Environmental assessment of residential buildings with an emphasis on water conservation

Abstract

The construction, operation and demolition of buildings represent one of the most damaging human activities in the global environment nowadays and water use and conservation is one of the most representative environmental loads to be considered. Brazil, unlike some other countries, has not yet implemented its own body building environmental assessment. The development of an environmental assessment system requires the identification of the most important topics to be considered in each theme for each country or region, due to local environmental agenda. This article presents a summary of the main topics concerning water conservation considered in some international environmental building assessment systems and presents a proposal of topics to take into account in a Brazilian assessment system. Practical application: The civil construction industry is not only one of the biggest sectors in the economy but is also one of the greatest polluters. Along with standardisation, it is also necessary to establish measures to attract significantly higher levels in different topics related to sustainable construction. New mechanisms that allow users to recognise the difference between buildings with different sustainable performance levels need to be developed. This article will be used as a base for the development of a Brazilian system of assessment and rating for building environmental performance and sustainability in terms of water use and conservation.

Design of A Sustainable Building: A Conceptual Framework for Implementing Sustainability in the Building Sector

“…It is estimated that by 2056, global economic activity will have increased fivefold, global population will have increased by over 50%, global energy consumption will have increased nearly threefold, and global manufacturing activity will have increased at least threefold [9,10]. Globally, the building sector is arguably one of the most resource-intensive industries.…”

“…Globally, the building sector is arguably one of the most resource-intensive industries. Compared with other industries, the building industry rapidly growing world energy use and the use of finite fossil fuel resources has already raised concerns over supply difficulties, exhaustion of energy resources and heavy environmental impacts-ozone layer depletion, carbon dioxide emissions, global warming, climate change [10]. Building material production consumes energy, the construction phase consumes energy, and operating a completed building consumes energy for heating, lighting, power and ventilation.…”

“…Ilha et al, [10] observed that water conservation technologies and strategies are often the most overlooked aspects of a whole-building design strategy. However, the planning for various water uses within a building is increasingly becoming a high priority, in part because of the increasing recognition of the water savings that can be realized through the implementation of water saving initiatives.…”

Sustainable Retirement Living: What Matters?

“…McCormack et al 2007;Tam 2008;Chan et al 2009;Ilha et al 2009). However, the extensive literature review shows that there is very little research into applying sustainable construction practices specifically into retirement accommodation developments.…”

Optimal design for water conservation and energy savings using green roofs in a green building under mixed uncertainties

“…Some technologies for minimizing the consumption of potable water include separate collection of gray water for recycling, use of water saving fixtures, use of leak detection systems, sub-metering systems to allow monitoring of water consumption, and efficient irrigation systems. Some sources of non-potable water that can be used around the home for various purposes include rainwater and gray water (Ilha et al, 2009). When the goal of water conservation collides with that of the energy savings of the green home, many different integrative strategies can be employed.…”