Building Green
Maximizing the efficiency with which buildings use resources — energy, water, and other materials, protecting health and improving occupant productivity during the building's lifecycle, and reducing waste, pollution, and environmental degradation through better siting, design, construction, operation, maintenance, and removal are all hallmarks of green building.
Other related concepts, such as sustainable design and green architecture, are usually done on a much smaller scale and normally focus on the use of natural materials that are available locally.
Firms that specialize in green architecture and building often seek to achieve not only ecological, but aesthetic harmony between a structure and its surrounding natural and built environment, although the appearance and style of sustainable buildings is not necessarily distinguishable from those that do not incorporate green building practices.
Reducing environmental impact with green building techniques and practices
The design strategies and technologies behind green building help reduce the environmental impact of buildings by decreasing the amount of natural resources buildings consume and the amount of pollution that is discharged. Taking advantage of renewable resources, such as using photovoltaic or solar cells, rain gardens, green roofs, tree planting, and permeable pavement for reduction of rainwater run-off is key to effective green design.
A structure that incorporates green design may cost more up front, but saves through lower operating costs over the life of the building. Cost savings can only be fully realized when they are incorporated at the project's design phase with the assistance of Keller’s team of professionals. Effective green buildings are more than just a haphazard collection of environmentally friendly technologies; our design/build approach ensures that the building is designed as one system rather than a collection of stand-alone systems.
Even with a tight budget, many green building measures can be incorporated with minimal or zero increased up-front costs and they can yield enormous savings especially when building with Keller.
Reduced Energy Use
Green buildings often include measures to reduce energy use. To increase the efficiency of the barrier between the interior and the exterior environments of a building, high-efficiency insulation and energy efficient windows, ceilings, and floors may be incorporated. Another method often implemented in low-energy buildings includes effective placement of windows, walls and roof lines to maximize solar gain in the winter and shade in the summer. Effective daylighting design through effective window placement can provide more natural light and lessen the need for electric lighting during the day. Solar water heating can deliver annual savings and will further reduce energy loads.
Reduced Waste
While green architecture strives to reduce energy and water waste, it also seeks to reduce material waste going to landfills during the construction phase and the environmental impacts of manufacturing the material.
Green building or sustainable buildings are helping to create a solid foundation for generations to come. Let Keller help you learn which green strategies deliver the biggest paybacks for your new construction or renovation project. Please call 800-236-2534 or contact us to find out how Keller's Design/Build solutions can work for you.
Keller, Inc., an employee-owned company, has several locations throughout the state of Wisconsin; our locations include Milwaukee, Wausau and our Fox Valley office in Kaukauna.