An Introduction to Green Building

This guide introduces the concept of 'green building' as a holistic, integrated approach to design and construction aimed at reducing resource consumption and enhancing quality of life. It emphasizes that resource efficiency is achieved through early interdisciplinary collaboration and the optimization of interlinked systems rather than the piecemeal addition of environmental components.

• True green building requires a 'whole system' design process involving interdisciplinary teamwork early in the conception phase to optimize interlinked issues like site, climate, orientation, and materials. This integrated approach allows green buildings to cost no more than standard buildings because high-performance elements can allow other components to be downsized, such as better insulation reducing the need for large heating systems.
• Buildings in the U.S. have a significant environmental impact, accounting for 40% of total energy (including 60% of electricity), 16% of total water, and 40% of landfill waste. However, existing technologies could make current buildings three to four times more resource-efficient and new buildings ten times more resource-efficient.
• Energy efficiency can be significantly improved through simple design choices based on location and climate. For example, North American buildings that orient their long side within 15 degrees of true south can save 30% to 40% of energy consumption compared to a building turned 90 degrees.
• Construction and demolition waste represents 15–20% of municipal solid waste, and sometimes up to 40%, yet an estimated 90% of this waste could be reused or recycled with proper up-front planning.
• Third party building commissioning upon completion can reduce a building's operating costs for ventilation, cooling, and heating by as much as 40%, according to Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

APA

Karolides, A. (2002). An Introduction to Green Building. RMI. https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_D02-15_ResearchEff.pdf

Chicago

Karolides, Alexis. An Introduction to Green Building. RMI, 2002. https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_D02-15_ResearchEff.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Karolides |first1=Alexis |title=An Introduction to Green Building |publisher=RMI |date=2002 |url=https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_D02-15_ResearchEff.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{karolides2002introduction, author = {Karolides, Alexis}, title = {{An Introduction to Green Building}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2002}, url = {https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2017/05/RMI_Document_Repository_Public-Reprts_D02-15_ResearchEff.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }