California builders have a brighter outlook now than they
have in years as the construction industry starts to rebound from the losses of
the Recession. As it does so, industry leaders are looking at a fresh approach
to prevail over the obstacles that continue to impede the construction
industry’s growth. With a need to stay ahead of the curve in order to be
successful, residential and commercial builders are looking towards environmental
considerations such as sustainable building materials, energy efficiency &
accommodating the conditions & needs of a state undergoing a serious
drought.
The construction industry in California is subject to a
variety of influences that steer it accordingly. Not to be overlooked are the
needs and priorities of home and business owners themselves, who are becoming
more conscious of the benefits of eco-friendly options and modifications to
their homes. The significant inroads that green construction has made is
evidenced by that fact that the past year showed a record-breaking
number of solar panel installations, with California leading the way. Recently
California
was named 7th in the nation for the amount of LEED-certified
space currently in existence. LEED-certification takes into account certain
green-building standards that are recognized to reduce environmental impact as
well as increase energy-efficiency and keep down costs.
As the construction industry continues to grow, and demand
for new projects rises, another component becomes a consideration for builders
and developers: competition. Builders want to make themselves stand out to
potential customers and one way they are doing it is by lowering their prices.
In order to remain competitive and justify the expense, builders may choose to
pursue an eco-conscious approach. As the construction industry recovers, home
builders in particular are slow and careful in how they’re proceeding, and energy-efficiency
is an important way they can continue to thrive. Businesses that exemplify
the California way of life are considering the environment as well as
the well-being of their employees when building new work spaces. The USGBC
in their document “The Business Case for Green Building” claims that commercial
building owners and their tenants, as well as homeowners, see tangible benefits
from building green such as reduced
operating costs, attracting and keeping tenants and even increased productivity.
There is another important consideration in the construction
industry today, in California and all over the United States, and that’s
climate. Weather conditions have had significant impact on our lives in the
past few years, and Californians have certainly felt it. We regularly
experience wildfires and power outages as a result of wind and dry conditions;
we have an ongoing drought and when it does rain, floods and mudslides are not
an uncommon occurrence. Providing a solution for these concerns is the newest
line of thought in construction known as “Resilient Design”.
Resilient Design takes into account the effects of natural
events and integrates building techniques that keep these effects from taking a
significant toll on the building’s structural, electrical and design elements.
There are certainly a few important characteristics
of Resilient Design that might be relevant for California’s residential
builders and homeowners, according to a recent Washington Post article.
The Resilient Design Institute has created a set of guiding
principles and strategies
to put the idea of more intuitive and informed design into practice. Those
strategies include building with climate and weather conditions in mind,
consider possible eventualities rather than rely on precedents that may not
remain relevant, install a failsafe in case of power loss and of course use
materials that can stand up to inclement weather conditions. There are also
environmental considerations such as local, eco-friendly materials, reduced
waste, energy-efficiency and water conservation.
Then, of course
there’s the drought. In 2015, Governor Brown signed an executive order that
aims to reduce water use in California cities. In order to achieve higher
levels of water-efficiency, California authorities have had to implement new
rules regarding landscape design in new construction. The intent is to reduce
water needs in coming years as more homes emerge with a lawn
of the size and composition that complies with the new state regulations.
The California
drought affects residents in startling ways. For example, dry conditions have
affected California’s hydroelectric power resources, thereby driving
up electricity costs and negatively impacting the environment. Going
forward, new construction will have to take precautions to improve
energy-efficiency in order to prevent potentially expensive and burdensome
circumstances for residents in the future.
As environmental,
legislative, economic and social factors continue to drive us towards a greener
future, the construction industry will no doubt be at the forefront. Each step
is a measured one, and the industry, sensing the value of a green approach,
will certainly be carefully assessing it as part of its overall strategy during
the recovery.
