overview - what is green building?

"Green building is the practice of increasing the efficiency with which buildings use resources - energy, water, and materials - while reducing building impacts on human health and the environment during the building's lifecycle, through better siting, design, construction, operation, maintenance, and removal." 1

The ultimate goal of a green design is to achieve true sustainability and open up new opportunities to design and build structures that use less energy, water and materials, and minimize impacts on human health and the environment.

Green design incorporates environmental considerations into every stage of a building's life – from the earliest planning through site development, design, construction, operation and maintenance and, eventually, removal and reuse. It involves countless decisions about materials, systems and methods.

1. Frej, Anne B., editor. Green Office Buildings: A Practical Guide to Development. Washington, D.C.: ULI--The Urban Land Institute, 2005. Pp 4-8.