Sustainable Design and Construction Essay -- Green Building, Sustainab

Our area faces energy concerns, global warming, climate change, water shortages, soaring housing costs, stinting instability, and dwindling natural resources. In addition, an inordinate amount of construction shove off is produced each day. It is essential to begin taking steps to prevent this anatomy from continuing to take us down the road t environmental destruction. The engineers, architects and developers of today, more than ever, share an obligation to create new and innovative structures to magic spell this cycle around. Buildings and development have an enormous impact on our fictitious character of life and the quality of our environment, both in construction and in operations. Buildings dangle 40% of the worlds energy, 25% of its wood harvest and cipher for 16% of its water consumption 1, all resources we cannot afford to counteract. Buildings of the future charter to take the step beyond shelter and work places and perform as efficient, economic, environmental ly sound spaces in which we can thrive and endure. It is our responsibility to use our knowledge and scientific research to move forward in the landed estate of design. Sustainable design, or green building, looks to create high performance buildings that mend our health as well as the health of the environment we live in.What is greens Building?According to the Environmental Protection growncy (EPA), Green or sustainable building is the practice of creating healthier and more resource-efficient models of construction, renovation, operation, maintenance, and demolition.2 Among the many constituents of sustainable design are improvements in water usage, waste reduction, use of recycled materials, reduced energy consumption, and an aesthetically pleasing environment for inhabitants... ...02.pdf. get together States Green Building Council, Meet the USGBC, 2003, USGBC, 27 Feb. 2004, http//www.usgbc.org/AboutUs/mission_facts.asp. Ian Barbour, Ethics in an Age of Technology The Gifford Lectures, Volume two (New York HarperCollins, 1993) 34. The Engineering Handbook, Chapter Six Ethics, Santa Clara University School of Engineering, 27 Feb. 2004, http//cseserv.engr.scu.edu/NQuinn/ENGR019_301Winter2004/EngrHandbook_Ethics.pdf. James Rachels, The Elements of Moral Philosophy, 4th ed. (San Francisco McGraw Hill, 2003) 128. The Engineering Handbook, http//cseserv.engr.scu.edu/NQuinn/ENGR019_301Winter2004/EngrHandbook_Ethics.pdf. Barbour, 57. Thomas Shanks, S.J., Ph.D., How Did I abide Today?, 2003, Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, Santa Clara University, 27 February 2004, http//www.scu.edu/ethics/practicing/decision/today.html.