Green architecture has a number of benefits. Not only do you get to help the environment but you can use it for marketing purposes. Many people want to do business with companies who are being environmentally conscientious. If you have a green building, you are going to attract customers instantly when you use it as your claim to fame. Green Emphasis on Building When you build a building from the ground up, you get more say as to the green architecture. More buildings are being created with a green emphasis and this is making it easier to find new and innovative designs as well as more sustainable materials. More companies than ever before are targeting builders with products that are environmentally friendly. Because you are building from the ground up, it’s important to talk to your architect about each and every aspect of the building that you want to be green. Be careful about giving any architect carte blanche to go green in all regards unless you have an unlimited budget. Ask for a full breakdown of the costs and then pick and choose what you want incorporated within the building. When you go green from the ground up, you can have anything and everything. This includes high efficiency appliances, sustainable materials, eco-friendly paint and much more. Work with an expert architect to get everything you want. Green Emphasis on an Existing Building If you already have a building, you can still benefit from green architecture with some basic remodeling. This includes looking at ways to conserve water, conserve energy and integrate some sustainable materials into your building. When you work with an architect, make sure they specialize in green architecture. This is still a relatively new concept and not all firms have grasped the concept – or care to make it a focus because it does involve significantly more work. Each and every feature within a building has to be checked to see if it is as environmentally friendly as possible. There are some quick ways to go greener, including: - Replacing sinks and toilets with high efficiency ones
- Adding solar panels to the roof
- Adding skylights to large areas/lobbies
- Using sustainable flooring materials
- Install a smart building automation system
How you go green will depend upon the layout of your existing building, how green you want to go and how much you want to spend in order to do so. Take the time to speak with your architect about what can be done and get an estimate. It may actually be more affordable than you think – and some of the government tax programs can help to pay you back for some of the expenses. When you want to go green, you can implement green architecture in any type of building. This includes residential and commercial buildings, new buildings and pre-existing ones. The important factor is the architect that you work with as they are going to impact the costs as well as all of the green features. Duane Bradshaw Architects has been considering the environment and practicing green architecture techniques long before it was glamorous to do so. Not only are adaptive reuse architecture a good way to preserve the environment but previously existing spaces tend to have a character of their own.
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