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Preserving our energy resources will be one of the
greatest challenges in our drive toward sustainable development.
This, however, will not materialize unless the different facets of
our society adopt energy conservation principles in their core
values. The future generations will be the chief beneficiary of our
achievements and the best judge of what we accomplish in this field.
The built environment has a
profound impact on our natural environment, economy, health and
productivity. Buildings, according to the Asia Business Council
study of 11 Asian economies, account for nearly one-third of global
energy use and a similar proportion of greenhouse gas emissions.
There is also a growing concern on environmental impacts resulting
from construction activities.
Breakthroughs in building
science, construction technology, maintenance and operations are now
available to designers, builders, facility managers and owners who
want to build green and maximize both economic and environmental
performance.
But beyond these few successes,
the economics of sustainability are overpowering—because the
demand for energy is rising inexorably. “Governments are furiously
building energy plants to meet surging demand from new buildings and
their often inefficient air-conditioning, windows and lighting,”
the report notes. These governments include China which is
scrambling to meet its energy needs.
In this context, the report
questions why “surprisingly little attention has been paid to
ensuring energy efficiency in buildings.” It is far more
cost-effective to build energy efficiency into the design of a new
building than to retrofit an existing one, and the required
technologies are already proven. In short, “the impulse for
building efficiency isn’t just about turning down the
air-conditioning.”
A recent World Bank study
estimates that China and India could cut energy consumption in the
building sector by 25 percent, using cost-effective retrofitting of
high-efficiency lighting, air conditioners, boilers and waste heat
recovery systems.
LEED
The Leadership in Environmental
and Energy Design (LEED) standards is a vehicle for promoting
sustainable design and construction. LEED is the most widely used
global standard for minimum environmental impact of buildings. It is
a voluntary consensus-based international standard for developing
high-performance sustainable buildings. The intent of LEED is to
assist in the creation of high-performance, healthful, durable,
affordable and environmentally sound commercial and institutional
buildings. The LEED approach to building is used by architects,
engineers, designers, real estate professionals and government
officials to help transform a built environment to sustainability.
The LEED Green Building Rating
System helps promote global adoption of sustainable green building
and development practices by implementing universally accepted tools
and performance criteria. LEED promotes a whole-building approach to
sustainability by recognizing performance in five key areas of human
and environmental health: sustainable site selection and
development, water savings, energy efficiency and conservation and
clean air, using low-impact materials and resources, and preserving
indoor environmental quality. LEED-certified buildings reduce
construction waste, conserve water and energy, lower operating and
maintenance costs and reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions.
Points are awarded for specific practices in each area and are
verified by an independent third party. Depending on the number of
points earned, a building is awarded a certified, silver, gold or
platinum ranking.
In May, the US Green Building
Council (USGBC) opened the first public comment period on LEED 2009,
the next evolution of the LEED green building certification system.
LEED 2009 represents a reorganization of the existing LEED rating
systems for buildings, neighbourhood and homes, combined with a
series of major technical advancements focused on improving energy
efficiency, reducing carbon emissions, and addressing other
environmental and human health outcomes. LEED 2009 will continue to
seek the right balance between technical advancement and market
transformation. This evolution of LEED is based on technical,
scientific and market-based advancements.
The establishment of the LEED
guidelines by the USGBC and eventually its adoption by the
Philippine Green Building Council will provide the opportunity for
construction managers to become leaders and champions supporting
sustainable development in construction.
Life Cycle Costing
With Sustainability and Life
Cycle Costing as key features of many building projects,
construction and facility managers, as well as quantity surveyors,
will have the opportunity to set the example to start on the path to
sustainable development. Providing detailed Life Cycle Assessment of
materials, elements and buildings will help building owners and
developers make informed decisions relating to site selection,
material choice and designs. When architects and engineers begin to
understand concepts of energy savings, recycling and other green
practices, they can easily expand these throughout their
organization, making them leaders in sustainability.
(A member of AGHAM, Prof.
Tatlonghari is a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
Accredited Professional (LEED-AP) and professor at the Graduate
School of the University of the East and at iAcademy)
prom.bound@gmail.com
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