By What is a green building?
In recent years, environmental problems such as climate change, environmental pollution and rapid depletion of natural resources have enabled people to create a sustainable environmental awareness. This common consciousness led the building industry to build environment-friendly and nature-friendly modern buildings. These buildings, which can be called as green buildings in short, are evaluated and certified by various institutions according to different criteria such as building quality, design, energy efficiency, water saving, waste recycling and environmental awareness. In terms of their general characteristics, these structures are built with building materials produced by recycling waste materials. Their interior environments are designed to make the most of natural light. It can use solar energy effectively to both heat water and generate electricity. It collects and collects rain water and allows it to be used as a water source. Thanks to its insulation systems, it reduces both heating and cooling costs and minimizes the carbon dioxide emission that occurs. In addition, while landscaping green buildings, plants that consume less water are preferred.
There are two green building certificates that are widely accepted in the world. The LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certificate has been given since 1998 and is today the most well-known green building certificate all over the world. There are 192 LEED certified buildings in Turkey today. In 2016, Turkey is among the top 8 countries in the world in LEED certification. To give a few examples:
Boğaziçi University – 1. Male Dormitory Building (Hamlin Hall) (restored in 2010 with its new form.)
Sabancı University Nanotechnology Center
Turkish Contractors Association Building
Another green building certificate widely accepted in the world is BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method). It has been evaluating the design, construction and operation performance of buildings since 1990. There are 78 BREEAM certified buildings in Turkey. Some of those:
Küçükçekmece Municipality (the first public building to receive a BREAM Certificate in Turkey)
Kuveyt Turk Banking Base
Akasya Acibadem
