Green Building
Green building actually entails two concepts: building with eco friendly materials and local resources, and designing energy efficient buildings that lend themselves to healthy and environmentally aware living.
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Reducing your footprint
Green building aims to reduce the negative impact that construction has on the environment and surrounding landscape and to minimise the impact on human, plant and animal life throughout the building’s existence.
Sustainable.co.za has a range of products to help you with your green building project. From simple garden sheds to family homes and holiday houses, Sustainable has all the materials and information on green building and eco friendly building practices that you need.
The cost of green building
When it comes to green building people also tend to make one of two assumptions:
- Green building is inherently (prohibitively) expensive
- Green buildings have floors made of dirt and walls made of cow dung
The truth is somewhere in between
A survey by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development found that the cost of green building construction is typically overestimated by an average of 300%. When sustainable eco building is carried out properly, one of its primary benefits is a reduction in operating costs (materials are sourced locally) and an increase in productivity (the sooner buildings are completed, the more money is saved). Sustainable construction is also more energy efficient, which lowers costs and lessens the impact on the environment.
And, while sustainable construction makes use of many natural products, such as bamboo, straw, clay and compressed and baked earth, it also uses materials traditionally associated with building but with a green twist, such as recycled stone and metal, calcium sandstone and high performance concrete.
Green building in South Africa
In 2007, the Green Building Council of South Africa developed a rating system for the sustainable construction industry – Green Star SA rating tools – that outlines the principles of eco building in SA and also rewards outstanding performances in the industry.
The Green Star SA rating tool has sub categories for each building sector, such as eco homes, offices, retail outlets and multi-unit multi-purpose buildings.
If you want to build an eco friendly home or simply want more information on green building in South Africa, contact SA’s premier eco-store where Sustainable Living Matters.
