Sustainable Construction, 5th Edition

Chapter 1Introduction and Overview

The application of the sustainability paradigm to the built environment is still a relatively recent phenomenon but, in a relatively short time, the resulting sustainable construction movement has gained significant strength and momentum. The effort to implement this thinking continues to expand, supported by certification schemes that officially designate a project as meeting ambitious sustainability criteria. In some countries such as the US, about half of all commercial and institutional projects are being evaluated for certification by third-party building assessment organizations such as the US Green Building Council (USGBC) and the Green Building Initiative. Recent surveys of green building activity in 20 countries on five continents indicate significant future increases in business investments in these high-performance buildings. One significant emerging trend is a growing gap between those implementing sustainable construction without green building assessment and those seeking green certification, a possible indication that sustainability and greening are becoming the norm (Dodge Data & Analytics 2018).

The strongest force shaping contemporary sustainable construction is the expected, near- and far-term effects of climate change. The Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5^oC, issued by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in October 2018, is having unprecedented impacts on the direction of green buildings and sustainable ...