Green building technologies are shaping the future

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Green buildings have become more popular and important in the past several decades to slow down the effects of climate change. The green building movement is growing significantly for its advantages, such as less water and energy consumption, conserving natural resources, optimizing operations, and generating less wastage. The green buildings also help occupants provide comfort and health by using high sanitation and environmental quality materials. 

As per the World Green Building Council report, green buildings ensure approximately 25 to 35% energy savings and 39% water savings compared to conventional buildings. They use biodegradable materials, water efficiency techniques, and solar power for heating, ventilation, air conditioning, green insulation, and cool roofs. 

Shifting consumer focus towards a healthier environment provides growth opportunities for green buildings. The builders and construction teams are actively seeking green building certification that can act as a marketing tool to reach prospective tenants and investors. There are numerous certifications to evaluate a green building, including Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), Energy Star, The Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM), Green Globes, National Green Building Standard (NGBS), GreenGuard, Well Building Standard, NABERS, Green Star, and Comprehensive Assessment System for Built Environment Efficiency (CASBEE).

The future of green building technology looks promising with plenty of opportunities, including air-cleaning materials, micro-grids, smart glass, electricity-generating glass, and net zero buildings. The technologies are explained in detail below:

• Post construction, air-cleaning materials in the form of paint and concrete use technologies such as nanoscale titanium dioxide and TX Active to remove pollutants from the air and break them down into harmless substances. These materials can be applied to interior and exterior paints, roof panels, concrete, pavers and others.
• Micro-grids are small electrical grid systems that can produce, store, and distribute energy among themselves, generally established in several connected buildings. They are self-sufficient and expected to reduce emissions by at least 20% & improve energy efficiencies by 20%. 
• Smart glasses can tint themselves to keep the building interior cool. The tinting shades in the interior prevent heat transfer from outside. Two types of smart glass are available: electrochromic and thermochromic. Electrochromic glass responds to electricity, whereas thermochromic glass responds to changes in temperature to regulate the amount of tinting required.
• In the electricity-generating glass, smart glass tinting properties are combined with electricity generation to provide windows that can generate electricity for building usage. If a building’s front portion is exposed to more sunlight, the windows can generate electricity. The organic photovoltaic film sprayed or printed on regular glass generates electricity and stores it in the window frame. 
• Net zero buildings can generate as much energy as they use over a period. The technology to build these types of buildings exists now is very expensive. To achieve net zero energy, passive systems such as operable windows and chimney-effect can be used to naturally heat or cool the building spaces. These passive systems store heat during the day and release it during cooler hours. 

Despite the benefits of green building technologies, still, the industry is struggling for a consistent future. The major challenges of green buildings are high costs and lack of awareness among the majority population. The high initial design and construction costs are hindering the industry growth to an extent. However, governments of various countries taking initiatives to achieve Net Zero goals in the construction sector are propelling the market revenue growth of green buildings. In addition, real estate developers are also focusing on energy and water saving due to increased environmental, social, and governance standards.

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