CARBON FOOTPRINT EMISSIONS: ORDINARY BUILDINGS VS.

GREEN BUILDING
and Their Impacts on the Environment

Abadilla, Ma. Jessica Paula G.

Chiuco, Wrenc Louis B.
BS Architecture 4-1

I.

INTRODUCTION

Every time fossil fuels are burned such as gas, coal or oil, carbon dioxide
is released into the atmosphere. In a natural carbon cycle, carbon dioxide is
re-absorbed by plants and trees. The effect of all this extra carbon dioxide in
the atmosphere is that the overall temperature of the planet is increasing
(global warming). Whereas the average global temperature is increasing, on a
day-to-day level the climate is changing in unpredictable ways (from floods
and hurricanes to heat waves and droughts).
The biggest impact on carbon emissions can be achieved by directing
your attention to buildings that is what many of us do not realize. A University
of Michigan study showed that 91 percent of an ordinary building's emissions
come from its use and 9 percent from its construction. So far the focus on the
building sector has only come from the emissions caused by the "use" of a
building, but that's only one portion of the total carbon emissions. There is
also a carbon impact from the manufacture and transport of building products.
So it's important that a building product that can already have a large carbon
footprint save a great deal of energy during the "use" phase of the building.
The aim of this study is to weight the comparison between the effects to
our environment of an ordinary buildings to those new green buildings.
II.

METHODOLOGIES

We have gathered information and collected data from news, articles and
web blogs as part of our study to present the comparison of the impacts of
Ordinary buildings to upgraded Green Buildings to our environment. Buildings

significantly influence our daily lives and are fundamental to our way of life.
What is certain, our buildings account for over a significant proportion of the
energy consumption, and GHG (Green House Gas) emissions, contributing to
global climate change, as well as local effects such as Philippines rising
temperatures, and the heat island effect in urban areas.
The Philippines has been in ecological deficit since the mid-1960s, using
more capacity to produce
renewable resources and absorb
CO2 emissions than is
domestically, and the size of that
deficit has been increasing ever
since.

Figure 1. Philippines Carbon Dioxide Emissions Chart

In the Philippines, buildings emitted 33.28 million metric tons of carbon
dioxide and accounted for 36 percent of the Philippines total power
consumption in 2010, according to the Department of Energy. Buildings are
big emitters of greenhouse gases, which contribute to global warming, leading
to severe droughts and floods. Evaluation of the opportunities to reduce
energy use in buildings can be done at the level of individual energy-using

devices or at the level of building systems Examining the building as an

entire system can lead to entirely different design solutions. This can result in
new buildings that use much less energy but are no more expensive than
conventional or ORDINARY buildings.
The green architecture or green building movement actually started much
earlier. Another kind of green building is a Net-Zero energy buildings are
building with zero net energy consumption, meaning the total amount of
energy used by the building on an annual basis is roughly equal to the
amount of renewable energy created on the site. These buildings still produce
greenhouse gases because on cloudy (or non-windy) days, at night when the
sun isn't shining, and on short winter days, conventional grid power is still the
main energy source. Because of this, most zero net energy buildings still get
half or more of their energy from the grid. The zero-energy goal is becoming
more practical as the costs of alternative energy technologies decrease and
the costs of traditional fossil fuels increase.
Senate Bill No. 3251 otherwise known as the Green Building Act filed by
Senator Bongbong Marcos last year is an Act that will establish a national
green building code and rating system. This bill seeks to attune the
Philippines to the rising global standard in sustainable buildings and
construction developments. Through this bill, Senator Marcos is hopeful that
aside from establishing green building standards and a rating system, the
government may also incentivize builders and owners by way of tax breaks

and other benefits in exchange for their compliance with the said green
building standards.
Since buildings use a third of all energy consumed, and buildings cause
greenhouse gas emissions, energy reduction in new building construction and
operation was the subject in a recent survey of buildings conducted in Metro
Manila, Cebu and Davao. This was done as part of the Green Building
Program of the International Finance Corp. in partnership with the
Mandaluyong City government, the DPWH, the WSP and the Philippine
Green Building Initiative as foreign and local consultants, respectively. The
survey aims to develop smart green building policies which in turn will be
used to develop guidelines and strategies for adoption by building owners to
conform to internationally accepted standards. Findings in the survey showed
that all buildings have no insulation and do not adopt energy saving
measures.
A Green Building would be: (courtesy of LEED Council)
Energy efficient having a low carbon footprints and greenhouse gas

emissions
Low polluter, minimizing waste
Good neighbors, with healthy and productive indoor and outdoor

environments
Sustainable, re-using and recycling materials, and conserving water

Green building practices aim to reduce the environmental impact of

building. Green buildings can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 35%
compared to traditional buildings. Furthermore, green buildings have lower

energy use by 30- 50%, reduced waste output by 70%, and reduced water
usage by 40%.
III.

RESULTS/ DISCUSSIONS

Figure 2. Net Zero Building Concept

The

features of the ordinary and conventional buildings doesnt fit our current state of
situation anymore. What we need are structures that both corresponds to our
environment and to us. The sustainability goal of Green building requires a multifaceted approach. This approach requires reducing the environmental impact,
providing sustainable buildings with lower embodied energy, and emitting as little
carbon as possible.
Net Zero Energy Cost is perhaps the simplest metric to use. It means that the
building has an energy utility bill of 0php over the course of a year. In some
cases, building owners or operators may take advantage of selling Renewable
Energy Credits (RECs) from on-site renewable generation.
Many unconventional energy resources result in emissions of carbon dioxide,
nitrogen oxides, sulphur dioxide, etc. A net Zero Energy Emissions building either

uses no energy which results in emissions or offsets the emissions by exporting

emissions-free energy (typically from on-site renewable energy systems).

IV.

CONCLUSIONS

Philippines is still in a stage where it is still

establishing itself, challenging builders to set up
more sustainable buildings as well as
renovate the older ones, in ways that would
reverse unhealthy trends.

Figure 3. Philippines ZUELLIG

BUIDING; Certified as Green
Building by US Green Building
Council

V.
RECOMMENDATIONS
It can further reduce dependence on
fossil fuel derived energy by increasing use
of on-site and off-site renewable energy sources.
VI.
SUMMARY
VII. REFERENCES

http://www.facilitiesnet.com/green/article/Focus-on-Buildings-to-Cut-

Your-Carbon-Footprint--12400
http://ifcext.ifc.org/IFCExt/pressroom/IFCPressRoom.nsf/0/DD104EB1

4C5E939985257CFA0017900B?OpenDocument
Philippine Inquirer- Green Architrends- 11/22/2008
http://www.footprintnetwork.org/images/article_uploads/Philippines_Fo

otprint_Report_2012.pdf
http://www.tucp.org.ph/news/index.php/2014/02/green-building-101/
http://www.wbdg.org/resources/netzeroenergybuildings.php