Environmental-friendliness and sustainability has become a lifestyle choice for so many individuals across the nation in response to growing climate concerns. But this hasn’t just become commonplace for citizens looking to make a difference in the world, other industries have begun picking up these practices as well. Companies have even begun dedicating their missions to sustainability and better eco-friendly processes as issues brought on by climate change become even more arduous. 1. Water conservation measures 2. Zero-net-energy buildings 3. Eco-friendly spray foam 4. VR/AR in construction 5. PV solar panels 6. Non-toxic building materials 7. Mass timber panels

1. 7 Sustainable
Building Trends
Everyone
Should Know
About
Stefano Vaccarono

2. Intro
Environmental-friendliness and sustainability has
become a lifestyle choice for so many individuals across
the nation in response to growing climate concerns. But
this hasn’t just become commonplace for citizens looking
to make a difference in the world, other industries have
begun picking up these practices as well. Companies
have even begun dedicating their missions to
sustainability and better eco-friendly processes as issues
brought on by climate change become even more
arduous.
No industry has pushed for these initiatives quite like the
real estate sector. As real estate companies look to adopt
better conservation practices, these are seven building
trends that consumers should know about, as they’ll
soon become the future of construction.

3. Water Conservation
1.
Measures
As droughts and water shortages become more
prevalent, the real estate industry sees a push for
better waste management efforts. Homeowners
and commercial properties are doing whatever
they can to restrict water usage and be more
mindful about conservation.
As such, developers are continuing to incorporate
more efficient appliances into buildings that help to
drastically reduce the amount of water being used.

4. ZNE buildings are a bit of a rarity to date,
but will hopefully become more
widespread in the future. Zero-net-
energy properties attempt to completely
erase their energy footprint, meaning
they generate as much energy as they
use.
As newer renewable technologies
become more accessible — and
affordable — the industry can soon
focus their efforts on building more of
these properties across the globe.
2. Zero-Net Energy
Buildings

5. 3. Eco-friendly
spray foam
The gases that are used to expand spray foam are extremely harmful to
the environment, so manufacturers have started switching to lower-
impact HFO blowing agents.
In the foreseeable future, we will also see XPS rigid insulation boards that
will have lower greenhouse gas emissions as well.

6. 4. VR/AR in
construction
Virtual and augmented reality are nothing
new, but they haven’t commonly been used in
the construction industry until recently. VR
technology makes it possible for developers to
digitally visualize a project before they get
started, and can also support training without
needing employees to be on-site, which cuts
down on transportation costs and reduces
unnecessary gas emissions.

7. Solar panels have been rapidly
increasing in popularity thanks to
recent technological
advancements and even more
affordable buying costs. As
states set more aggressive
energy production goals, the
industry can anticipate more
buildings constructed withPV
solar panels now and for
centuries to come.
5. PV solar panels

8. 6. Non-toxic
Building
Materials
Eco-friendly homes are being built
using less toxic building materials,
which have been an environmental
issue for centuries. Developers and
homeowners aren’t the only ones
prioritizing these materials, certain
retailers have also stopped selling
items that are made with poisonous
chemicals, like when Home Depot
banished phthalates from vinyl
flooring in 2015.

9. 7. Mass timber
panels
Timber panels have begun replacing steel and
solid wood as the structural beams in
commercial buildings and residential properties.
These panels are built from post-industrial
waste wood and smaller trees, which ensures
the preservation of older, larger trees and cuts
down on the adverse consequences of
deforestation.
All of these sustainable trends, and many more,
are all working towards the goal of maintaining
and nurturing a more liveable planet. Many in
the real estate sector excitedly anticipate how
these building initiatives continue to impact not
only the industry, but the entire world at large.

10. Connect with
Stefano!
Read his blog at stefanovaccarono.com