Taking green building mainstream: The top ten biggest trends in sustainable construction

Biophilic design is an extension of biophilia – human being’s attraction to nature and natural processes – which is about incorporating natural materials and light, vegetation, greenery, and other elements from the natural environment into the urban built environment. With health and wellness becoming a critical element of indoor spaces and various green building rating systems, there has been an increased shift towards measuring and benchmarking sustainability performance on an on-going basis. For buildings, this means that the performance is calculated based on indoor air quality, views, and lighting and occupant satisfaction, and accordingly, benchmarking sustainability performance on a day-to-day basis.

Adaptive reuse is the process of redeveloping existing buildings, and reusing it for purposes other than which it was designed for, and are typically related to historic preservation or around cities with a rich history. Studies have suggested that adaptive reuse reduces consumption which has been produced and is responsive to the environment. Moreover, it has been proven that retrofitting an existing building to make it more efficient is always better than building a new structure with the same efficiencies. For example, Dubai’s Alserkal Avenue was an adaptive reuse project transformed from a marble-cutting workshop to a warehouse to a gallery which is now a regional hub of art, creativity and community.

The prefabricated building system market is expected to grow at a CAGR of more than 6% between 2016 and 2025. Industry specialists believe that modular construction can deliver greater environmental and social sustainability benefits compared to traditional methods. Some of the claims that modular construction is more sustainable are reduced material waste and operational energy as well as optimised time-management in terms of project completion. Moreover, in terms of LEED certification, prefabricated houses are often able to achieve a higher standard since raw materials are not left exposed for extended periods. KPMG’s prediction that sustainability has started to become embedded into public consciousness combined with Dodge Data and Analytics’ forecast that prefabrication and modular construction is a hot new trend for 2020 is expected to result in prefab construction becoming the norm.

What are low-impact buildings? They are buildings which are constructed from natural materials, which are found on-site or nearby with minimal environmental damage. Ammar Kaka, VP at Heriot-Watt University in Dubai, says the use of low-impact construction materials can go a long way towards minimising the damage caused by construction. These materials can also be recycled or repurposed, and are found to occur naturally and are bio-degradable. Materials such as timber, clay, lime, rammed earth, cob, straw, hemp, and stone are some examples of materials that can minimise the ecological impact. As a general guideline, materials that do not need to be manufactured in a factory or transported over large distances will have the lowest environmental impact, he adds.

The significant and rapid developments taking place in the digital sector, such as artificial intelligence, robotics, Internet of Things, 3D printing, blockchain are too impactful to be ignored, says Kaka. He adds that this will transform how buildings are constructed and operated to address the new requirements fuelled by urbanisation. Moreover, advancements in technology from product validation, to waste tracking, to stormwater pollution prevention plan reporting, to embodied carbon analysis will aid in greener buildings, and easier compliance and documentation. For instance, 4D BIM allows all the stakeholders to share information on a single platform, allowing contractors and sub-contractors to eliminate last-minute design coordination and rework, ultimately reducing waste.

Water conservation in the built environment has been talked about for years now; however, with the UAE being among one of the top water-scarce countries in the world, this is a significant concern for the industry here. Surveys conducted have noted that respondents favoured ‘soft’ measures such as changes in worker behaviour, managerial policies etc. over ‘hard’ measures which are technology-based for water conservation. However, recent developments such as the Expo 2020 Dubai’s claim to deliver one of the most sustainable World Expos ever is expected to bring a positive shift in this regard. For instance, the Expo 2020 Dubai site will use different water sources such as wastewater, air conditioning water, groundwater discharge management and reusing seasonal surface water flows to preserve water during its construction timeline.

Kaka says that efficient use of space produces considerable environmental and economic benefits. Some of the ways the construction sector can achieve space efficiency are: maximising the use of daylight in the interiors, incorporating requirements for space efficiency into project briefs and design, systematically collecting and updating space and cost information as well as setting targets that are monitored, incorporating space efficiency concepts into the estate strategy and minimising surface area by excluding conservatories, extensions, and porches in the design. Space efficiency can ensure that the size of the structure stays small, reduces the need for construction materials and allows a greater number of people to live in the same space together harmoniously, all factors aiding construction in the urban environment to be more sustainable.

Kaka says that if the construction sector increases the use of renewable energy sources such as wind energy, hydro energy and solar energy and shifting to energy-efficient equipment and machinery, this will optimise energy savings as well as reduce fuel footprint. Some ways by which this can be done is by building structures that use natural light, usage of smart windows that block UV rays and ultra-energy-efficient HVAC systems and water heaters which run using rooftop solar panels.

World Green Building Council (WGBC) states that together, building and construction are responsible for 39% of all carbon emissions in the world, with operation emissions accounting for 28%. Meanwhile, the remaining 11% comes from embodied carbon emissions that are associated with materials and construction processes throughout the whole building cycle. Hence, naturally, decarbonisation must be an on-going trend until countries around the world can positively say that their green-house gas emissions are net-zero. The WGBC states that addressing upfront carbon is therefore crucial to fighting the climate crisis, as new construction is expected to double the worlds building stock by 2060 causing an increase in the carbon emissions occurring right now. The solution is for coordinated action from across the sector to dramatically change the way buildings are designed, built, used, and deconstructed.

A net-zero house is a structure that consumes only the energy it produces. Reports suggest that the net-zero energy building movement has hit critical mass after being considered a fringe goal for a long time. Net-zero housing has earned its place in the mainstream, and is a combination of many of the topics discussed in the list. For now, Research and Market’s report suggest that the market is registering growth due to the increasing number of initiatives regarding energy efficiency by the government and rising need for net-zero energy buildings to reduce GHG emissions.