27 May 2008
The environmental impact of building design, construction and operation is significant. In the United States, buildings spend more than 30% of total energy and more than 60% of electricity. Every day 19 million cubic meters of drinking water per year are used only to evacuate toilets.
In Chile, total consumption reaches 926 million cubic meters per year, (source: SISS) of which it is estimated that approximately 900,000 cubic meters are used to evacuate toilets. A typical commercial construction generates 12 kilograms of solid waste per square meter.
Urbanization changes land use from natural habitats, biologically diverse, to concrete surfaces, impermeable and without biodiversity. The influence of the built environment needs action to reduce this impact. Good Green Building practices can substantially reduce or eliminate negative impacts and improve current unsustainable designs. As an added benefit, green design measures reduce operating costs, increase building marketing possibilities, increase worker productivity, and reduce potential liabilities resulting from indoor air quality issues.
I am currently part of Poch y Asociados, where we have all the specialties that are involved in the design of a green building, so we are in an exceptional position to provide a comprehensive service to our customers.
For a couple of years now we have been working on the design and construction of green buildings under the LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) evaluation system. This year we received LEED AP accreditation from the US Green Building Council.
Authors: josedsalinas
