Green Construction is Reshaping Building Practices

Green construction approaches and sustainable building practices are beginning to become standard within the construction industry, says a newly-published report.

The report is based on a survey carried out by McGraw-Hill Construction and created in collaboration with the World Green Building Council and United Technologies.

It discovered that, overall, 63 per cent of those questioned will be involved in new green construction ventures between now and 2015, while around 50 per cent will be retrofitting energy-efficient technologies into existing buildings.

Green Construction Report

Surveyed for this green construction report were Green Building Council members located in no less than 62 nations. It serves to showcase the changing state of the construction industry in recent years, with so many more firms now embracing green construction methods as a means of following strategic business tactics and helping the environment, to boot.

"It is notable that over the next three years, firms working in countries around the world have green work planned across all building types, incorporating both new construction and renovation", commented McGraw-Hill Construction's vice president, Harvey M. Bernstein.

"The existing building market is a ripe opportunity for green building, and we are seeing that play out in the market. It is clear that green is becoming an important part of the future landscape of the global construction marketplace, and firms will need to be prepared for that transition."

Green Building Practices

There are financial benefits to be reaped, too: according to the survey's results, new green building practices are generating up to 15 per cent operating cost reductions, on average.

"This study validates what we've experienced the past couple of years - that the business community has fully embraced green building as a strategic business imperative that also happens to have a strong societal benefit", added the US Green Building Council's chief executive and president, Rick Fedrizzi.