New and convenient ways to evaluate green buildings

What is it about?

Assessing green buildings helps us understand how environmentally friendly they are. A 2018 study proposed ways to improve the evaluation process by examining how green buildings interact with the environment over their lifespan. Using building plans or building information models (BIM) and ontology, the authors could rule check to see if the building design met green standards. The data from BIM is like a source of information for rating green buildings. It tells us about the design of the building, the materials it uses, and how its systems work. Ontology helps organize and share information based on these standards. Using these methods, architects and designers can see how sustainable a building would be even before building it. Then they can make any required changes to improve the building's burden on the environment. This particular study tested green building assessment through a case study from China.

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Photo by Josh Olalde on Unsplash

Photo by Josh Olalde on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Buildings use up 40% of the world’s energy yearly. The construction sector causes about 30%-40% of the carbon emissions in many countries. Setting rules about how buildings are designed and built is essential to reduce these emissions. But current methods to do this are slow and prone to errors. This study uses BIM and ontology to address these issues. The method used by the authors also checks emissions throughout the whole life of the building. And it is faster and less expensive and effort intensive. KEY TAKEAWAY: This study offers a convenient way to evaluate green buildings. An approach that uses BIM and ontology is accurate, reduces cost, and saves time. This approach will, someday, help in the design of more environmentally friendly buildings. This research relates to the following Sustainable Development Goals: • SDG 11 - Sustainable Cities and Communities • SDG 13 - Climate Action • SDG 7 - Affordable and Clean Energy • SDG 9 - Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure • SDG 12 - Responsible Consumption and Production