We all know that buildings can be inefficient and have a negative impact on the environment, but just how bad are they? It’s time to find out…
In a typical commercial building, the energy usage per year is approximately 22.5 kWh/square foot:
More than 3.6 billion cooling appliances are in use around the world – a number that’s growing by 10 devices every second. They’re a huge source of emissions, and it’s thought that by the end of the century they could account for as much as a 0.5°C rise in global temperature.
Producing cement – the key ingredient in concrete – generates around 2.5 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide a year – about 8% of the global total. And concrete consumes almost 10% of the world’s industrial water supplies.
As the global population rises, urban areas around the world are booming, and that means more and more buildings are going up. By one estimate, the world will add 2 trillion square feet of buildings by 2060 – the equivalent of putting up another New York City every month for the next 40 years.
So, it seems that buildings are pretty bad after all. And when you think about the fact that 80% of buildings that will exist in 2050 have already been built, it’s clear that retrofitting will be absolutely key when it comes to closing this gap and achieving net zero targets.
We need to act now and take a broad and holistic approach to sustainability that incorporates how buildings affect the people within them, as well as their environmental impact.
Head to ESG: the future of the world? to find out more about the tech that can transform the future of buildings