What Will Sustainable Building Look Like in the Future?

Green building, what is it and what does it mean for individuals looking to build a custom home? The global green building is expected to double over 2018, and studies have found that environmentally conscious homes are making up a growing percentage of all existing housing. Currently developing green markets around the world are leading this growth, with home builders in Canada and the United States seeing a vast percentage of all homes built having an ecologically friendly basis.

Canadian home builders already develop and build using products certified by various green standard associations such as LEED, EnergyStar, Green Star and more. But what does sustainable building look like today? And what will it look like in the future, as home builders and architects develop more eco-friendly solutions, energy saving ideas and environmentally friendly designs. What will the future hold? Here’s what we believe will be the future of sustainable materials and home building.

Reclaimed Materials

We’ve talked a great deal about what our company does to create environmentally friendly custom homes and projects, but little about what we’re going to do. RS Homes live up to our environmental guarantee. We’re currently looking into adding reclaimed materials into our designs. This means, repurposed materials, raw eco-friendly building supplies used for buildings, and all new methods of building using cork, bamboo, reclaimed wood, brick, granite and more.

Sustainable Construction

Sustainability is going beyond environmentally friendly materials. Future projects aim to use sustainable materials in ways which not only make the building more energy-efficient, healthier and use less natural resources, but also reduce a building’s costs and maintenance over time. By using readily sourced materials, naturally reclaimed building supplies and energy conserving methods companies aim to reduce a project’s costs and maintenance.

Responsible Corporate Construction

To spearhead Canada’s momentum in the future, corporations such as RS Homes practise responsible corporate and business practices, creating healthier and more resource friendly models of construction, renovation, operation and demolition. In order to maintain healthy standards, environmental initiatives are encouraged throughout the corporate world, giving tax incentives and rebates to companies installing energy-saving mechanisms, building with LEED certified products and participating in green initiatives such as replacing low-efficiency appliances with new, energy-friendly models. These programs are being implemented Canada wide, signalling a change in the overall design and construction process of man custom home building companies.

Global Perspectives

Recently, a university dormitory was built in British Columbia of only natural wood products, raising the stake in worldwide wood construction and being one of the first buildings over a certain height made of wood. The architects of UBC’s 18-storey Brock Commons find inspiration in the creation of environmentally friendly materials, and safety code restructuring surrounding wood building in Canada. The wood building not only reduces the need for commonly used materials, but cuts down on carbon dioxide emissions, as wood naturally stores emitted carbon dioxide. The building is thus, the “equivalent of taking around 500 cars off the road for a year.”

Projects around the world continuously inspire us and draw our interest. The Miho Museum in Kyoto, Japan, for example, is designed with 80% of its structure underground, to best preserve the natural landscape.

Design for Durability

Future sustainability is going to be all about durability, in order to stands up to rapidly changing environmental factors. As climate change happens, home builders must adapt to heat waves, storms, flooding and weather factors which affect the longevity of a home. While Canada’s biggest challenge will not be building for changing weather patterns, it’s essential that even up North we adapt out home building and design priorities to better suit environmental pressures. This means that the regular installation of insulated windows, ventilation and low-energy input fixtures should become a regular occurrence.

Local Products for Local Building

To reduce the environmental impact shipped materials have on energy consumption and carbon emissions, companies need to start focusing on sourcing local building products. Experts suggest that this building policy will both reduce environmental impact as well as bolster local materials economies and create more jobs in production.

As we look forward and into the future, we continue to develop and source sustainable building ideas and methods. RS Homes is one of your local leaders in sustainable building, having honed our craft to a precise art, allowing us to build EnergyStar certified, eco-friendly homes in the Greater Toronto Area. Browse through our website for more information about our environmental action initiatives and programs, or contact one of our agents today to talk to us directly about responsible building practices.
We look forward to collaborating with you on your custom home building or renovation project!