Lambert Joseph Lambert English Rhetorical Composition Prof.

Candia 27 October 2013

The Energy-Saving and Cost Benefits of Using Green Materials in Building Construction

Historically, civilizations around the world, like Ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Ancient Rome, have used different materials for certain structures that they have built in different time periods. Over time, these materials were replaced by heavy timber wood and light frame construction, which began during the Middle Ages. Over the last several decades, there has been increased concern over the amount of greenhouses gases that are present in the atmosphere, as well as global warming. One answer to these concerns is the use of environmentally friendly, or green, materials in building construction. Even though building with green materials can be very difficult, time-consuming, and costly for businesses, it can be beneficial for many buildings in the United States because it has energy and waste saving features that are not possible with traditional construction. The nature of these materials can also help a building gain higher LEED certification. This paper will demonstrate that the energy saving and cost benefits of using green materials, with their potential to contribute to sustainable development, far outweighs any financial and liability risks associated with such materials. The usage of environmentally friendly materials in building construction has many energy-saving features.. Most of those energy-saving features inherent in these materials do not exist in materials that are traditionally used for construction. One major concern that happens

Lambert when traditional materials are used for buildings is that there can be an increase of water runoff in major cities. The runoff water increase happens because buildings, and transportation infrastructure that serve them, replace natural surfaces with impermeable materials (CEC 2). These impermeable materials have also contributed to greenhouse gas emissions in major cities. Architects have proposed several major solutions to help mitigate the risk of greenhouse gas emissions and curb global energy demand growth. One of those solutions is to improve energy efficient lighting and water heating systems, which together with improvements to insulation could save more than 1.7 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide by 2030, lighting improvement could eliminate close to 0.4 gigatonnes, and water heating improvements of about 0.5 gigatonnes (CEC 4). The investment costs to achieve those savings would be made up for by a reduction in

energy costs. Building with green materials is associated with three major rules: reducing energy for heat, water, and light in building and appliance operations; reduction of waste through better product design, recycling, and reuse of environmentally-friendly materials; and providing for on-site cleaning and reuse of wastewater, and on site filtering of storm water (CEC 4). Examples of materials that meet these requirements are recycled low-emissive glass, preservative treated recycled wood, recycled steel, and rainwater catchment systems. Such materials not only reduce energy requirements but also mitigate the greenhouse effect by promoting the reduction of waste. The reduction of waste is very crucial for buildings because building-related construction and demolition debris totals approximately 136 million tons per year in the United States, accounting for nearly 60 percent of the total nonindustrial waste generation there (CEC 4). The total waste used in construction can be reduced by using such materials, which thus can save millions of dollars in building construction costs overall. As a result of these factors, the

Lambert usage of such materials not only can contribute to making a building more energy efficient but also can encourage sustainable development in major cities. Despite the increasing social push to use green building materials, major economic and liability concerns can hamper the construction of buildings with environmentally friendly materials. One cause of this problem is the increasing costs of these materials, despite their availability. Some of the other problems associated with these materials include, but are not

limited to, the risks taken for energy savings, the improper installation of such materials, and the differing expectations between end consumers and architects in regards to whether proposed cost saving and environmental benefits can be realized. Typical buildings are only designed to meet minimum code requirements. In contrast, Sustainable design takes a different approach. The goals are resource efficiency, a protected environment, and healthy conditions for the building occupants. In attempting to reach the goal, design professionals may increase their exposure to legal liability (Musica 2). Furthermore, Sustainable building design and construction often is promoted as a cost savings measure. the picture created by the marketing of sustainable projects is often inconsistent with the end result and leads the owner to believe that cost savings will be insignificant and easily realized (Musica 2). These conflicts also have contributed to marked increase in lawsuits against architects. As one example, an architect agreed to design an LEED gold office building. The developer advertised the building as boasting reduced operating costs and healthier and more productive occupants to attract tenants at higher rents. Budget and time constraints prevented the building from achieving the certification, and the developer sued the architect for negligence and breach of contract (Burney 5). Such liabilitiy concerns, as well as the increased cost and decreased availability of green meaterials, can lead to

Lambert delays in construction time, and as a result easily cause construction costs to go over budget. Such barriers can also theoretically stifle innovation and new construction in the green arena.

Partly in response to these concerns, the LEED rating system was introduced in the 1990s to provide a common pathway of certification for building with environmentally friendly materials. According to Taryn Holowka, LEED takes a holistic approach to sustainability, recognizing performance in five key areas: site, water, energy, materials and resources, and indoor environmental quality, with an additional category to recognize innovation (Holowka 2). The number of LEED-certified buildings has greatly increased since the early part of the 21st century, with more of those types of buildings being built here today. A major example of this is 7 World Trade Center in New York City. The building was opened in 2006 to replace the building of the same name that was destroyed five years earlier. It was the first office building built in New York City to receive a gold rating by the United States Green Building Council because of its extensive use of recycled steel in its elevator shafts, steel support structure, and stairwells. These features allow natural light to go into the building, a feature that was not possible in the original World Trade Center towers. However, there have been some concerns about how the LEED rating system works. Many buildings that were destined for a certification from LEED were plagued by construction problems that eventually hampered building costs. One solution that has been proposed is including architectural Life Cycle Analysis (or LCA) as part of the certification process. This method holistically evaluates the environmental impact of a product throughout its lifecycle: from the extraction or harvesting of raw materials through processing, manufacture, installation, use and ultimate disposal or recycling (Holowka 6). Such analyses can lead to a more credible assessment of integrated design, thereby ensuring that the environmental performance of the whole building takes into account the complete building

Lambert lifecycle (Holowka 6). Such analyses can also lead to thousands of dollars in additional (and unanticipated) construction cost savings. On a global scale, the use of green buildings plays a central and crucial role in the emerging movement of sustainable development. First conceived back in the mid-1990s,

sustainable development is a mode of human-oriented development in which the usage of natural resources aims to meet human needs while ensuring the sustainability of natural systems and the environment as a whole. A lot of attempts have been made to encourage sustainable development in major cities, like using the LEED rating system to rate buildings based on their usage of green materials. This type of development usually requires partnership with the local community, as follows: Sustainability is becoming one of the main drivers of growth and value creation. It can only be achieved through innovation and that is where chemistry plays an essential role. Innovations for sustainable construction, for example, require a wider portfolio, better understanding of local industry, its need, growth potential and a thorough understanding of the customers' value chains. Further, it can help reduce costs and thereby clear the myth that green building solutions are expensive and increase overall construction cost. Local innovations make the concept of green buildings more acceptable and thereby accelerate business growth (Eco-Architecture 4). In addition, the usage of environmentally friendly materials in building construction can also result in other economic and social benefits beyond decreasing building operation costs. In some situations, building with green materials can also improve the operation of a building due to the fact that green materials are stronger, thus requiring less building materials than traditional

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construction methods. Jennifer Crawford and Peter Morris further explain the results that happen when an occupancy rate of a building is increased by the usage of those materials: Green buildings can improve the financial status of some businesses in other ways as well. A recent study by CoStar found that LEED-rated buildings have a higher occupancy rate than non-LEED buildings, suggesting that more tenants prefer to rent space in green buildings than in non-green buildings. Interestingly, this study also reported that green buildings are able to garner higher rents than non-green buildings, suggesting that more tenants are willing to pay a premium for a cleaner, healthier space. Other studies suggest additional benefits, including improved happiness and well-being for the employee, and less sick time used. (Crawford/Morris 3) Crawford and Morris also suggest that more and more communities are looking towards green building as a way to stay competitive and combat global warming and climate change. Therefore, the usage of green materials in building construction can greatly encourage sustainable development in major cities. Not only do green materials have energy-saving features and eliminate waste in a way that traditional construction materials cannot, but also the use of these materials can go a long way towards making buildings LEED certified. The use of green materials has many benefits: it can reduce the total output of energy used in a year, increase the efficiency of water use in a building, and reduce the amount of waste used in a building every day; these can help to address concerns of increased greenhouse gas emissions produced during construction. Liability and other cost concerns associated with green building have been addressed by the development of the LEED rating system, and the economic, productivity, and societal benefits of green buildings and green societies are becoming increasingly recognized. As a result of these factors, many cities are starting to pursue sustainable development to reduce a

Lambert buildings construction and operation costs while still using these types of materials, thereby reducing the risks of greenhouse gases in the long term. Usage of environmentally friendly materials in construction should be encouraged not only because of those concerns and technological advancements that have happened in these recent years, but also to encourage sustainable development and improve the quality of life around the world.

Lambert Works Cited

Burney, Teresa. "Eco-Architecture Is Economically Risky." Eco-Architecture. Ed. Roman Espejo. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2013. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. from "Green Building's Five Deadly Sins." Big Builder Magazine (3 Oct. 2008). Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 11 Nov. 2013. Crawford, Jennifer, and Peter Morris. "There Are Few Extra Costs and Many Lasting Benefits to Green Building Design." The Green Movement. Ed. Debra A. Miller. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2010. Current Controversies. Rpt. from "The Benefits of Going Green." Area Development Online. 2008. Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 2 Nov. 2013. Holowka, Taryn. "The LEED Rating System Helps Create Greener Buildings." EcoArchitecture. Ed. Christina Fisanick. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2008. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. from "USGBC: LEEDImmediate Savings and Measurable Results." Environmental Design + Construction (12 July 2007). Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 4 Nov. 2013. Musica, Frank. "Eco-Architecture Can Be Risky for Businesses." Eco-Architecture. Ed. Christina Fisanick. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2008. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. from "Green Design Can Cause Red Ink." ASHRAE Journal 47 (Dec. 2005): 116117. Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 2 Nov. 2013. Secretariat of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC). "Eco-Architecture Benefits the Environment." Eco-Architecture. Ed. Roman Espejo. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2013. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. from "Green Building in North America:

Lambert Opportunities and Challenges." Vol. 16. Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 2 Nov. 2013. "Eco-Architecture Is Economically Beneficial." Eco-Architecture. Ed. Roman Espejo. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2013. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. from "Developing the 'Green' Building Concept." 2012. Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 4 Nov. 2013.