Taking green building mainstream: The top ten biggest trends in sustainable construction

Angitha Pradeep looks at the ten biggest trends that are shaping the construction sector’s move towards a sustainable future
A net-zero house is a structure that consumes only the energy it produces. Reports suggest that the net-zero energy building movement has hit critical mass after being considered a fringe goal for a long time. Net-zero housing has earned its place in the mainstream, and is a combination of many of the topics discussed in the list. For now, Research and Market’s report suggest that the market is registering growth due to the increasing number of initiatives regarding energy efficiency by the government and rising need for net-zero energy buildings to reduce GHG emissions.

Water conservation measures

Water conservation in the built environment has been talked about for years now; however, with the UAE being among one of the top water-scarce countries in the world, this is a significant concern for the industry here. Surveys conducted have noted that respondents favoured ‘soft’ measures such as changes in worker behaviour, managerial policies etc. over ‘hard’ measures which are technology-based for water conservation. However, recent developments such as the Expo 2020 Dubai’s claim to deliver one of the most sustainable World Expos ever is expected to bring a positive shift in this regard. For instance, the Expo 2020 Dubai site will use different water sources such as wastewater, air conditioning water, groundwater discharge management and reusing seasonal surface water flows to preserve water during its construction timeline.
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