Of all the environmental challenges that are prevalent in 2017, the demands created by a growing and increasingly centralised population are perhaps the most impactful. Not only is the global population continuing to grow at a disproportionate rate to the world’s natural resources, for example, but it is estimated that a staggering 70% of citizens will live and work in cities by the year 2050.
This trend is already prominent, of course, which is why nations such as the UK are struggling to build the requisite number of houses and facilities to meet the existing demand.
In environmental terms, however, the rising demand for centrally-located housing is placing a huge strain on the world around us. Residential and commercial buildings already consume 40% of all global energy, for example, which is why sustainability is such a crucial element of the construction sector and its long-term future.
From the use of automation and smart technology to control domestic energy usage to the application of green materials, sustainable buildings offer a viable solution to a growing, global crisis.
Beyond Energy Savings and Efficiency: How Green Builds Can Improve Business Performance
According to numerous data sets, residential home-owners are increasingly open to the long-term cost and energy savings generated by green builds. Increases in the number of motor and manufactured homes for sale underline the growing credibility of sustainable structures, but there remain concerns that the environmental benefits of these buildings have a limited appeal among business-owner and are not enough (by themselves) to convince traditionalists to invest in such structures.
This may change with a recent, landmark study commissioned by Harvard University, which found that cognitive function test scores doubled for people who worked and operated in an enhance, green building setting. These findings have huge implications in the green building sector, as they diversify the appeal of sustainable structures and make a compelling, cost-effective argument for business-owners in particular to make a transition.
In simple, numerical terms, employees in high-performance, green-certified structures record cognitive function scores that were an impressive 26% higher than those who worked in traditional buildings. If we break this statistic down further, we see that of the 109 respondents who were tested, there was a 73% improvement in terms of crisis response, a 31% increase in strategic thinking and a 38% rise in focused activity levels.
Interestingly, respondents in a green setting also showcased a 44% increase in applied activity levels, hinting at a more productive workforce that could drive higher efficiency and accuracy levels. The same principle can also be applied to individuals that live in a green-certified building, whether they work from home or simply wish to create household tasks more efficiently.
The Bottom Line: A Turning Point for Green Builds
Make no mistake; these findings are most impactful for businesses and the construction sector has a whole, which has deployed increasingly sustainable materials and waste management practices over the course of the last decade. One of the best example of this is the rise of precious metal incinerators, with ERG technology how used to burn waste materials while minimising fuel consumption and driving greater efficiency.
This has also reduced costs for business-owners, creating a growing demand for sustainable processes and materials.
Translating this into the popularisation of green-certified builds has proved problematic, however, particularly as some of the initial construction costs are relatively high. This is why the recent research represents something of a turning point within the green building niche, as these costs can now be measured against an actionable return that measurable increase in profitability (both in terms of human and fiscal capital).
While we will need to watch this space in the months and years to come, the proven impact of green builds on performance and profitability is sure to see an exponential rise in the number of sustainable projects during both the short and the long-term future.
