There’s very few things – except maybe crude oil and coal – that can’t have the word ‘green’ shoved in front of it these days, in order to make it more eco-friendly. Many, sadly, are inaccurate and others are fads.
But when it comes to buildings, green building has become the new wave of construction. And right now, Norway is king of green building for the second year running, according to – take a deep breath now – the 2009 Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Global Zero Carbon Capacity Index. Phew.
Their data covers 34 countries and considers criteria such as energy efficiency in homes, offices and transport, alongside national investment in renewable energy and policies to reduce carbon consumption from buildings.
The building sector is responsible for around 40% of greenhouse gas emissions said report author, Yvonne Rydin, who states that the sector has to do more to reduce emissions.
“This is an urgent responsibility for those building new developments as well as those owning, managing and occupier existing ones. Our homes, shops, offices, factories and leisure centres all need to make their contribution to the climate change agenda.”
Brazil secured second spot with the U.K. placing third for the first time. Ironically, this week saw the U.K. announce an early closure of its Low Carbon Buildings Fund to save £3 million – thank you ‘Global Recession’ – so expect the U.K. to slip back down the ranks. Other countries showing improvement in 2009 included France, Germany, the Slovak Republic and, to a lesser extent, the USA.
Tags: architecture, building, design, green