Greener spaces and buildings bring multiple benefits to people and our planet Earth. They provide some of the most effective means to achieving a range of global goals, including one of the biggest topics to date – climate change; while creating sustainable and thriving communities, and driving economic growth.
Sustainable building practices are designed to lower the environmental footprint of construction/building development. Buildings and dwellings are responsible for a substantial amount of the Earth’s energy waste and energy use. Currently, most people reduce their carbon footprint by recycling, minimising fossil fuels and using sustainable energy such as solar panels.
Sustainable building practices are most effective during the design stage – as almost all of the design phase can incorporate minimal energy consumption. Ideally sustainable buildings promote good health of their occupants through natural, renewable materials and operate without polluting the environment for the entire life cycle of the building. The benefits of greener spaces and buildings can be grouped into three categories. These include Environmental, Economic and Social.
Environmental:
One of the most important benefits Green buildings offer is to our climate and the natural environment. Green buildings can not only reduce or eliminate negative impacts on the environment, by using less water, energy or natural resources. Recent research has indicated that in many cases, Green Buildings have a positive impact on the environment (as the building or city scales) by generating their own energy or increasing biodiversity.
- The building sector has the largest potential for significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This is achieved through energy efficiency, fuel switching and the use of renewable resources.
- In Australia Green House certified buildings on average have shown to produce over 60% fewer greenhouse gas emissions than the average Australian buildings and, over 50% less potable water than if they had been built to meet minimum industry requirements.
Economic:
Green buildings offer a number of economic & financial benefits, which benefit a range of people. These include costs savings on electricity, lower construction costs and higher property value for building developers; increased occupancy rates or operating costs for building owners and job creation.
- Global energy efficiency measures have the potential of saving billions in energy spending. At a country level sustainable building generates thousands of jobs for the economy and increases GDP.
- On average building owners that have built greener buildings (renovated or new) have reported an increase in asset value compared to traditional dwellings.
Social:
Greener building benefits have been shown to bring positive social impacts and health benefits to many individuals. Many of these health benefits are around the health and wellbeing of people who work in green office spaces or live in green homes.
- Recent studies have shown that well ventilated, green office spaces result in higher cognitive scores and improvements office performance.
Quantum Timber Finishes, as part of the Mirotone Group is a proud member of the Not-For-Profit – Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) and a partner of Green Spaces Better Places. We are committed to helping create spaces that are good for the environment, support healthier, happier and more productive lives, significantly reducing waste and providing non-depletable, bio based products.
Helping to create places that are more appealing to work, play and relax in, while reducing emissions & our foot print, we are committed to continually supplying ecologically sustainable, bio based timber conditioners and finishes.
We aim to keep up to date in the area of sustainability, and strive to be in the know with current and future thinking to ensure we are developing timber coating solutions for the future with sustainability in mind.
The GBCA is Australia’s most respected authority on sustainable buildings, establishing the only national voluntary, holistic six-star rating system for sustainable buildings and communities – Green Star. Over the years Mirotone has developed surface coatings to comply with the Green Building Council of Australia: Green Star-Office Design v3 & Office As Built, Table IEQ-13.1 Maximum TVOC Content Limits for Paints, Varnishes and Protective Coatings.
Greener spaces and buildings benefit everyone, not just the people that live and work in the buildings. The less energy consumed by building/dwellings means a lower carbon footprint that will benefit the community, economy and the planet.
Take a look at some of Quantum’s sustainable products:
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