Platinum Builders Blog

According to the Passive House Institute US, “the Passive House concept represents today's highest energy standard with the promise of slashing the heating energy consumption of buildings by an amazing 90%.”

The 3 E-s of Sustainability – Environment, Economy, and Equity – serve as the guiding principles of sustainable building design. Each of the three must be carefully considered and are essential to the success of any sustainable building project.

It is now more important than ever to incorporate sustainable design techniques into our urban and rural communities. More than 1.8 million residential buildings and approximately 170,000 commercial buildings are constructed annually in the United States alone.

McGraw Hill Construction’s World Green Building Trends report presents findings that are encouraging. According to the report, the level of green building activity around the world has increased dramatically over the past three years, and the data suggests that firms are committed to increasing their involvement in green building projects in the near future.

A building can be designed to the highest possible standard of energy efficiency and sustainability, but in order to meet performance goals, it ultimately requires a commitment by the occupants. Traditionally, the effort to reduce energy consumption has focused on improving the building envelope and making our appliances more efficient.