Climate change is already having severe effects on the planet, contributing to increased natural disasters, decimation of climates and significant human health impacts. Living more sustainably is a necessary part of combating and reversing these devastating impacts and green building can make a major difference.
What Is Green Building?
Green building is the philosophy and process of creating a build environment that is as healthy for the environment as possible, while meeting the needs of an ever-growing population.
It begins at the design stage and continues throughout the construction and long after building is complete. The lost-lasting reduction of carbon emissions is vital to preserving the planet both short and long term.
The built environment makes up 40% of global carbon emissions. While societies can eliminate paper and plastic products, we can not get rid of construction. People need houses to live in, schools to attend, places to purchase goods and infrastructure to navigate. Building and maintaining these structures is necessary to continue life as we know it.
Since construction is a necessity, making the industry more sustainable is a top priority.
Smart Technology for Green Building
Advancements in technology allow companies to use better materials, streamline the building process and create infrastructure that will produce decreased carbon emissions as they’re in use. The following smart technologies are paving the way for the industry to be environmentally friendly.
Design
Design is the first part of creating a structure and smart technology allies architects and engineers to efficiently plan.
One software making strides is building information modeling. It creates 3D models to give professionals a good understanding of how a building will come together, how to organize construction and how long it will take.
With the model’s information, teams can work to ensure the architecture, engineering and mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems fluidly come together as quickly as possible. Information from machine learning can alert builders to potential clashes between models and explore alternative solutions. Machines and utility use on a construction site utilize non-renewable resources. The faster a project reaches completion, the less harm it’ll do.
Sensors
Smart sensors have microprocessors that can collect and analyze assigned data before passing that information on in a digestible format. In construction, they provide real-time data to everyone on a work site. Live sensor readings help managers monitor equipment use, maintenance and efficiency.
Different sensors provide constant feedback on weather conditions, allowing managers to for safe and productive work days. The data from sensors around the site lets crews analyze positive and negative building strategies and prevent problems before they happen. Worn sensors can track a worker’s activities, helping develop better safety and accountability procedures.
Common smart sensor applications include the following:
- Concrete sensors: These sensors are placed in concrete as it is poured and can monitor the curing process. They help construction professionals learn how to adjust mixes to ensure quality while maximizing efficiency.
- RFID sensors: They can help track tools and other materials around the construction site, saving money and resources.
- Personal protective equipment (PPE) sensors: PPE sensors can ensure employees are wearing the right equipment to stay safe. They can also detect the location and vital signs on the site.
- Maintenance sensors: These sensors can detect when machines aren’t running optimally and need repairs.
With these sensors, crews can maintain safety while making their practices more sustainable.
Data Analytics
Leveraging data analytics can help construction companies make smarter decisions to optimize their operations. Virtual data organization and analytics software help crews improve on a project’s construction. Managers can use it to reduce costs, improve safety and increase accuracy. These changes create a better workflow for everyone involved and improve completion times.
3D Printing
Printers can now make various construction materials, optimizing their production. The printers use materials like clay, concrete and fibers to make uniform and intricate materials for use in projects. Like compact 3D printers, industrial printers draw the material onto a platform, where it dries to become usable.
3D printing can produce the exact amount of materials necessary for a project, eliminating waste and reducing the need to add more emissions by remaking the same piece. It allows designers to get more creative in their designs since the printers can create more complex designs.
Virtual and Augmented Reality
Virtual and augmented reality can create a complete virtual map of a site for workers to evaluate before setting foot on a property. It can reduce a project’s carbon emissions by allowing teams to work through potential problems. They can review designs, adjust their methods and add safety precautions with little risk.
Stakeholders can easily review and understand the plans, making it easier to begin construction.
Infrared Cameras
Infrared cameras connect to smart devices to allow workers to see what’s behind walls and ceilings. They can determine whether or not there are leaks, electrical hot spots, plumbing issues or problems with heating and cooling systems.
When a crew enters a site, cameras can be invaluable for saving time while keeping everyone safe. They connect to a tablet or smartphone via Bluetooth, so someone far from an area can properly assess the environment. Some programs generate reports based on a camera’s findings, allowing crews to analyze the data and make adjustments.
Robotics
Advanced robotics can fill in gaps in construction material production and make assembly lines faster and safer. Robots that move materials and attaching parts are an asset to the modular home industry, which is more energy efficient than traditional stick-built options.
Prominent in factories, robots are also entering the construction site to speed up tasks, like bricklaying, mapping and lifting.
Cost Management
Despite the best intentions, projects often go over budget. Extended deadlines can impact the environment. For example, improper planning can lead to more materials produced and transported as well as longer working hours.
Artificial neural networks can predict needed changes based on project size, the type of contract and competence of managers.
The Impacts of Unsustainable Construction
These technologies are invaluable to the global green building initiative by reducing the following problem areas.
- Fossil fuels: Higher efficiency leads to less time on site and fewer hours utilizing gas-powered vehicles.
- Pollution: The emissions from machine exhausts, as well as chemicals used in construction can pollute the air and water.
- Waste: New infrastructure leads to discarded materials that can sit in landfills and release emissions.
- Excavation: The removal of vegetation and excavating land can harm local wildlife.
Long-Term Green Building Impacts
Green building initiatives aim to reduce the environmental impact of the construction practices on a daily basis while implementing long-term solutions for the housing industry.
Working with the environment, contractors can build homes and businesses with biophilic designs that allow greenery to remain. These designs allow for plenty of natural light, which can reduce the owner’s electricity use. Automatic lights can help save electricity by only turning on when they detect someone in the room.
Using recycled steel, reclaimed wood and natural materials in buildings can prevent new passive emissions from entering the atmosphere. Flood sensors can turn off a building’s water when a leak gets detected. Doing so can preserve water and eliminate potential pollutants.
Smart heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems can sense when people occupy different rooms and adjust their settings accordingly, so residents stay comfortable while reducing energy use in empty places. Owners can program their systems to use less energy during different times, which saves them money while preserving the planet.
Using Smart Technology for Green Buildings
Smart technology is entering all industries, including construction. With innovations, smart sensors, machines and devices, crews can more efficiently complete their projects, reducing emissions and materials needed to complete the job.
