As businesses seek to expand and adapt to the evolving global landscape, the construction industry has become a cornerstone in driving sustainability. The demand for new distribution centers, production plants, and expanded workforces has spotlighted sustainable building practices. With the rise of nearshoring and the reconfiguration of global supply chains, constructing environmentally friendly buildings is more crucial than ever.
The Role of Construction in Sustainability
Construction’s impact on sustainability extends beyond the initial building phase. The operational efficiency and long-term environmental footprint of a building are equally important. According to the United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP) report Building Materials and the Climate: Constructing a New Future, most progress in reducing carbon emissions in the building sector has focused on “operational carbon”—emissions from heating, cooling, and lighting. However, to achieve net-zero embodied carbon in building materials by 2060, the industry must prioritize decarbonizing conventional materials and promoting regenerative, circular biomaterials.
The Environmental Impact of Buildings
The World Green Building Council states that buildings currently contribute to 39% of global energy-related carbon emissions, 28% from operational emissions, and 11% from construction and materials. The International Energy Agency (IEA) highlights that building operations account for 30% of global final energy consumption. Despite advances in energy efficiency, the IEA stresses that the sector needs more rapid changes to align with the Net Zero Emissions by 2050 (NZE) Scenario. This decade is pivotal, as the goal is to ensure that all new buildings and 20% of existing stock are zero-carbon-ready by 2030.
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Construction
In terms of the SDGs, Consistent Engineering Consultants, a leading sustainable MEP consultancy, emphasizes the construction industry’s role in advancing the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The sector can significantly contribute to the following SDGs:
- Green buildings improve people’s health and well-being, by Goal 3
- They make use of renewable energy, reducing maintenance costs over time, as required by Goal 7
- The drive towards building green infrastructure creates new jobs and employment for people, satisfying Goal 8 with its wider scope
- Green building is instrumental in spurring innovation and contributing to the development of climate-resilient architecture, as needed for Goal 9
- It is estimated that 60% of the population will live in metropolitan cities by 2030. Hence, creating green neighborhoods and vicinities instead of individual green homes is on the cards. This ensures that the new fabric of civilization is green, which is Goal 11.
- The green building satisfies Goal 12 of responsible consumption and protection as it uses circular principles where resources are not wasted.
By implementing zero-carbon-ready building standards, enhancing building energy codes, and adopting sustainable design principles, the construction industry can lead the charge toward a more sustainable future.
Principles of Sustainable Design
Sustainability begins with design, this approach not only optimizes building performance but also enhances user comfort and health. Sustainable design is critical in reducing the environmental impact of buildings. The National Institute of Building Sciences outlines six fundamental principles:
- Optimize Site Potential: Proper site selection, smart growth principles, and integration with sustainable design are essential.
- Optimize Energy Use: Reducing energy loads, increasing efficiency, and maximizing renewable energy use is crucial.
- Protect and Conserve Water: Sustainable buildings should minimize impervious cover and use water efficiently.
- Optimize Building Space and Material Use: Sustainable buildings should maximize material value and minimize environmental impacts.
- Enhance Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ): Sustainable buildings should improve occupant health and productivity through better ventilation, daylighting, and material choices.
- Optimize Operational and Maintenance Practices: Designing for easy maintenance and long-term sustainability is key.
Resilient Architecture and Material Sustainability
Resilient architecture ensures that buildings can withstand and adapt to various conditions, including climate change and economic shifts. The building industry must also address the challenges of material sustainability. Fragmented approaches to solutions have led to confusion and reduced adoption rates.
The UNEP also explains that material sustainability in construction is a critical aspect of the global effort to reduce environmental impact and combat climate change. The concept involves selecting, sourcing, and utilizing building materials in a way that minimizes their ecological footprint, promotes resource efficiency, and supports the long-term viability of natural systems. These materials may include bamboo, recycled steel, cross-laminated timber (CLT), recycled concrete aggregate (RCA), hempcrete, and reclaimed wood.
At the same time, the development of the Common Materials Framework (CMF), proposed by Mindful Materials offers a systematic approach designed to guide industries, including construction, in selecting materials that are sustainable, efficient, and suitable for their intended applications, providing a standardized methodology for evaluating materials based on various sustainability criteria, enabling better decision-making in material selection.
The CMF also focuses on core principles such as the life cycle assessment (LCA), resource efficiency, health and safety, renewability and circularity, performance and durability, and supply chain transparency.
The Challenge of Green Certifications
Green building certifications such as LEED, BREEAM, the WELL Building Standard, Energy Star, Green Globes, the Living Building Challenge, and the National Green Building Standard have significantly influenced the move toward sustainable construction. Increasingly, companies not only in the realm of construction, are pursuing these certifications to meet their broader ESG goals. However, there are sometimes discrepancies between the objectives these certifications set out to achieve and the actual outcomes in practice.
These certifications often focus on operational carbon emissions and overlook the embodied carbon in materials. The University College of State Managements shares how this narrow focus can lead to misleading sustainability credentials and fail to reflect a building’s true environmental impact.
Stonemark Construction Management states that building a green building is not the same as certifying that the building is green. While many projects are designed and constructed to meet green building standards, not all pursue formal certification. It also showcases how not all certification programs assess a building’s ongoing performance after construction is completed and are awarded based solely on the design and construction phases, without considering how the building operates in practice, potentially overlooking long-term sustainability during occupancy. To address this, it suggests some certification programs have introduced recertification processes or performance-based certifications that consider end-user occupancy data.
Despite these challenges, pursuing green certifications underscores a growing commitment to responsible building practices, signaling a shift toward more sustainable development in the construction industry.
To truly achieve sustainability in construction, certifications must evolve to consider a building’s entire lifecycle. This includes incentivizing the construction sector to readapt existing buildings rather than focusing solely on new constructions. By doing so, the industry can ensure that buildings remain sustainable throughout their lifespan, contributing positively to the environment and society.
by Adriana Alarcón
