The green building movement has shifted from ‘push’ to ‘pull’- world markets are increasingly demanding no less than green buildings.
This is one of the main conclusions of McGraw-Hill Construction’s latest SmartMarket Report, "World Green Building Trends – Business Benefits Driving New and Retrofit Market Opportunities in Over 60 Countries," written in partnership with United Technologies Corp.
"As sustainability and energy efficiency initiatives take hold around the world, firms are finding business value and opportunities from green building, including the opportunity for new environmentally responsible products," it says.
Over half of building professionals surveyed (51%) say that over 60% of their work will be green by 2015, up from 28% for 2013 and 13% in 2008.
Unlike 2008, when the key driver was "doing the right thing," in 2012 that changed to "client and market demand." Green building is now viewed as a business imperative around the world.
From 2012 to 2015, the number of firms anticipating that more than 60% of their work will be green:
- More than triples in South Africa;
- More than doubles in Germany, Norway and Brazil;
- Grows between 33-68% in the US, UK, Singapore, United Arab Emirates and Australia.
"By promoting greater efficiencies for energy and water, green buildings lower building costs while conserving the earth’s precious resources. This powerful combination of built-in payback with environmental stewardship creates a new value proposition that is accelerating green building in all regions of the globe," says John Mandyck, chief sustainability officer of United Technologies.
- 76% report that green building lowers operating costs
- 38% point to higher building values, 38% to quality assurance, and 36% to protecting against future demands
89% of industry professionals say they use or specify green building product.
In fact, there aren’t enough skilled people in this field to fulfill demand.
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