As building codes evolve to respond to conservation, a new way to build has gained popularity. Sustainable construction is a new paradigm changing an industry that has been around since antiquity. Construction project management is responding to climate change and the need for renewable energy and natural resources.
Understanding this trend toward environmental benefits requires understanding what sustainable construction is, what are sustainable construction materials and how this impacts the construction process and construction projects. We explain the push for green building and the need to be cost-effective below.
What Is Sustainable Construction?
Sustainable construction is an approach to building that focuses on minimizing the environmental impact of construction activities while maximizing efficiency and sustainability. It involves using eco-friendly materials, energy-efficient systems and resource-efficient practices to reduce waste, lower carbon emissions and conserve natural resources.
This approach also emphasizes the well-being of occupants and the surrounding community by promoting healthy indoor environments, enhancing energy efficiency and supporting social responsibility. It includes practices like recycling construction waste, using renewable energy sources and designing buildings that adapt to changing environmental conditions.
By implementing sustainable construction practices, the industry contributes to environmental preservation, long-term cost savings and improved quality of life, supporting the transition to a more sustainable future. While the goals might be slightly different, the work is the same. Construction firms looking for corporate social responsibility also need to make a buck. Project management software ensures both goals are met.
ProjectManager is award-winning project and portfolio management software that has multiple project views to plan, manage and track work in real time to stay on schedule and budget. General contractors can schedule tasks, resources and costs on Gantt charts that also link dependencies to avoid delays or cost overruns. Filter for the critical path to know slack time and essential tasks. Then, set a baseline and track the planned effort against the actual effort in real time to ensure everything is going as expected.
Meanwhile, those plans are shared across the software allowing crews and subcontractors to use the right tools, whether that’s kanban boards to visualize workflow of task lists to create a punch list and more. Even stakeholders can stay updated on progress by using the calendar view for a monthly project overview. Get started with ProjectManager today for free.
What Is the Purpose of Sustainable Construction?
Sustainable construction aims to minimize the environmental impact of building activities while enhancing efficiency, cost savings and social responsibility. It aims to create structures that are both environmentally friendly and economically viable and beneficial to the community. Here are some examples.
- Energy Efficiency: Sustainable construction focuses on reducing energy consumption by using energy-efficient systems, insulation and renewable energy sources such as solar or wind power. This decreases operational costs and reduces reliance on non-renewable energy.
- Water Conservation: It promotes efficient water usage through rainwater harvesting, greywater recycling and low-flow fixtures to conserve water resources and reduce utility costs.
- Waste Reduction: By using recycled and sustainable materials and optimizing construction methods, sustainable construction minimizes waste generation and promotes recycling to reduce landfill impact.
- Site Sustainability: This involves selecting building sites that minimize environmental disruption, preserving natural habitats and integrating green spaces to enhance biodiversity and community well-being.
- Carbon Footprint Reduction: Sustainable construction seeks to lower carbon emissions by using low-carbon materials, efficient transportation logistics and energy-efficient designs, contributing to climate change mitigation.
10 Sustainable Construction Materials
In the construction industry, the choice of building materials plays a critical role in promoting sustainability and reducing environmental impact. Sustainable construction materials are eco-friendly and energy-efficient and contribute to a building’s durability and overall lifecycle benefits. By incorporating these materials into construction projects, architects, builders and developers can significantly reduce waste, conserve natural resources and lower carbon emissions.
- Bamboo: A fast-growing, renewable alternative to wood with high strength and durability.
- Recycled Steel: Reduces the need for virgin steel production and lowers carbon emissions.
- Rammed Earth: A natural material with excellent thermal mass for energy efficiency.
- Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT): A strong, lightweight and sustainable alternative to concrete and steel.
- Recycled Plastic Bricks: Made from repurposed plastic waste, it reduces landfill waste and environmental impact.
- Hempcrete: A lightweight, breathable and carbon-negative construction material made from hemp fibers and lime.
- Mycelium (Fungal-Based Materials): Biodegradable and renewable material used for insulation and paneling.
- Aerated Concrete: Lightweight and energy-efficient concrete with improved insulation properties.
- Reclaimed Wood: Salvaged wood from old buildings to reduce deforestation and waste.
- Low-VOC Paints & Finishes: Improves indoor air quality by reducing harmful chemical emissions.
10 Sustainable Construction Practices
As the world faces increasing environmental challenges, the construction industry is embracing change by incorporating environmentally-friendly practices into their construction process. These practices focus on minimizing environmental impact, enhancing energy efficiency and conserving natural resources while maintaining economic viability and social responsibility. By building smarter and greener, the industry can reduce waste, lower carbon emissions and contribute to a more sustainable future. Here are some of those practices.
- Passive Design: Maximizing natural ventilation, daylighting and insulation to reduce energy consumption.
- Prefabrication & Modular Construction: Reduces waste, speeds up construction and improves material efficiency.
- Low-Impact Site Development: Minimizing land disturbance, preserving vegetation and reducing soil erosion.
- Green Roofs & Living Walls: Enhances insulation, improves air quality and manages stormwater.
- Waste Management & Recycling: Sorting and repurposing construction waste to reduce landfill impact.
- Energy-Efficient Building Envelope: Using high-performance insulation, triple-glazed windows and airtight sealing to reduce energy loss.
- Solar & Renewable Energy Integration: Installing solar panels, wind turbines or geothermal heating to power buildings sustainably.
- Permeable Pavement: Reduces stormwater runoff and improves groundwater recharge.
- Adaptive Reuse & Retrofitting: Renovating existing structures instead of demolishing them to reduce resource consumption.
- Smart Water Management: Implementing greywater recycling, rainwater harvesting and water-efficient landscaping.
Benefits of Sustainable Construction
Sustainable construction significantly reduces environmental impact by conserving natural resources and minimizing waste. By using eco-friendly materials, energy-efficient systems and renewable resources, sustainable buildings lower carbon emissions and reduce the consumption of non-renewable resources. Practices like recycling construction waste and using sustainable sourcing materials help preserve ecosystems and reduce landfill pollution, contributing to a cleaner and healthier planet.
Although sustainable construction may have higher upfront costs, it offers long-term economic benefits. Energy-efficient systems and water-saving technologies lower utility expenses, while durable and sustainable materials reduce maintenance and replacement costs. Additionally, sustainable buildings often qualify for tax incentives, green certifications and higher property values, making them a smart investment for developers and homeowners alike.
Sustainable construction not only benefits the environment and economy but also enhances the well-being of building occupants. By prioritizing indoor air quality, natural lighting and energy efficiency, sustainable buildings create healthier and more comfortable living and working environments. Furthermore, they support social responsibility by contributing to community well-being and reducing the overall environmental footprint to ensure a more sustainable future for generations to come.
Sustainable Construction Examples
Sustainable construction is transforming the built environment by integrating eco-friendly materials, energy-efficient systems and innovative design to reduce environmental impact. These buildings showcase how sustainable architecture not only conserves resources but also enhances comfort and productivity for occupants. Here are some remarkable examples of sustainable construction from around the world.
The Edge
Located in Amsterdam, The Edge is known as the world’s most sustainable office building. It uses solar panels, smart energy management systems and rainwater harvesting to achieve a near-zero energy footprint. Its intelligent design optimizes natural lighting and ventilation to create an efficient and comfortable workspace.
Bosco Verticale
Situated in Milan, Bosco Verticale consists of two residential towers covered with over 20,000 trees and plants, enhancing urban biodiversity and air quality. This vertical forest moderates temperatures, reduces noise pollution and promotes sustainable urban living by integrating nature into high-rise architecture.
One Central Park
One Central Park in Sydney features a unique vertical garden and heliostat mirrors that redirect sunlight to shaded areas, enhancing natural lighting. Its rainwater harvesting and greywater recycling systems promote water conservation, making it a model of urban sustainability.
Bullitt Center
Dubbed the world’s greenest commercial building, the Bullitt Center in Seattle is a net-zero energy structure powered entirely by solar energy. It incorporates composting toilets, rainwater recycling and non-toxic building materials, demonstrating the feasibility of zero-waste construction.
The Crystal
Located in London, The Crystal is one of the most energy-efficient buildings globally, achieving Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum certifications. It utilizes solar power, rainwater harvesting and automated building management systems, showcasing cutting-edge sustainable technology.
These buildings are paving the way for a greener, more resilient future, proving that sustainable construction is not only achievable but also aesthetically and functionally superior.
Free Construction Project Management Templates
To meet the high standards of sustainable construction requires project management software. Firms not ready to upgrade can still reap these benefits by using our free project management templates for Excel and Word. There are over 100 free templates that help with every aspect of managing a project across multiple industries. Here are just a few to help with construction.
Bill of Quantities Template
Whether they’re sustainable or not, construction firms need to list all the materials and labor needed to execute the project. This free bill of quantities template for Excel does that and helps to determine the pricing for the project.
Construction Schedule Template
Sustainable construction like any project needs to lay out the how and why of the project. This free construction schedule template opens in ProjectManager to show how easy it is to use the Gantt chart to schedule tasks, resources and costs, plus have access to other robust tools.
Construction Budget Template
Because sustainable construction can have higher upfront costs, it’s even more important to accurately forecast the budget for the project. Use this free construction budget template for Excel to list all labor, materials and more for an accurate estimate of the budget.
How to Manage Sustainable Construction Projects With ProjectManager
Sustainable construction is all about efficiency. The truth is that Excel spreadsheets are not that efficient. Data has to be manually inputted and static templates are poor collaborative tools. The most sustainable construction projects are planned, managed and tracked with project management software. ProjectManager is award-winning construction project and portfolio management software with multiple project views that allow everyone on the crew to work with the right tools. More than that, there are powerful resource management and tracking features to keep projects on schedule and on budget.
Robust Resource Management Keep Teams Productive
Sustainable construction still has to meet deadlines and properly allocate resources. This begins with the Gantt chart, which schedules human and nonhuman resources. Then, when onboarding teams, project managers can set their availability and skill sets, including PTO, vacation and global holidays, plus pay rate. This makes it easier to assign the right person for the right job at the right time. To get an overview of resource allocation, use the color-coded workload chart, which shows who’s overallocated or underutilized. Then balance the team’s workload to keep them working at capacity without threatening burnout. There’s even a team page that shows a daily or weekly summary of the team’s activities. It can be filtered by progress, priority and more.
Track Progress, Costs and More With Real-Time Dashboards and Reports
For a sustainable project to be cost effective it has to be delivered when planned. That requires monitoring and controlling its execution. Our software has many ways to track progress, costs and more. For a high-level view of the project, toggle over to the real-time project or portfolio dashboards. They’re already set up and ready to go, with easy-to-read graphs and charts that show time, cost, workload and more. To get deeper into that data, use our customizable reports, such as project or portfolio status, variance, timesheets, workload and more. All reports can be filtered to focus on specific data points or summarize progress and share with stakeholders. Even our secure online timesheets help track labor costs to keep projects delivered on budget
Related Construction Content
As we’ve said, sustainable construction relies on the same construction project management that firms have been using to deliver successful projects. For those who want to learn more about the types of construction projects, processes and phases, below are some links to recent posts we’ve published on those topics in our blog.
ProjectManager is online project and portfolio management software that connects teams whether they’re in the office or on the job site. They can share files, comment at the task level and stay up to date with email and in-app notifications. Get started with ProjectManager today for free.
