Building Sustainably: It’s a Necessity
All industries within the design, construction, and operation of our buildings need to adopt sustainable practices to reduce Canada’s carbon emissions—ensuring a better future for us all.
Buildings generate up to 35 percent of all carbon emissions, so addressing construction and design methods to question the way that things are done is a good place to start. Although improvements have been made in recent years, there’s still progress to be made if we want to effectively mitigate against climate change. Sustainability is not a buzzword anymore; it’s a necessity. The future of our environment depends on it.
Conscientious design for a sustainable future.
“The decisions that you make regarding new buildings and what you design into them are going to stay with you for a significant period of time, so it’s critical that you make the right choices,” explains Mike Singleton, Executive Director at Sustainable Buildings Canada.
“If you don’t design in sustainable features, you’re really losing an opportunity.”
For a developer who wants to construct a sustainable building, the design stage is key. If the vision for sustainability is loosened at this early stage, there often is a gradual decrease in sustainable focus as the project progresses.
A strict philosophy of sustainability must be in place, even before design is underway.
“If you want a sustainable and energy efficient building that doesn’t use a lot of water, and perhaps collects resources and puts them back into the infrastructure, you really need specialists to design it that way,” says Singleton.
Building a greener future.
The building contractor has a very important part to play, being directly responsible for materials, waste management and recycling.
Via Constructing the Future – By Joe Rosengarton