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Amanda Sawit, Communications Project Manager for the Washington, D.C.-based U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), noted five green building trends--four of which are represented here--that church designers can learn from and relate to. In her 2017 report for the USGBC she cited these trends from analyzing the top 10 states for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) across the country, scouting for common green themes in design and construction.
Church.Design provides the following synopsis of four of five trends that apply directly to church design, with the fifth trend applying solely to residential housing.
1-Energy tops the list.
Sawitt reports, "Energy efficiency presents huge opportunities to reach community, state and national targets to reduce energy use and carbon emissions. Lighting alone represents 19% of electricity consumption globally and 22%–23% of all electricity consumption in the United States. Twenty-five percent of that goes to residential, 15 percent for outdoor lighting for cities and 60 percent to nonresidential lighting.
One of the simplest ways to take steps to reduce a building’s footprint is by retrofitting lighting.
One of the simplest ways to take steps to reduce a building’s footprint is by retrofitting lighting. This way, building owners not only help address climate change, but they also reap the benefits of reducing energy bills and delivering a better indoor environment. Many jobs are also created through the renovation of outdated infrastructure.
2-Existing buildings are the future.
"In recent years, the green building industry has sharpened its focus on existing buildings, and this will only continue to become more common as owners and operators conduct deeper assessments into their current buildings and tenant space portfolios. In 2016, LEED for Building Operations and Maintenance was once again the most popular rating system within the Top 10 States, representing 53 percent of the total square footage certified. This is consistent with findings in the World Green Building Trends 2016 SmartMarket Report, which found that 43 percent of respondents in the U.S. expect to be working on a green building retrofit in the next three years (compared to the global average of 37 percent).
Existing buildings comprise the largest segment of the built environment....
Existing buildings comprise the largest segment of the built environment, and as building owners realize the importance of energy management, water conservation, waste diversion and materials and resources, they will find that their buildings cost less to operate, increase in value, last longer and contribute to a better, healthier, more comfortable environment," Sawit's report notes.
3-Water is precious.
In an excerpt from the report, it's noted: "... it is undeniable that water is a precious resource.... Water scarcity and water infrastructure policy have been at the forefront of many discussions at the local and regional level, but moving forward, the focus on water reuse—regardless of where it comes from—will be key to securing our future. This area will require more consistent and active management and care of the systems currently in place to reclaim and repurpose water at the building, city, state and national levels...."
... the focus on water reuse—regardless of where it comes from—will be key to securing our future.
4-Building health equals human health.
Sawit's report cites, "More and more, health care projects are embracing sustainable design and LEED certification as a way to benefit patients and enhance the work of caregivers. These spaces are the epitome of health and wellness, and the quality of their indoor environment has direct social, environmental and cost-reduction benefits .... The LEED for Health Care adaptation is customized to address the unique challenges of health care construction, which in turn, helps to broaden market use of LEED.
...the quality of their indoor environment has direct social, environmental and cost-reduction benefits ....
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To view Sawit's full report, visit: https://www.usgbc.org/articles/five-green-building-trends-top-10-states-leed
