Although many people think they are the same, green building design and green building construction are different and distinct entities. Here we explore the nuances that exist between these fields.

Green building design utilizes modern methods in order to reduce the impact of the construction process on the environment over the long term. Ideally, green buildings are constructed in order to make up for their initial impact gradually by reclaiming this cost through green initiatives, such as utilizing energy production techniques to reduce their carbon footprint over the lifetime of the building. There is, however, a distinct difference in green building design and green
building construction. Most people who look into these things believe they are one and the same, but there exist some obvious differences between these two processes.

What is Green Building Design?

Building design is the first step to erecting a building. Green design favors things that give back to the environment. In green building design, an architect attempts to consolidate current building design theory with the best practices necessary to ensure that a building can reduce it initial carbon footprint over time. To do this, the architect uses things such as solar or wind-powered fixtures, paint and other materials that have a lower impact on the environment to be
produced, and tries to incorporate elements of environmentally friendly materials in everything from the plumbing to the roofing. The end result is a house that's designed to last a long time, and to give back to the environment.

What is Green Building Construction?

The actual process of building the structure is an entirely different kettle of fish. If a house is designed to repair the impact that the construction of the house has on the environment, the best way to do so would be to limit than impact when construction occurs. In order to do this, green construction has been developed to utilize technology and building processes that are more efficient and have less of a long-term impact on the environment. Even with these modern green
techniques, there is still quite an environmental impact to erect a building on any particular area. Green building construction is more expensive than traditional construction methods, but by investing in this type of construction a building owner stands to save three dollars on every dollar spent to build efficiency improvements in a building.

Design then Construction

As you can see, these terms refer to different steps in the building process. Design takes into account the methodology of increasing the efficiency of a building and making it more sustainable for long-term usage. Construction works on the premise that in order for the building
to be truly sustainable it must cover the impact that it makes on the environment by giving back to it. To this end, construction seeks to make the building have less of an overall impact, meaning the building can erase its impact much sooner. Buildings are not built to last forever and it's because of this that green construction is essential for green design to make any sense. With the constraints of how much the building can reduce impact over the years the building is expected to remain usable, it is a major emphasis that the construction is done to reduce the costs to the environment in the first place.

An Architect's Job

One of the things that both design and construction have in common is that it's the architect's job to figure out what needs to be done and to follow up to ensure that it occurs. Architects tasked with green design also need to continue to monitor the construction phase in order to ensure that the green building will indeed recover its impact through its lifetime.

For more information on how green construction and green design affects the modern building industry and to discuss your green project, contact Bill Whittaker, Registered Architect.