Environmental and sustainable aspects of green building: A review

Abstract

Public and scientific focus of interest on climate changes, population increase, rapid urbanization is rising day by day. Thus, increased demand for green buildings that reduces negative impacts, and can creates positive impacts on climate, natural environment and sustainable development is a new topic. Green buildings must be not only eco-friendly (efficiently use energy, water, and other resources, use renewable energy, reduce pollution and waste, enable reuse and recycling, have good indoor environmental quality, use of materials that are non-toxic, ethical and sustainable) but also function as the key part to provide a comfortable working/living environment for human activities and improve quality of life. It is realised that green buildings as a worldwide response to raise awareness of the role of human activity in global climate changes, with maximum expression in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Certification and its five basic requirements: Sustainable Space (SS), Materials and Resources (MR), Energy and Atmosphere (EA), Environmental Quality (EQ), and Water Efficiency (WE).The aim of this study is to review the environmental and sustainable aspects of green buildings. For this goal, environmental and sustainable aspects of green building including its origin, concept, eco-friendly properties, benefits, tools, rating systems, certifications are given and discussed in detail in this study.