Green is IN

Imagine working in an office that uses sunlight instead of artificial lights for illumination and that has in place central air conditioning instead of the split or window air conditioners.


In an increasing revolt against over-urbanization, companies are opting for eco-friendly options. The concept of environment-friendly buildings, or green buildings as they are popularly known, is catching on in many parts of the world. 


While the green building movement has been around globally since the 1970s, it has picked up momentum here in Malaysia only in the last couple of years. Based on http://www.greenbuildingindex.org/why-green-buildings.html 

WHAT IS A GREEN BUILDING?

A Green building focuses on increasing the efficiency of resource use – energy, water, and materials – while reducing building impact on human health and the environment during the building’s lifecycle, through better sitting, design, construction, operation, maintenance, and removal. Green Buildings should be designed and operated to reduce the overall impact of the built environment on its surroundings.



WHY GREEN BUILDINGS?

A Green building focuses on increasing the efficiency of resource use – energy, water, and materials – while reducing building impact on human health and the environment during the building’s lifecycle, through better sitting, design, construction, operation, maintenance, and removal. Green Buildings should be designed and operated to reduce the overall impact of the built environment on its surroundings.

	Green buildings are designed to save energy and resources, recycle materials and minimise the emission of toxic substances throughout its life cycle.
	Green buildings harmonise with the local climate, traditions, culture and the surrounding environment.
	Green buildings are able to sustain and improve the quality of human life whilst maintaining the capacity of the ecosystem at local and global levels.
	Green buildings make efficient use of resources, have significant operational savings and increases workplace productivity.
	Building green sends the right message about a company or organisation – that it is well run, responsible, and committed to the future.

A green building essentially uses better design and construction material to minimize the consumption of power and water within the building. Such buildings are eco-friendly and energy-efficient. They are those that use eco-friendly technology to reduce the consumption of electricity, water and other natural resources and minimize the impact of the building on the local environment. But in most case, the external appearance of green buildings does not differ very much from that of normal buildings.

Features of Ecological Building and Some Techniques

Many options are now available to those wishing to design and build green buildings or eco-friendly buildings.. Architects, engineers and builders worldwide are now using construction techniques that have been developed throughout human history, in response to local environmental concerns and the physical resource opportunities available, coupled with 21st century technological refinements.

These range from rammed earth construction, which involves clay-based material mixed with water and then rammed into brick or solid wall form, suitable in hot and dry climates, to straw bale houses, literally using bales of straw as the core structure. Straw is a great insulator, is a breathable material that filters the air passing through it, and contrary to expectation, is fire-resistant when compressed. And it is low cost.

Other options are so-called earth ships, which use recycled car tyres filled with earth as the buildings walls, or Yurts or Gers, the semi-permanent nomadic tents of Inner Asia, that utilise local wood, wool and canvas, to literally live on, with the land. These examples can be seen as development that has a low impact upon the environment, which utilise and blend in with the local environment, and could be dismantled and moved easily.

In more conventional building construction, it is how technology and building materials merge and create ecological resources that are the key to green success, as well as using simple and readily available materials. For example, using pulped recycled paper for roof insulation is a simple but highly effective ecological resource. The damage to human health from asbestos insulation, laid out in rolls in thousands of UK homes, is now well-known. Asbestos also takes hundreds of years to decompose in landfill.

Other features of an ecological building might include :

• The varied use of solar panels for domestic hot water heating,

• Water conservation, possibly including biological waste water treatment and re-use, and the simple collection and recycling of rainwater for garden use,

• Low energy lightbulbs, which can last up to 100 times longer than regular bulbs,

• Cellulose insulation (like the paper in the above example),

• Non-toxic or lead-free paints and wood preservatives,

• Locally grown and harvested timber from sustainably managed forests.

more info click link below:  http://www.greenbuilding.com/knowledge-base/what-green-building-science

What is GBI?

The Green Building Index (GBI) is Malaysia’s industry recognised green rating tool for buildings to promote sustainability in the built environment and raise awareness among Developers, Architects, Engineers, Planners, Designers, Contractors and the Public about environmental issues and our responsibility to the future generations. 

The GBI rating tool provides an opportunity for developers and building owners to design and construct green, sustainable buildings that can provide energy savings, water savings, a healthier indoor environment, better connectivity to public transport and the adoption of recycling and greenery for their projects and reduce our impact on the environment.

GBI is developed specifically for the Malaysian-tropical climate, environmental and developmental context, cultural and social needs and is created to:

• Define green buildings by establishing a common language and standard of measurement;
• Promote integrated, whole-building designs that provides a better environment for all;
• Recognise and reward environmental leadership;
• Transform the built environment to reduce its negative environmental impact; and
• Ensure new buildings remain relevant in the future and existing buildings are refurbished and upgraded to improve the overall quality of our building stock.

 more about GBI click here http://www.greenbuildingindex.org/Resources/GBI%20Documents/GBI%20Fact%20Sheet%20V1.0.pdf