ABSTRACT
This chapter considers how buildings can employ green practices and how building technologies are incorporated into the design of buildings. Buildings and structures play an important role in meeting human needs. The idea of developing sustainable buildings stands in striking contrast to typical standard construction practices. Traditional architectural design processes are quite ossified while integrated design approaches are rarely standard procedure. The growing appetite of these structures for energy and environmental resources has contributed to ecosystem disruption and has forced people to rethink how buildings are sited and constructed. Sustainable development focuses on the built environment: buildings are seen as the primary building blocks of the urban infrastructure. Green construction practices provide alternatives. Making buildings stingy in their use of energy is one aspect of green construction. While green building components are available, incorporating them into green buildings requires forethought, engineering, and creative design.
