a positive impact on the environment while also creating a safe and healthy space for people to live and work. The use of LEED-based recommendations and data can also prove beneficial when renovating an existing building into a sustainable building, as the system can provide useful information on a range of construction alternatives. LEED can help builders with issues such as installing alternative energy sources, environmentally friendly ways to insulate space, and other valuable tips that can be used to make the building truly green.
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