What is a green building?

1 min readReviewed 2026-10-31Sustainability & Green Building

The short answer

A building designed, built and operated to reduce resource use and environmental impact while improving occupant comfort.

Green buildings reduce energy and water demand, use materials responsibly, manage waste and prioritise occupant health. The largest gains usually come from orientation, shading, envelope and ventilation decided early.

Certification is a way of verifying performance, not the goal itself. A well-designed building without a certificate can outperform a certified one that was value-engineered after design.

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