As society becomes more focused on the climate crisis, businesses, engineers, and construction firms alike are evolving the ways they approach projects. To reduce waste and protect the environment, green building and sustainable methods have now become a priority for many construction businesses, ourselves included!
Sustainable construction refers to various building techniques that protect the environment by using resources efficiently, minimizing emissions and waste, and protecting the health of workers and occupants. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), sustainable construction complements and expands the classical building design elements of comfort, economy, durability, and utility.
What Is Sustainable Construction?
Sustainable construction is the process of creating a healthy building environment based on ecological principles. The primary goal of sustainable construction is to reduce the industry’s impact on the environment. It does this by focusing on things like conserving, reusing, recycling, protecting, and producing high-quality projects.
While many businesses today focus on being more environmentally responsible, what’s happening in the construction industry is particularly notable because this sector is responsible for roughly half the worldwide consumption of raw materials (who would have guessed that it takes a lot of materials to build buildings?). When outdated practices are changed, this industry can make a significant difference.
While you can integrate sustainability into a building at any stage, it’s much easier to do this during the initial design phase. But what’s the incentive for choosing a contractor that focuses on green building methods? Well, the word you should be using is incentives.
10 Reasons Why You Should Partner with a Sustainable Construction Company
Whether it’s a resistance to something different or the price tag for some of the materials, there can be pushback on green construction. Despite this, more developers and owners are turning to environmentally friendly methods of construction. If you’re on the fence, here are ten reasons why you should choose a company that focuses on sustainability.
1. Reduces Waste
Pollution rates and the depletion of the Earth’s natural resources are at an all-time high. One of the best ways to address these problems is to reduce waste, which is a major focus of sustainable construction methods. When you choose the right construction company, you’ll get a partner who chooses more renewable resources and practices which are beneficial to the environment.
2. Boosts the Economy
The construction industry is a major contributor to the U.S. economy. It employs over 7.6 million people and creates roughly $1.4 trillion worth of structures annually. The green building industry is a growing part of this. According to the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), this industry contributed more than $134.3 billion in income to working Americans.
3. Lowers Operating Costs
While choosing sustainability is the right thing to do, there are several business reasons to make this choice as well. For example, green buildings are more energy-efficient, meaning they are designed to lower your overall energy and water bills. Many of these buildings also require less maintenance, so even if materials costs are slightly higher, your overall operating costs will be lower.
4. Reduces Carbon Footprint
There has been an increased focus on U.S. businesses supporting green initiatives that reduce their overall carbon footprint. The EPA reports that buildings alone account for 30 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions in this country. When you choose sustainable building methods, you can make less of a negative impact on the planet.
5. Improves Productivity
According to a study by UCLA, companies with green standards realize a 16 percent increase in employee productivity. This is because there are fewer toxins in the air that negatively impact employees, and promoting sustainability aligns with many workers’ values. Keeping your workers happy is priority number one!
6. Minimizes Noise
Did you know that excessive noise can have a negative impact on the environment? It affects a people’s physical and emotional well-being. Sustainable construction companies also place a focus on reducing noise by locating the landscape around the sound source and creating noise barriers between the source and the building.
7. Encourages Innovation
Sustainable construction isn’t brand new, but new materials and processes are constantly being developed that can make buildings even more environmentally friendly. As more clients choose these responsible construction businesses, it will encourage even more innovation in these areas.
8. Promotes Healthier Living
A green construction project is not only good for the environment; it’s also beneficial for the people who occupy the building. We already mentioned productivity levels, but one study found that cognitive function scores increased by a staggering 61 percent in a green building. Also, these types of projects can reduce the instances of issues like Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD for short (we can’t think of a more effective name).
9. Elevates Brand Reputation
If your business chooses sustainable construction methods, it could do wonders for your brand. Research shows that more and more consumers place a high value on brands that make sustainability a priority. According to the Business Sustainability Index by GreenPrint, 66 percent of U.S. consumers are willing to pay more for sustainable products, and another study reports that 85% of consumers globally have shifted their purchases towards being more sustainable.
10. Serves as an Example
When you choose sustainable construction for your next project, your business serves as an example of what is possible. With environmentally friendly construction methods on the rise, many businesses are looking for trailblazers in their industries. Your company can send a clear message that sustainability is not only important but also attainable.
Trusted and Sustainable Commercial Construction Solutions
If you have a commercial construction project in the Midwest, you need a partner that is trustworthy and approaches every project with passion and inte-grit-y. Koehn Construction Services is this partner. We are a regional general contractor specializing in commercial construction and pre-engineered metal building solutions.
Our team improves the client experience by offering the design-build approach to construction, meaning you will get design and construction services under one roof. We also feature sustainable commercial construction solutions that deliver long-term savings to our clients and protect the planet.
Give us a call at (620) 378-3002 or email us at lyle@koehncs.com if you would like to talk about your next project!
