Sustainable Construction: A Comprehensive Guide

Everything You Need to Know About Sustainable Construction

Written by Rose Morrison, managing editor of Renovated
Revised and updated by Brett Stadelmann, managing editor of Unsustainable
Additional contributions by Andi Croft

Sustainable construction has emerged as a critical aspect of the modern building industry and a response to the growing concerns about environmental impact, resource depletion and climate change. As the world shifts toward more eco-friendly practices, understanding the principles and practices of sustainable construction is imperative.

Articles Relating to Sustainable Construction

Essential Facts & Figures

• Sustainable Building Materials: A Complete Guide
• Sustainable Construction Materials: A Promising Future
• A Detailed Guide to the Carbon Emissions in Construction
• The Impact of Suburban Construction on the Environment
• Carbon-Neutral Architecture: Combating Climate Change

Useful Supplementary Guides

• SOUR Launches Carbon Calculator for Architecture and Construction
• Green Housing Technology: Overview of Recent Developments
• Green Construction: 7 Eco-Friendly Upgrades
• Green Office Design Guide: Creating a Sustainable Workspace
• Modular Construction: More Efficient, More Environmental
• Solar Panels for the Home: The Complete Homeowner’s Guide

News & Hopes for the Future

• Top Sustainable Home Trends for Renovations
• Sustainable Home Options for New Homeowners
• 11 Sustainable Structures to Help Combat the Housing Crisis
• What Are the Environmental Benefits of High-Density Housing?
• Sustainable Homes Are Being Undervalued – Why Is That?

What Is Sustainable Construction?

The construction industry has a notable global impact. Around 39% of global energy-related carbon emissions are attributed to buildings, 11% of which are due to construction and materials.

Sustainable construction, also known as green building, is one response. With an emphasis on using renewable materials, energy-efficient technologies and innovative design strategies, sustainable construction involves designing and constructing buildings to minimize their environmental impact while enhancing resource efficiency.

While it’s only recently that sustainability and climate change have become such a concern, sustainable building first gained momentum in response to the energy crisis of the 1970s.

The ‘80s, ‘90s and ‘00s also saw green building developments:

• 1980s and 1990s: The formation of organizations like the U.S. Green Building Council and the introduction of rating systems such as the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification program marked a significant shift toward green building.
• 21st century: The ‘00s witnessed the mainstream acceptance of sustainable construction. Global organizations promoted standards like the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM), and technological advancements furthered energy-efficient and environmentally responsible building practices.

As we move forward, sustainable construction continues to evolve, with an increasing emphasis on resilience, innovation and mitigating climate change.

Key Principles of Sustainable Construction

Sustainable construction centers around a few main principles.

Resource Conservation

Sustainable construction emphasizes the responsible use of resources. Contractors use recycled or green materials, including:

• Reclaimed wood.
• Bamboo.
• Recycled materials like plastic.
• Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified wood.
• Cork.

Water Conservation

Water is the Earth’s most precious resource, and sustainable construction aims to minimize its use. While water covers around 71% of the Earth’s surface, less than 3% is freshwater. To reduce water usage and wastage, sustainable construction incorporates water-saving technologies, like low-flow toilets and faucets and rainwater harvesting systems, to reduce the environmental impact of a building’s water consumption.

Energy Efficiency

One of the primary goals of sustainable construction is to minimize energy consumption with one of the following methods:

• Building with energy-efficient materials
• Creating designs that optimize natural lighting
• Integrating renewable energy sources like solar panels and wind turbines

These methods can have huge results. For instance, installing low-emittance windows can reduce a home’s energy loss by up to 50%. The savings would be more significant in commercial buildings.

Indoor Air Quality

Approximately 4% of global deaths result from poor air quality caused by chemicals and burning fuels. While this is more of a concern in low-income countries, the World Health Organization (WHO) has still labeled it as “the world’s single largest environmental health risk.”

Buildings with nontoxic materials and proper ventilation systems promote a healthy indoor environment.

Site Selection and Land Use

Selecting an appropriate site and managing land use responsibly are crucial aspects of sustainable construction. When selecting land, contractors must preserve natural habitats, minimize disruptions to ecosystems and choose locations that reduce the need for extensive transportation infrastructure.

Waste Reduction

More than 2 billion tons of waste is produced annually, posing a serious threat to humans and taking up a significant amount of space. Waste reduction in sustainable construction focuses on minimizing construction and demolition waste throughout a building’s life cycle. Through careful planning, efficient material use, reducing the use of hazardous materials and recycling strategies, the construction industry can reduce the environmental impact of disposing of building materials.

Sustainable practices prioritize circular economy principles, promoting the reuse and recycling of materials whenever possible. By integrating waste reduction into construction processes, the industry lessens its environmental footprint and contributes to resource conservation.

Innovative Sustainable Construction Practices

Innovative solutions are emerging as the construction industry evolves to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing world. These forward-thinking approaches go beyond conventional methods, incorporating cutting-edge technologies to create buildings that champion environmental conservation.

Green Roofs

Green roofs, those that are covered with vegetation, offer insulation benefits, absorb rainwater and provide habitats for wildlife. They contribute to energy efficiency and promote biodiversity in cities, and they are an effective stormwater management solution. Green roofs can reduce the flow of stormwater by up to 65%.

Passive Design

Passive design principles focus on maximizing natural heating, cooling and lighting to reduce the need for mechanical systems. These design strategies include strategic building orientation, proper insulation and the use of thermal mass.

Smart Building Technologies

Integrating smart building technologies, like sensors and automation systems, allows buildings to optimize energy usage, monitor environmental conditions and adapt to changing circumstances in real time.

Circular Economy Practices

Embracing a circular economy model involves designing buildings with materials you can easily reuse, repurpose or recycle at the end of their life. Doing this reduces waste and minimizes the demand for new raw materials.

Challenges Affecting the Widespread Adoption of Sustainable Practices

While sustainable construction offers numerous benefits, including lower operating costs and reduced environmental impact, challenges such as higher upfront costs and resistance to change remain pressing issues. Other common barriers include:

• Limited regulatory incentives: In many regions, the absence of strong regulatory frameworks or financial incentives can hinder the widespread adoption of sustainable construction principles. Without clear policies that encourage or require green building practices, some developers and builders prefer traditional, less environmentally friendly methods to cut costs.
• Skills and education gap: The successful implementation of sustainable construction practices requires a skilled workforce with a deep understanding of eco-friendly technologies and materials. However, there’s often a gap in education and training within the construction industry, impacting the seamless integration of sustainable practices into mainstream building practices.
• High initial costs: While sustainable construction can lead to long-term cost savings, the initial investment is often high. However, the return on investment through energy savings and operational efficiency is significant.
• Supply chain challenges: The availability and affordability of sustainable materials can be another barrier. Limited access to these materials, coupled with a lack of awareness among suppliers, can impede the incorporation of eco-friendly alternatives into construction projects.
• Resilience to extreme weather events: As climate change leads to more frequent and severe weather events, ensuring the resilience of sustainable construction amid such challenges becomes crucial. Buildings must withstand extreme weather conditions while maintaining their eco-friendly features, which is a complex task that requires ongoing research and innovation.

As the demand for eco-friendly structures increases, so do the opportunities for innovation and cost-effective sustainable solutions.

8 Ways to Practice Sustainable Construction

Now that you know what sustainable construction is and its benefits, here are the eight practical ways to be more sustainable in your construction projects.

You can also decrease your carbon footprint and help save the environment with these tips:

1. Make sustainability a fundamental part of your business processes

There are little changes that even the smallest construction company can afford to make these days. Over time, these small yet incremental changes can significantly impact the environment.

If you’ve been in the industry long enough and suddenly decided to change course, it’s easy to think of sustainability as merely an “add on item. However, it’s much more efficient and more cost-effective if you keep sustainability in mind right from the very start.

To make your sustainable construction a success, adopt a more holistic approach. One way you can do that is to establish a network of vendors that will give you all the sustainable materials you’ll need for building.

In the same way, you can make changes in your hiring process and prioritize employees with more experience in sustainable construction.

Alternatively, you can also provide training to your existing employees.

Remember, the key here is to build sustainability in your business practices instead of forcing it.

2. Use technology and equipment efficiently

Every second you waste on a piece of machinery that’s misused merely shoots up costs and your carbon footprint. That’s why you must plan your workday. That way, every piece of equipment you have and any required materials is ready whenever you need them.

It would be best to use the right equipment to decrease energy waste. For example, you can avoid wasting fuel by using an onsite generator. You can also opt for more energy-efficient overhead cranes and other materials that you’ll be using for construction.

In the long run, you can also look for ways to rely less on power tools and other heavy machinery. You can do so by carefully choosing the more environmentally friendly materials. This is also where design software for contractors comes in handy.

3. Think about the benefits of prefabrication

There are two main benefits of why you should switch to the prefabrication model.

First of all, its lets economies of scale, with your employees developing prefabricated materials in an assembly-line process. Which, in turn, creates more incredible speed and efficiency.

Although you could still quickly provide your customers with customized solutions, the customization should be done so that various components are put together to develop a final design.

4. Strictly implement standardized processes

By approaching every construction project differently, you won’t be wasting time waiting for your employees to pick up the pace and do what’s needed for that project.

By standardizing the process, projects are done more efficiently, with less waste because of mistakes.

Utilizing prefabricated materials is a great way to standardize the process. For example, once your employees know how to create a wall using ICF blocks, they can apply that to future projects and construction sites with no need to reinvent the wheel.

5. Always choose suppliers who source locally

Aside from streamlining your own transportation costs, you can also choose to source materials locally.

One way you can do that is to pick suppliers that use widely available materials in the area, such as concrete. Another way you can do this is to focus on materials that cost very little on your part to transport.

6. Keep the waste at a minimum

Another important tip is to keep waste at a minimum, and if you can, choose materials from suppliers that require minimal packaging. Using components made from recycled materials is one way to reduce waste.

Another excellent way to decrease construction waste is by training your employees to separate and categorize waste if needed. It will lay the groundwork later on for your recycling efforts.

There are also some materials that you can recycle onsite. For example, crushed concrete can be later used as foundations or aggregate below parking lots. Try to recycle everything that you can. It includes metal parts, plywood, lumber, glass, plastic, masonry, etc.

7. Monitor the transport fleet

One of the primary onsite activities in construction is transportation. To decrease the carbon footprint that’s created by the transportation fleet, use a transport management system.

Doing so allows you to monitor drivers and their driving behavior and even control their speed limit. At the same time, it will enable you to map out the best possible routines while providing real-time proactive maintenance. All in all, these factors significantly reduce air pollution.

In the same way, you can also opt for biodiesel when it comes to running transport vehicles. Biodiesel is a fossil-fuel alternative. You can use it along with existing diesel engines without any modifications.

Biodiesel entrepreneurs in the US are producing about 3 billion gallons yearly. In fact, many agricultural and construction equipment brands like Isuzu and John Deere offer B20 biodiesel-capable trucks and other transport vehicles.

8. Managing the site

There are several best practice approaches that you can apply to treat water on site. It will prevent it from flowing into the local sewer system.

In the same way, worker safety has also led to restrictions and practices to decrease pollution. There should be no smoking on the site, for instance. Or when workers enter the building, they travel over “walk-off mats that get rid of dirt, lead, or any potentially dangerous materials on their shoes.

Contractors should also bring recycling containers for food to reduce organic waste.

The Future Is Green

The construction industry can significantly mitigate climate change and preserve valuable resources by adopting eco-friendly practices. As technology advances and awareness grows, the integration of sustainable principles will become increasingly vital for creating an industry that’s resilient and environmentally responsible.

About the Author

Rose is the managing editor of Renovated and has been writing in the construction industry for over five years. She’s most passionate about sustainable building and incorporating similar resourceful methods into our world. For more from Rose, you can follow her on Twitter.