An Introduction to Green Building

The guide defines green building as a holistic approach to design and construction that optimizes the relationship between a building, its site, and the local climate to reduce resource use. It emphasizes that integrated design—where interdisciplinary teams collaborate early in the process—allows for the downsizing of mechanical systems and the reduction of both capital and operating costs. The text highlights the significant environmental impact of the built environment in the U.S. and suggests that existing technologies can drastically improve resource efficiency. Key strategies discussed include optimizing building orientation, improving the building envelope to manage heat transfer, utilizing daylighting and renewable energy, and implementing rigorous waste reduction and third-party commissioning practices.

• Green building requires a holistic '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 can reduce or eliminate capital and operating costs by allowing some components to be downsized, such as using better insulation to reduce the size of heating systems.
• Buildings have a substantial environmental footprint in the United States, accounting for 40% of total energy use (including 60% of electricity), 16% of total water use, and 40% of landfill waste. However, current technologies could make existing buildings three to four times more resource-efficient and new buildings ten times more resource-efficient.
• Strategic building orientation and envelope design are critical for energy efficiency. In North America, facing the long side of a building within 15 degrees of true south can reduce energy consumption by 30% to 40% compared to a building turned 90 degrees. Managing heat transfer through radiation, convection, and conduction—specifically via high-performance windows—further reduces the need for fossil-fuel-based systems.
• Construction and demolition waste represents 15–20% of municipal solid waste, and sometimes up to 40%, though an estimated 90% of this material could be reused or recycled with proper up-front planning.
• Third-party building commissioning after completion can reduce a building's operating costs for ventilation, heating, and cooling 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} }