Sustainable construction in North Carolina is one of the main topics when it comes to the future development of city centers and towns like Fayetteville: faced with global warming and the climate crisis all over the country, it is more essential than ever to reduce the impact of construction activities on our ecosystems and our environment. This concerns not only the construction itself, but also the subsequent use of the buildings, whether residential or commercial premises.
What is sustainable construction and what are its objectives
In the construction sector, sustainability primarily aims to protect the environment and natural resources, with good waste management practices, including dumpster rental services. But this is not limited to the construction phase alone, as it also concerns the entire life cycle of a building: in fact, it is unnecessary for a building to be entirely composed of renewable and degradable raw materials.
Sustainability in construction in North Carolina covers not only ecological aspects, but also economic and socio-cultural aspects. These aspects are equally important. This means that, ideally, they should be taken into account equally in the planning and implementation of construction and renovation projects:
- Protection of the environment and species
- Reduced impact on the ecosystem
- Responsible use of renewable raw materials and natural resources
- Use of recyclable raw materials
- Reduction of operating costs and improvement of profitability
- Sustainable construction materials and technologies
- Energy efficient heating and hot water supply
- Energy efficient insulation
- Natural air currents in the building as air conditioning
- Promote quality of life both in buildings and in city centers and urban areas
- Safe, functional and health-promoting design
- Greening of facades and roofs for housing without impact on the climate
Such ecological construction or alternative construction has been a concern in architecture since the 1970s. However, until now, the focus was exclusively on the impact of construction projects on the environment and ecosystems. Economic and socio-cultural aspects were taken very little into account. They were only truly implemented within the logic of sustainable construction.
Sustainable development in business
What are the existing solutions in terms of ecological construction?
The requirements that buildings and constructions of the future will have to meet are high. To build in a truly sustainable way, the resource and energy needs of the building must be considered from the outset. To do this, it is about finding environmentally friendly solutions, both in terms of raw materials and construction materials and the energy supply of the building.
Building materials suitable for sustainable construction
When it comes to sustainable construction, it is essential that building materials come from natural resources. These include, for example, wood, clay, sand and lime, but also insulating materials made of hemp, wool or wood fibers.
But this is not enough: the construction materials used must be manufactured or processed using environmentally friendly methods and be available in sufficient quantities or at least be renewed more quickly than they are consumed. Factors such as service life, transport distances and recycling also play a significant role in the sustainable use of raw materials: ideally, the building materials used in a construction project should come from the region, be durable and can be reused as ecological and economical construction materials during the subsequent deconstruction of the building.
Energy balance of sustainable buildings
One of the important pillars for the sustainability of a building is a climate-neutral energy supply. To this end, energy requirements should be significantly reduced compared to older buildings and conditions should be created to enable the building to produce its own energy.
The ideal is to produce on average over a year exactly the quantity of energy necessary for the operation of the building, or even more. Buildings are classified into different energy efficiency categories depending on the share of renewable energy they use:
- Low-energy house: energy requirements are significantly reduced compared to the requirements set by energy saving regulations
- Passive house: the energy consumed comes largely or entirely from passive heat sources
- Zero energy house: energy needs are entirely covered by the energy produced by the house
- Positive energy house: the quantity of energy produced exceeds the house’s own needs
A rooftop park called Green Architecture
The concepts of green architecture and green construction aim to avoid concrete deserts in city centers or to humanize them by means of greenery: balcony plants are thus replaced by green roofs and facades which are an integral part of the architecture of the building. This not only adds a nice pop of color, but also helps improve the climate and quality of life in cities.
The EPA provides extensive information on ecological construction, the requirements and aid relating to construction and the environmental performance of sustainable construction. It also provides practical advice for both professionals and individuals on all aspects of green building, objectives, implementation and research activities in this area and also offers an overview of the various national and regional grant programs.
The certification of sustainable buildings and facilities is carried out by internationally recognized systems such as BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method), DGNB (German Society for Sustainable Building) or LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design).
For the assessment, the entire life cycle of the building is highlighted. In addition, recommendations and objectives are formulated from the first design phase until the commissioning of the building, and their compliance is regularly verified by auditors. These certification bodies work in collaboration with local organizations.
Sustainable construction takes into account ecological, economic and socio-cultural aspects throughout the life cycle of a building. In this respect, it focuses on renewable and reusable raw materials, energy-efficient installation technology and green architecture. All these aspects are taken into account upstream of planning and determine the choice of materials, the construction method and the design of the construction project.
The measured and responsible use of natural resources as well as the reduction of energy consumption are beneficial for the environment. At the same time, indirect costs and operating costs (for heating, cooling, electricity and hot water) can be significantly reduced and the quality of life and housing in urban areas improved in the long term.
The biggest challenge lies in financing, as planning and construction costs are rather high compared to traditional construction techniques. To build a truly sustainable building, a significant investment is necessary initially. It nevertheless pays for itself in the long term thanks to the significant savings made on operating costs and indirect costs.
