Reducing the negative environmental impact of buildings—globally one of the largest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions—might be even more difficult than expected. New research from Drexel University indicates that, due to the steady increase in damaging extreme weather events each year, designers must begin to consider not if, but how long, their buildings will be rendered inoperable—and how the resources to get them back online will contribute to their overall environmental impact.
For green building, ‘durable is the new ‘sustainable’
