Green Building

Background

Early attempts at green building focused mainly on energy, given that the term was coined during the 1970s energy crisis. As prices rose, more emphasis was placed on lowering costs through improved energy efficiencies. To reduce dependency on Middle Eastern oil, federal and state governments offered tax incentives for improved efficiencies and alternative energy, such as solar and wind power. Homeowners and builders responded by building and retrofitting homes to become more green. However, in the early 1980s oil prices declined, and many tax incentives expired, so the momentum for residential green building waned.

Besides lacking adequate economic incentives, other barriers limited green building growth. First, without a clear and acceptable green building standard, the industry lacked the necessary guidelines to proliferate. Second, green building was seen as outside the mainstream and embraced only by environmentalists. Because it was considered unconventional, many equated green building with inferior design and materials. Nevertheless, the creation of the American Institute of Architects’ (AIA) Committee on the Environment in 1990 and the first formal green building program in Austin, Texas, a year later helped bring green building into the mainstream. By early 2000, the green building movement gained momentum as more local and national programs were created and a myriad of drivers accelerated green building growth.

Green Building Drivers

Over the past 10 years, residential green building grew at a rapid pace. Several key drivers are responsible for this growth, including the evolution of standards, economic advantages, increased public awareness of environmental and health impacts of housing, and the proliferation of governmental and nongovernmental incentives and programs.