Sustainability is a way of life which has now been acquired by numerous companies for the welfare of the environment and our economy, due to the increasing damage caused by the continuity of constructions with highly energy consumptive designs.
A sustainable building is based on saving both renewable and non-renewable natural resources, so the impact that the environment receives for the construction works is less, even if this continues operating.
For the Spanish Quality Association:
Sustainable architecture is one that takes into account the impact that will have the building throughout its life cycle, from construction, through its use and its final demolition. You have to take in consideration the resources that you will use, the water consumption and the energy usage and finally, what will happen to the waste generated by the building at the time of its takedown.
Presence in the economy
For Aurelio Ramirez-Zarzosa, Civil Engineering of roads, canals and Ports of the Sustainable Construction Spain Council, in his article A Design for Sustainable Building, explains that these sustainable buildings carry many responsibilities that eventually bring numerous benefits, including financial as they carry:
• lower operating costs for: energy, water, waste and labor
• Renovation costs are lower
• A faster potential renewal deadline of the work
• minor change orders during construction
• Increased value of the building at the time of sale and pricing
From design to practice
Currently, for the construction of sustainable buildings is taken into account a trend in which takes to practice the "triple bottom line” which refers to the results of a company measured in economic, environmental and social terms. This report is presented in corporate reports of companies committed with the sustainable development. This concept is taken for the first time by John Elkington in 1994, who later expanded and analyzed thoroughly in his book Cannibals With Forks.
Implementing this type of research, facilitates the understanding of the entrepreneurs of the future, who can recognize the pros and cons of their buildings, plus the way that the environment is affected for the location or the materials.
Sustainable materials
The constructions of this type carry rigorous standards of quality in respect of the products that are going to be use, because these must be durable and reusable, so they can be recycled in its composition and also they must come from resources of the area where it will build, without altering the normal temperatures.
Among the sustainable materials that can be used are:
• The wood, however, this must be certified for safety and know where it comes from.
• Materials that come from newspapers or discarded paper, which does not produce waste.
• Paints based on organic elements, which do not harm the environment and do not have destructive chemicals.
• Other products for sustainable buildings are marble, slate, waste from industrial processes such as ash or sludge and municipal solid waste, among other practices that have now been created to reuse objects that are discarded daily.
Sustainability of buildings in the world
When it comes to building, several countries have present the sustainable practices; Among these countries the United States, Japan, United Kingdom and France are the most outstanding, according to KPMG in its study of Ecological Tax Index for Mexico Forbes Magazine.
In Nicaragua, Discover projects´ currently stand out as being energy saving; for example, the Escala building due to the location in which it is, besides being composed of an insulating coating to heat double glazing and anti seismic structural steel system, makes it a highly economical energy building and even completely safe to a natural disaster.
Sustainable buildings are so accurate for our environment for these and many reasons, because technological aspects are coupled with the environment and making spaces that support the basic needs of society without affecting in the same way that it is daily by the excessive use of natural resources.