Estimating for Sustainable Construction: Challenges and Methodologies for Quantifying Green Building Practices

Authors

Abhiram Reddy Anireddy

Abstract

Here, sustainable construction is meant to progressively reduce environmental impact, employing energy efficient technologies, organic materials and innovative building practices. Green building costs are difficult to estimate because there is such a combination of costs: higher upfront and lower long term; availability of materials; and environmental benefits in the financial estimate. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) as well as energy modeling are methodologies provided among others to estimate sustainable projects in this paper. A few case studies are provided that demonstrate how these methodologies have been applied to real world projects, highlighting both the gritty and glamorous sides of green construction estimation. The paper also talks about the policy framework and the certification such as LEED that motivate for sustainable practices.

Keywords

Sustainable Construction, Green Building Practices, Cost Estimation, Life Cycle Assessment, Energy Modeling, LEED, Integrated Project Delivery, Sustainable Materials, Environmental Impact, Construction Estimation, Policy Incentives, Certification.

Estimating for Sustainable Construction: Challenges and Methodologies for Quantifying Green Building Practices. Abhiram Reddy Anireddy. 2021. IJIRCT, Volume 7, Issue 6. Pages 1-7. https://www.ijirct.org/viewPaper.php?paperId=2410063