According to the World Commission on the Environment and Development, sustainability is “a form of development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” Sustainable design shares that big-picture view of how our choices affect more than the present. Effective sustainable design is a comprehensive approach to selecting and integrating products and processes that account for long-term consumer satisfaction and environmental conservation. Sustainable design is about building the future, not just a structure. Sustainability is as much about process as it is about product. Seeing sustainable design as a process empowers “green” designers to better evaluate and anticipate the environmental, economic and social impacts and costs of building products. Bigger-picture evaluations at the start of a project lead to better long-term decisions—and that leads to greater overall success. 

A leader in green buildings Core GBC consider’s how all elements of a building’s design work together to meet the needs of its owners, occupants and environment

We believe that it is only by considering the total building design that we can create buildings that are efficient with resources, affordable to build and operate, good to inhabit and appropriate to their context.

We have long promoted sustainable solutions through integrated thinking by bringing together all the building designers and technical specialists needed to shape a new building or retrofit an existing building.

To make buildings sustainable, we design for better performance from every angle – this way we help our clients create buildings that are efficient with resources, affordable to build and operate, delightful to inhabit and appropriate to their context.

Why is sustainable construction important?

The construction industry, by its very nature, is a big user of natural resources. But with growing concerns over climate change and the finite nature of these resources, there is increasing pressure on construction firms to reduce their environmental impact.

The construction sector is capable of making a significant contribution to these objectives, particularly considering the vast amount of material and energy resources required to produce and maintain the built environment, not to mention the sum of emissions and waste generated throughout the entire use-cycle of physical structures. Considering the global extent of urbanization today and considering the pace at which the planet is being

further urbanized, it is even more imperative that whatever is built must perform sustainably on all registers – environmentally, economically, and socially.
From energy usage to emissions, the construction industry has a huge impact on the environment.

Aside from the potential for building over wild habitats, the construction industry energy use is high. The heavy machinery used in construction still leans heavily on fossil fuels, and even inefficient electricity use can result in the unnecessary burning of fossil fuels further down the energy supply line. In fact, the construction industry accounts for an incredible 36% of worldwide energy usage, and 40% of CO2 emissions.

The fabrication and shipping of materials can have a great impact on carbon emissions. Mining for raw materials can result in the pollution of local water tables. The manufacture of concrete has resulted in over 2.8bn tons of CO2, a figure which is only going to keep increasing as 4bn tons of concrete is poured every year.

Construction can also result in hazardous waste, and the improper disposal of such waste can result in pollution that affects not just the environment, but also the health of people living in that area.

We at Core GBC can provide sustainable solutions and ideas for green construction to help contractors and clients reduce their carbon footprint and consume less energy, we also offer a full range of services to comply with LEED construction prerequisites and credits to help our clients achieve their goals and contribute on saving our planet.