“Green” building and construction is part of the larger transformation that guides both residential and business structures toward a more sustainable future.
From water collection and recycling to smart home controls and off-grid energy generation, the green building encompasses a range of practices that work with the environment, not against it. It’s about maintaining or improving quality of life while harmonizing with the immediate environment.
What Is Green Building?
It’s the process used to create a house or other structure that is eco-friendly and efficient throughout the life of the structure. While most think of the green building as solar panels, the principle goes beyond energy conservation.
The entire process is based on reducing the structure’s impact on both the surrounding environment and creating healthier structures. Green buildings may even realize long-term cost savings through reduced operating costs throughout the life of the asset.
But creating and realizing these benefits must start in the design phase with an integrated team of architects and designers. This ensures that the structure is a single holistic system rather than several individual systems.
These are accomplished through the efficient use of resources such as water and energy, the reduction of pollution, and ensuring the health of the building’s occupants. Most of this applies to new construction, and not to the remodeling of existing structures. However, remodeling projects can be modified to include one or more green building features.
What Green Building Means For Maui
The state of Hawaii takes building very seriously. Remodeling and new construction must meet strict building codes to ensure that the new project does not mar the environment in any way. The Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative was designed to help Hawaii reduce its dependence on imported fossil fuel by 2045, and encourages the development of alternative energy.
Maui’s unique microclimates mean that what works in one area might not work in another. It’s important to work with someone who understands these differences so that the final product is not only “green,” but works with the structure’s location. Our experience in the green building means that we can design each individual project with environmental friendliness in mind.
A green building in Maui may include:
• Individual power generation, such as solar, wind, geothermal, and hydro
• Energy efficiency in fixtures and appliances
• Water conservation plumbing fixtures
• Rainwater collection facilities
• Using locally available building materials, including those reclaimed from a previous project for recycling to reduce the need for long-distance transport for new materials
• Retrofitting an existing structure to increase eco-friendliness, conservation, and efficiency
Read more about green building and learn how we can help you achieve your sustainability goals. You can read more from The World Green Building Council’s website.
Let Pro Draft Help Create Your New Green Home
We understand your desire for a greener, more sustainable space, and we can help you achieve these goals. Pro Draft offers Green Building & Leed Certification for your next home or home remodeling project. Whether you want to start small or go all-in, we have the resources and experience to do it for you. Pro Draft can help design your new “green” Hawaiian home or building with LEED certification.
Call Pro Draft today at (808) 579-9050 or 1-800-499-4699 from the Mainland.
