Buildings Produce 40% of Emissions Today – Lessons in Sustainable Building Practices

Katie Brenneman is a frequent contributor here at 21st Century Tech Blog. When she submitted an article on failures and lessons in sustainable building practices, I had just read an article on the rezoning of Manhattan’s office buildings to turn them into 20,000 new housing units. The COVID-19 pandemic created a work revolution with people staying connected to companies from home via the Internet. Since the pandemic’s ebb, many offices have remained sparsely used. Many businesses have shifted to remote work models. The result is a large waste of space that through conversion could turn into new housing as is happening in New York City.

Converting offices to housing is an enormous challenge. New York plans a live-work mixed-use neighbourhood in the heart of Manhattan. Places zoned for manufacturing a half-century ago will be turned into affordable housing. What this means for the environmental footprint is not described in the city’s building plans and that is a mistake. Conversions will add greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere during the remodelling and build phases. And unless green solutions like heat pumps, solar panels, distributed generation hubs, and the adoption of power storage technologies, these changes will not produce any more sustainable outcomes than the offices they replace.

Building using sustainable practices and producing sustainable results, therefore, will be a challenge in Manhattan and elsewhere in cities where office-to-housing conversions become common.

Now on to Katie’s article which she has entitled “Failures and Lessons in Sustainable Building Practices.”

Corporate responsibility comes with a lot of pressure to do the right thing. And definitions when it comes to sustainable building practices are varied, vast, and easily misconstrued. Especially with buzzwords floating around, business owners and building managers need to be keenly aware of what is truly “green” and what is not during construction and operations. 

Buildings today are responsible for 40% of emissions in the built environment, with 27% of this coming from operations. It’s not enough to haphazardly plan sustainable building efforts and fail to keep up with your actual impact. Most buildings today don’t measure up to environmental standards. So what is needed to remedy this?

Performance Gaps in Sustainable Buildings

There are numerous approaches to achieving long-term building sustainability. Sustainability best practices cover anything impacting the environment including the longevity of materials chosen and the pollution produced to make them, as well as their use in the final build and operations after the build. Where can you look to implement sustainability? These are the categories that builders and operators need to pay attention to: 

• Construction materials; 
• Energy usage; 
• Waste production;
• Water efficiency; 
• Carbon emissions; 
• Indoor environmental quality.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has provided sustainable building guidelines for new and modernized construction. A term in the construction world that has been adopted is LEED which is a rating system for certifying buildings based on the following criteria:

• Reduction to climate change;
• Impacts on individual health; 
• Protection and restoration of water resources;
• Advancement of biodiversity; 
• Reliable and consistent economic growth; 
• Enhancement of community life.

Builders and building operators seeking LEED certification try to earn sufficient points to get a Platinum rating. Inefficient building practices usually lead to inefficient operations with the construction and operations contributing carbon emissions, and air, water and noise pollution. The following are how and where things can go wrong.

1. Insufficient Occupant Engagement – The people working and existing within a building are significant contributors to that building’s environmental impact. If occupants of a building aren’t fully engaged with sustainability efforts, there will be discrepancies between goals to save energy and reduce waste and what is accomplished. Employees who aren’t briefed on or remain unconvinced about the negative effects of their daily energy usage may leave lights and computers on after hours. If there are no incentives to participate in sustainable practices, occupants can defeat the good intentions.
2. Inadequate Project Management – Poor project management can derail environmental efforts. Construction projects may choose to use eco-friendly materials but neglect to consider weather and exposure conditions. This can reduce the lifespan of the materials producing more waste when they need replacement. It’s also possible to choose “greenwashed” materials. Greenwashing is a business practice where products sold have no data to support a sustainable claim. Then there are materials commonly thought of as sustainable that have a larger impact on the environment than most people realize. A good example is naturally sourced wood being used in construction because it’s deemed a renewable resource. But, in choosing natural wood, a builder may be unaware of the devastating effects on animal habitats and increased CO2 production that comes during the sourcing process. A better choice would be recycled or reclaimed wood.
3. Overemphasis on Energy Efficiency – A reduction in energy consumption is often the first area builders and building operators think of when looking to improve sustainability. Saving energy cuts costs while simultaneously appearing environmentally noble. Many businesses strive to achieve net zero, offsetting the carbon emissions they create with renewable energy use and production. While this has value, there are at least eight more behaviours needed to achieve true sustainability.

What To Do Instead

The nine sustainable behaviours of successful builds include: 

• Energy efficiency; 
• Plant-based lifestyles;
• Food and water waste reduction;
• Supporting women and girls; 
• Circular economy practices; 
• Inclusive and equitable products, policies, and practices;
• Purchase of durable, reusable products; 
• Purchase of clean products that protect nature and enhance biodiversity; 
• Community action. 

Incorporating sustainability into buildings needs to consider all of the above. Some buildings will contribute more in different categories than others. However, there are ways to incorporate all of these in sustainable building plans.

1. Use Eco-Friendly Building Materials – Choosing sustainable building materials is the first step to efficacy. That means research specific to each building project. It means analyzing the work of others. It means bringing in experts to identify the most sustainable materials that can work for every project. Based on location and sourcing the choices may vary. But consider as a general rule the following:

• Responsibly sourced wood; 
• Metal roofing;
• Slate; 
• Aluminum; 
• Fiberglass; 
• Paper composites;
• Bamboo;
• Recycled glass; 
• Glass-cement composites; 
• Stucco; 
• Wool; 
• Steel frames. 

2. Work with a Contractor Who Specializes in Sustainable Materials – This allows builders and building retrofitters to figure out what and where materials can be implemented at the lowest cost while remaining sustainable and, more importantly, durable.

3. Integrate Resilience With Sustainable Design – A mistake building owners tend to make is not planning far enough in the future. Sure, the aluminum pipes will work for a year or two, but they will cause trouble down the line. Resilient design in sustainability is tantamount. It’s counterproductive to install sustainable materials and then have to replace them frequently and mitigate damage. When designing renovations, think about weather conditions, durability, renewable resources, and insulation.

4. Get Everyone Involved – Produce a solid plan for renovations that defines the project and its social purpose. Dive deep into how building upgrades will affect those who live and work within it. Get together with staff and those living and working in the area to see what everyone wants the end goal to be. This will serve as a reminder before, during, and after construction to continue to reach those goals consistently. Getting everyone on the same page will result in less waste and neglectful behaviours that could negate environmental sustainability efforts.

5. Report Accurate Results – During planning, construction, and implementation of sustainable building initiatives, it’s crucial to record key performance indicators. Take baseline measures of what the project intends to achieve. A good example is cutting back on freshwater usage. Implement ways to track ongoing usage and report on the results. Spot gaps in performance and analyze ways to make changes. While positive changes look good to the public, employees, and stakeholders initially, it’s typically clear when these results are skewed. That’s why transparency is paramount.