How well is your building? (Part 2)

In Part 2 of our Building Wellness Blogs we look at the construction process and the impact it has on overall personal and building wellness.

Part 2 – Construction Elements

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Organisations such as the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) have made inroads in this area over the years but the extent of the impact generally remains at the institutional end of town. Whilst NABERS requirements have now been enforced by legislation for property over 2,000m2, how do we bring some of these concepts into the mainstream?

Firstly there is always an immediate perception that all these elements are cost prohibitive. Now I agree that a lot of them are when you don’t have economies of scale, however as with all things many of the elements will bring added value….if combined with a strong marketing campaign that highlights their benefits and outcomes in terms of operational savings and increased property value.

Some of the elements include –

·       Construction materials –

o   Sustainable Timbers and  materials

o   Concrete supply process

o   Steel production process

o   PVC Minimisation

o   Volatile Organic Compound minimisation

·        The production energy footprint of materials used

·        Maximisation of landscape elements

·        Hot Water Production Units

·        Energy Production materials

·        Energy Storage

·        Façade Engineering to minimise mechanical ventilation

·        Lighting types

Next week, Part 3 and final in this series - Operation Wellness.

John Rosel