Constructing sustainably

Using environmentally-responsive home building and light commercial construction through the design and construction process, from selection of the site to building materials.

World Bank estimates show that construction and infrastructure generally constitute around half of gross fixed capital formation in developing countries. A typical developing country will spend about 70% of its annual budget on construction and infrastructure. Furthermore, about 40% of loan funds are spent on those two items.

This strategy features in the framework of Agenda 21 as formulated at UNCED (Rio de Janeiro, 1992), now coordinated by the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development and implemented through national and local authorities.

1. Developing construction industries
2. Building ecologically
3. Building a sustainable society

1. Utilizing indigenous building material
2. Recycling building materials
3. Humanizing architecture
4. Ensuring local authorities use environmentally sound building materials
5. Employing energy efficient design
6. Creating sustainable cities
7. Cooperating on environmental aspects of construction
8. Building resource efficient housing
9. Assessing costs to support sustainable construction industry activities
10. Supporting job-intensive housing development

1. Reducing industrial pollution
2. Reconstructing physical environment
3. Facilitating development of job-intensive sectors

1. Transferring information for sustainable resources use in construction
2. Strengthening construction industry research
3. Expanding use of local construction technologies
4. Developing building codes
5. Designating environmentally regulated industrial zones
6. Creating databases on the environmental impacts of building materials
7. Applying land use policies to protect environmentally sensitive areas
8. Acquiring low-cost building supplies

1. Supporting industry in building cleaner production into product design
2. Supplying local industry needs

1. Unsustainable
2. Misconstruction

1. Green Building Tools & Resources
2. Learning from Local Building Cultures to Improve Housing Project Sustainability
3. International Performance Measurement and Verification Protocol (IPMVP)
4. Green Building Advisor
5. Sustainable building materials
6. Green Buildings – A niche becomes mainstream
7. Green Growth and Developing Countries A Summary for Policy Makers