Green Building
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“We shape our buildings, and afterwards our buildings shape us.” Sir Winston Churchill We spend 90% of our lives in buildings that protect us from the extremes of nature like cold, heat, wind, rain, bugs, and snow. However, our buildings use enormous amounts of energy, water, and materials throughout their entire lifecycle. They also create a large amount of waste and have a profound effect on the ecosystem that surrounds them as well as on the people who occupy them. The economic, health and environmental impact of our buildings is apparent in our society. To meet the challenges of our built environment, a new way of designing and constructing building has evolved. It’s called green building and its purpose is to help make buildings and the communities they make up become more livable, sustainable, resource efficient and healthier. A green building is a structure that is safe, healthy, comfortable, durable, resource efficient and easily adaptable. It is a place characterized by smart design, cost effective material utilization, no or very low toxicity and superior energy efficiency. Over the life of the building, green buildings save the owner money, are more pleasant places to work or live, are easier on the environment, and have increased value. Finally, green building have competitive first costs and offer significant long-term economic and environmental value. Benefits of Green Buildings in Connecticut: ● Cost savings through substantially reduced energy demand, more durable building construction and adaptability ● Healthier places to work and live as a result of superior indoor air quality ● Increased workplace productivity, sales, learning and atmosphere ● Decreased workplace absenteeism, sick days, and inquiries ● Lower water use requirements and reduced sewage disposable costs ● Environmental stewardship throughout all phases of construction and operation ● Integrated designs that work with Connecticut’s microclimate to enhance your investment ● Reduced sprawl through the encouragement of building reuse, brown field redevelopment and greater mass transit availability ● Reduced liability through enhanced durability and less toxicity ● Economic development through support for Connecticut based businesses and suppliers ● Increased quality assurance of proper design and construction ● Ability to demonstrate one’s commitment to sustainable practices ^top |
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