Understanding the nature and extent of inefficiencies and negative impacts in the built environment helps drive the development of new approaches and technologies that can improve all aspects of a building’s performance. Green buildings are needed on a global scale to help drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions, conserve increasingly stretched energy resources, and contribute to improved human health.

Buildings account for about 40 percent of our nation’s energy use and consume 75 percent of our nation’s electricity. The fact is the building sector accounts for more than one third of global energy-related greenhouse gas emissions, a percentage that could substantially increase over the years ahead without additional intervention.

Buildings and the supply chain that supports them are responsible for an enormous share of worldwide carbon dioxide emissions—also referred to as greenhouse gases—and energy, water, and materials consumption. The global building sector also represents the largest opportunity for significant, cost-effective improvements in these areas, making it a broad and robust focus of research and development efforts

Areas of priority in green buildings include the efficient use of energy, water, and other resources; quality of the indoor environment; and impacts to the natural environment.

Green buildings incorporate measures that are environmentally friendly and resource-efficient across the building lifecycle. The concept aims to comprehensively minimize the negative impact and maximize the positive impact a building has on its natural environment and human occupants.

As a holistic approach to their planning, design, construction, operation, and maintenance, green buildings successfully maximize the natural efficiencies of a building site and integrate them with renewable and low-carbon technologies to support the building’s energy needs and create a healthy built environment.

Therefore it is important to deliver on targeted commitments to optimize the energy performance of laboratory spaces and construct all new campus buildings according to the Guiding Principles, and intends to achieve net-zero emissions and energy-resilient campus.