Anton Kalafati is the Founder of B Side Construction servicing the Bay Area in California. Mr. Kalafati specializes in bringing sustainable practices to construction projects and is a contributor to several industry publications. Below Anton Kalafati discusses some of the major news happening related to green building trends in this country and abroad.
The construction industry is going green fast, particularly when looking at custom built homes in this country. Contrary to its long-held reputation for consuming large amounts of natural resources and contributing massively to carbon emissions around the world, the construction industry is now widely incorporating sustainability into its work.
Anton Kalafati explains that nearly half of construction industry and engineering executives responding to a recent survey said that sustainability is either a major concern or at the top of their minds. Now more than ever, materials are being sourced ethically and eco-friendly buildings are prioritized.
Here’s a look at some recent sustainability-focused news within the construction industry.
Investing in Green Construction
Eco Innovation Group, a company focused on green energy technology solutions, is taking a new step in sustainability investment.
The company has launched ECOX Spruce Construction, a subsidiary dedicated to construction projects within the sustainability industry. Eco Innovation Group CEO Julia Otey-Raudes said the formation of California-based ECOX Spruce Construction reflects the growing demand for sustainable construction and ecologically driven renovation projects.
Otey-Raudes said ECOX is already working on projects that focus on a variety of green technologies.
Anton Kalafati of B Side Construction reports that in 2021, the company opened Spruce Engineering and Construction, based in Alberta, Canada, as its first subsidiary dedicated to green construction.
Dozens of Businesses Sign Commitment to Net Zero Carbon Buildings
The World Green Building Council has announced that 44 businesses have signed on as part of the council’s Net Zero Carbon Building Commitment, designed to drastically decrease carbon emissions.
According to Anton Kalafati, the signatories pledge that by 2030, they will reduce emissions from both new and existing buildings, maximize embodied carbon reductions for new developments and renovations, commit to wider emission reductions, and compensate for unmitigated embodied emissions.
The council’s Commitment now has 156 signers, including 122 organizations and businesses, 28 cities, and six regions or states. The push is part of the United Nations-backed global Race to Zero, supporting innovative business solutions and creative approaches to combat the impact of climate change by 2050.
About 37% of carbon emissions around the world come from the construction industry, according to the World Green Building Council, with 10% of those emissions coming from construction processes and materials.
New Guide Connects Professionals with Lower-Impact Building Materials
Anton Kalafati of B Side Construction reports that a database developed by the World Wildlife Fund and Northwestern University aims to help those in the construction industry find materials to lower their projects’ environmental impact.
The new second edition of the database, “Building Material Selection and Use,” contains environmental information related to 50 different building materials, such as timber, insulation, roofing, and wall materials. Anton Kalafati says that for every material, the guide outlines such information as carbon footprint, water used to create and transport the material, and embodied energy rate.
It also lists alternative materials for construction professionals to consider as well as an overview of the best practices for environmentally friendly material use, storage, disposal, and design. Unlike other guides, it also lists the durability, thermal properties, and mechanical properties of each material.
Anton Kalafati explains that a smaller version of what became the guide was created in 2015 by the World Wildlife Fund following an earthquake in Nepal. Northwestern University’s Institute for Sustainability and Energy first signed on to help expand the project in 2017.
Study: Renewable Energy Investments Will Drive Construction Through 2026
Anton Kalafati reports that a construction industry study completed by the Business Research Company finds that increased investments in infrastructure that prioritizes renewable energy will be one of the prominent drivers of the 2022-2026 global construction market.
The study notes that a large number of companies in the United States in Europe are now investing in renewable energy, such as solar power, as part of construction projects.
The study predicts that many governments will increase spending on infrastructure development, in part because of population growth and increased urbanization; by 2030 about 60% of the global population is projected to live in cities.
The Business Research Company also sees a rise in green building, with construction companies around the world focused on buildings that are energy efficient and also reduce construction costs.
More companies are earning Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certifications in an effort to develop more sustainable commercial and residential buildings.
And in Europe, materials such as steel beams crafted from recycled materials and natural paints are now widely used in addition to environmentally friendly building techniques like cross ventilation. There has also been a rise in projects managed using green software tools, such as Green Globes and Construction Suite.
In 2021, the global construction market was valued at $13.6 trillion, driven in part by green construction and construction growth in emerging markets, including Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Indonesia, China, and India.
