Green Building in the Arctic Region: State-of-the-Art and Future Research Opportunities

Abstract

The concept of Green Building refers to environmentally friendly constructions with the target of minimizing the impact on the natural environment through sustainable and efficient use of resources over their life cycle. Since modern buildings are large contributors to global energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, policies and international strategies intended to reduce the carbon footprint of conventional buildings are highlighting the role of this recently introduced building concept. This study provides a systematic literature review of existing research related to Green Buildings in the Arctic. Despite numerous studies and projects developed during the last decades, a study describing the current research status for this region is still missing. The review first examines the role that national and international policies developed by the arctic countries have on the development process of Green Buildings. Second, it provides an overview of the most commonly used and promoted Green Building rating systems used by the same countries in the region. The analysis highlights benefits and critical issues of Green Buildings located in the Arctic in comparison with conventional buildings, focusing on environmental, economic, and social dimensions. Finally, future research opportunities are presented and discussed.

Energy-efficient building materials for Arctic conditions as a criterion for “green building”

“…Thermal insulation materials for the experimental buildings were selected based on their compliance with the principles of "green" construction [18][19][20]. The cavity insulation between the logs of a double log house is provided by wood shavings and sawdust, which are waste in the production of rounded logs (Figure 2, left).…”

Optimizing the evaluation model of green building management based on the concept of urban ecology and environment

“…The concept of green building refers to the idea of saving resources to the greatest extent, reducing the waste of resources and reducing the pollution caused by buildings to the environment in the whole life cycle, to improve people's high-quality life, ensure people's life and health, improve the comfort of human living space, and achieve the harmonious coexistence of architecture and nature. In the 1990s, many western developed countries first paid attention to the field of green building and put forward a series of evaluation indicators, which are most famous for LEED in the United States and breed-am in the United Kingdom (Tongtuam et al, 2011;Mishra et al, 2013;Wu et al, 2016;Ravasio et al, 2020). In 2014, China issued new green building evaluation criteria.…”

Towards emission free construction sites in Northern Norway: Results from a regional survey

“…The Nordic Arctic climate is characterised by extreme seasons, high temperature and precipitation variations, a strong gradient in latitude solar, and UV radiation [11]. Several action plans show that developments in the Arctic have been a priority in the Norwegian Government's agenda, including a focus on the reduction of GHG emissions via transition to green transport, energy, and construction [12].…”