According to a preliminary report presented at the recent 2015 Greenbuild International Summit in Washington, D.C., the amount of green building that is being implemented is doubling about every three years. Complete findings will not be available until 2016, but this rate of increase continues to occur, substantiating a trend for over 2 decades. The new report surveyed over 1,000 professionals in the field globally about their thoughts of the future of green building.

The report also highlights trends, such as a rise in green building in emerging nations and increased demand from clients and tenants for buildings that meet sustainability standards.

Historically, the greatest barrier for developers to do green building is the perception that it is more expensive than doing convention construction. The survey showed that the percentage of respondents who cited this as the top barrier dropped from 76% in 2012 to 50%.

The report also indicated that the largest growth in green building activity is anticipated to be in the commercial and institutional areas. The latter, including government buildings, schools, hospitals, and public buildings was perceived as a major future area of growth as more government agencies with strapped budgets are beginning to understand the long-term cost savings and improved worker productivity and learning capabilities of those in green buildings. More important, agency managers and politicians are beginning to show the fortitude to insist on at least green building elements of more projects.

Respondents were asked which benefits of green building were important to their clients and, therefore, driving such projects. 84% said saving costs through reduced energy consumption was important, while 76% said reducing water consumption.

Overall, the preliminary report shows that the public worldwide is beginning to understand the long-term benefits in cost savings and productivity of green building and given this decision makers are having the courage to forgo short-term savings for longer-term improvements in the value of their buildings.

CCES has the experts to help you develop green building strategies for your existing buildings to improve your energy and water use efficiency, save costs, improve productivity, which will result in greater demand for your space, and raise the asset value. Contact us today at 914-584-6720 or at karell@CCESworld.com.