Sustainable Building in Modern Cities

Following the most recent United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris, even more emphasis has been placed on meeting renewable energy needs for the future. In Dublin, these ideals are being implemented in many recent sustainable building practices. Overall, as it stands, urban landscapes generate up to 70 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Modern cities contain more than half of the world’s population, and these areas are growing rapidly.

For most cities, managing sustainability is largely about communicating effectively with the organisations and people in the community. Developing cities can benefit greatly from building with resilience to climate change, effective energy and waste management, and access to clean water in mind. Recently, World Bank and Global Environment Facility (GEF) launched a new ‘Global Platform for Sustainable Cities’ for the international community. This program is designed to help leaders make more informed decisions in the everyday management of their cities.

The strategic approach governments and businesses are now taking will help improve building renovations and increase sustainable practices, in order to tackle the increasing needs of a rising urban landscape. With more thoughtful energy investments and innovative approaches, modern cities can provide a practical path to significantly reducing global greenhouse gas emissions while providing more job opportunities and growing the economy. The main focus is most obviously on commercial buildings, where even minor improvements can have major impacts, but residential buildings also benefit greatly from this new focus. In Ireland, consulting engineers can assist on many different building projects, providing innovative strategies for sustainable design.