The United States is leading the way in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green buildings, according to new research by Uswitch.com, the comparison and switching service.
As the country that set up the LEED initiative, the US is a natural leader in constructing green buildings, with 124,200 (124,212) LEED-certified buildings - the most overall in the world. China has over 100,000 fewer buildings than the US, with 5,700 (5,678). However, they still come in second place for the most green buildings. In third place is Canada with just over 3,000 (3,066) green buildings.
The US Green Building Council (USGBC) reports that 40% of worldwide energy usage comes from the construction industry, with it estimated to increase by 1.8% by 2030. With that said, business owners can now achieve LEED-certified buildings, which is an establishment that recognises healthy, highly efficient and cost-saving green buildings.
To put the buildings in each country into perspective, Uswitch compared the numbers to every 100K of the population.
Characteristics of a green building include being in close proximity to public transport to reduce carbon footprint, efficient use of water to reduce the building’s water usage, recycling systems, as well as air cleanliness and noise pollution.
There are different types of buildings that are LEED-rated and are leading the way in sustainability, from the likes of education, healthcare, hospitality, industrial and residential buildings.
If living in a city that is sustainably-aware and is making an effort to reduce carbon emissions is of importance - like it is for many nowadays - the following cities are leading the way with green construction.
All of the industrial buildings in Narayanganj, Bangladesh, are green-certified. Nearly all (98%) of Prague, Czech Republic’s LEED-certified buildings are used for offices. Following this, 75% of healthcare buildings in Manhasset, United States, are green.
-
Country and city totals were compiled based on the LEED Projects Directory as maintained by the U.S. Green Buildings Council. LEED projects were classified by their end use on the basis of the first use category listed in the "Project Type" field in the Projects Directory database. "Other/Unknown" category incorporates projects that weren't numerous enough to warrant their own category, i.e. "Military" and projects where the type was labeled as "Other" or "Unknown". Projects that were in their planning phase (e.g. designated under LEED-ND), rather than being completed, were excluded from the dataset. Country populations were taken from the World Bank's "Population, Total" indicator. City populations were obtained from Simple Maps "US Cities" and "World Cities" datasets. State populations were taken from the U.S. Census Bureau. Only countries with 50 or more LEED projects were included. Only cities with 20 or more LEED projects were included. LEED projects, where location was listed as "Confidential" or partial, i.e. only indicating country or its subdivision (state, province), but specifying country were included in the country totals, but excluded from city totals. Data was collated in Apr 2021.
-
Source: Gocontractor.com: How does construction impact the environment?
-
Source: Iberdrola.com: The 'green' buildings are leading the way to more sustainable and efficient urban planning
Related Stories
Market Data | Apr 4, 2023
Nonresidential construction spending up 0.4% in February 2023
National nonresidential construction spending increased 0.4% in February, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of data published by the U.S. Census Bureau. On a seasonally adjusted annualized basis, nonresidential spending totaled $982.2 billion for the month, up 16.8% from the previous year.
Multifamily Housing | Mar 24, 2023
Average size of new apartments dropped sharply in 2022
The average size of new apartments in 2022 dropped sharply in 2022, as tracked by RentCafe. Across the U.S., the average new apartment size was 887 sf, down 30 sf from 2021, which was the largest year-over-year decrease.
Multifamily Housing | Mar 14, 2023
Multifamily housing rent rates remain flat in February 2023
Multifamily housing asking rents remained the same for a second straight month in February 2023, at a national average rate of $1,702, according to the new National Multifamily Report from Yardi Matrix. As the economy continues to adjust in the post-pandemic period, year-over-year growth continued its ongoing decline.
Contractors | Mar 14, 2023
The average U.S. contractor has 9.2 months worth of construction work in the pipeline, as of February 2023
Associated Builders and Contractors reported today that its Construction Backlog Indicator increased to 9.2 months in February, according to an ABC member survey conducted Feb. 20 to March 6. The reading is 1.2 months higher than in February 2022.
Industry Research | Mar 9, 2023
Construction labor gap worsens amid more funding for new infrastructure, commercial projects
The U.S. construction industry needs to attract an estimated 546,000 additional workers on top of the normal pace of hiring in 2023 to meet demand for labor, according to a model developed by Associated Builders and Contractors. The construction industry averaged more than 390,000 job openings per month in 2022.
Market Data | Mar 7, 2023
AEC employees are staying with firms that invest in their brand
Hinge Marketing’s latest survey explores workers’ reasons for leaving, and offers strategies to keep them in the fold.
Multifamily Housing | Feb 21, 2023
Multifamily housing investors favoring properties in the Sun Belt
Multifamily housing investors are gravitating toward Sun Belt markets with strong job and population growth, according to new research from Yardi Matrix. Despite a sharp second-half slowdown, last year’s nationwide $187 billion transaction volume was the second-highest annual total ever.
Contractors | Feb 14, 2023
The average U.S. contractor has nine months worth of construction work in the pipeline
Associated Builders and Contractors reports today that its Construction Backlog Indicator declined 0.2 months to 9.0 in January, according to an ABC member survey conducted Jan. 20 to Feb. 3. The reading is 1.0 month higher than in January 2022.
Office Buildings | Feb 9, 2023
Post-Covid Manhattan office market rebound gaining momentum
Office workers in Manhattan continue to return to their workplaces in sufficient numbers for many of their employers to maintain or expand their footprint in the city, according to a survey of more than 140 major Manhattan office employers conducted in January by The Partnership for New York City.
Giants 400 | Feb 9, 2023
New Giants 400 download: Get the complete at-a-glance 2022 Giants 400 rankings in Excel
See how your architecture, engineering, or construction firm stacks up against the nation's AEC Giants. For more than 45 years, the editors of Building Design+Construction have surveyed the largest AEC firms in the U.S./Canada to create the annual Giants 400 report. This year, a record 519 firms participated in the Giants 400 report. The final report includes 137 rankings across 25 building sectors and specialty categories.
