Why Better Buildings
The Case for Better Buildings Whilst these conclusions are not universally accepted, there is a widely held understanding that demand for resources, especially those that are finite and non-renewable, such as fossil fuels, will exceed supply. Tightening regulations across the developed and developing world reflect recognition of the effects of man's activities and the resulting impacts upon the environment and society.
In Northern and Western Europe it is estimated that around 90% of our time is spent within buildings and approximately 50% of energy is consumed within buildings. Leicester's Climate Change Strategy found that the energy requirements of our buildings contribute towards 76% of the city's greenhouse gas emissions. This shows how important buildings are both to our environment and our well-being.
Important though the building environment is, we need, also, to recognise the impact on the wider environment, as it provides all our life-support services, namely warmth, water, sustenance and air. Prudence tells us that meeting the needs of our sheltered, indoor living environment should not be detrimental to the wider environment, such that it affects our quality of life.
Footprint
The effects of human activity on the planet are sometimes described as a 'footprint'. The size of this 'footprint' is the impact that an individual or a community as a whole has upon the earth's resources and processes. Global studies suggest that the rate of resource use and the emissions created by human activities will, on the one hand, exceed those available and, on the other, the earth's capacity to absorb them.
Finite Resources and Limited Capabilities