What is green building?

Green building concepts include environmentally conscious site selection, practices to facilitate and improve energy efficiency, water efficiency and indoor environmental quality, and efforts to limit carbon emissions. Successful green building projects often meet widely adopted green building standards, such as the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) framework.

The term green building might also describe a structure developed with green building practices. It is sometimes used interchangeably with other terms, such as “eco-friendly building,” “high-performance building” and “sustainable building.”

The green building movement can be traced back to the 1980s, when growing concerns about the destruction of the natural environment led to heightened awareness of built environments’ impacts. Accordingly, in 1987, the United Nations’ Brundtland Commission released a report on development and the environment. The Commission defined sustainable development as “meet[ing] the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”¹

Organized efforts to encourage sustainable construction and better environmental performance of buildings soon followed. The 1990s saw the advent of multiple green building rating systems and evaluation methods.

1990

The Building Research Establishment in the United Kingdom launched the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM). BREEAM eventually served as the foundation for a Canada-based green building rating system, Green Globes, that today is also used in the United States.

1991

In the United States, the US Environmental Protection Agency introduced a program promoting energy efficiency for lighting in industrial and commercial buildings. This program was later integrated into the broader US ENERGY STAR program, promoting energy efficiency in appliances and buildings.

1993

A coalition of construction industry professionals formed the US Green Building Council. In 1998, the coalition released the first LEED certification system. Today, LEED ratings systems are widely used to evaluate not just American buildings but also structures around the world.

1995

Real estate developers in Hong Kong S.A.R. of the PRC joined together to create the Building Environmental Assessment Method (BEAM) Steering Committee. The group released its environmental assessment methods the following year.

Since the 1990s, other organizations have formed to promote green building practices, including GRESB (originally known as the Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark) and the World Green Building Council.

Green building standards and rating systems initially covered only new or commercial buildings but have expanded to evaluate existing buildings, residential buildings and communities.

Over the years, governments have also taken a more proactive role in encouraging green building, increasingly incorporating green building practices into building codes. As of 2022, some 80 countries had mandatory or voluntary building codes in place to promote better energy performance and energy-efficient buildings, according to the International Energy Agency.²

Some 38% of global energy-related carbon emissions stem from building construction and building operations.³ With greenhouse gas emissions known to be the leading cause of anthropogenic global warming, sustainable design and sustainable building are emerging as critical efforts to mitigate the impacts of climate change.

In addition to environmental impact, green building programs also yield other benefits such as:

• Lowering building operating costs and utility bills through reduced energy consumption and water use.
• Enhancing public health, quality of life and productivity through more comfortable and healthier indoor environments.
• Helping developers and building owners meet environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards.
• Increasing the likelihood of buildings becoming high-performing assets, with green buildings often achieving higher market value than comparable structures.

Green buildings often feature some or all of the following:

According to the World Green Building Council, examples of cutting-edge green buildings include:⁴

The medical office building includes heat pumps that reduced annual energy use by approximately 40%. A photovoltaic array was also installed in the building’s parking lot, producing enough electricity to offset the building’s energy use.

The residential multiunit project in a small Colombian city features natural lighting and ventilation systems that prevent disease associated with indoor air pollution and mold. It also includes a rainwater storage system and landscaping with native species. The project was built near a municipal transport route, a park and several public services.

This commercial building was retrofitted with upgrades that promote sustainability. The interior surfaces of its car park were covered in a special photocatalytic paint that breaks down air pollutants for better air quality. It also features an energy-efficient, solar-powered air conditioning system, design elements that allow more daylight into the building, and air filtration and ventilation systems to ensure indoor air quality.