BRAZILIAN ALUMINUM - solutions for sustainable living

BRAZILIAN ALUMINUM SOLUTIONS FOR SUSTAINABLE LIVING 36 ALUMINUM AND SUSTAINABLE LIVING SOLUTIONS 4.4. Aluminum in green buildings Some figures of the Brazilian Council for Sustainable Construction underscore the global relevance of civil construction for sustainability:  It uses about 40% of energy and a third of natural resources  It emits a third of greenhouse gases  It consumes 12% of drinking water  It generates 40% of urban solid waste  It employs 10% of manpower  It steers 10% of the GDP In terms of territories, urban areas occupy only 3% of the planet’s surface, but they consume nearly two-thirds of the energy generated. The cities produce 50% of the waste, consume 75% of the natural resources and generate 80% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). In 2030 they will account for 73% of all the energy consumed by mankind. Based on such data, the move on green and sustainable buildings, yet very recent, cannot stop advancing. It is over 34000 cities of 188 countries with certified buildings. In Brazil, the figures in the illustration below show that the country has also followed such trend. LEED 1 Recordings and Certifications in Brazil Green buildings are initiatives to widen positive impacts and mitigate adverse impacts throughout the life cycle of a building, which range from planning and design to construction and operation. Aspects such as use of energy, water, materials, indoor air quality and impacts of the building on the land and its surroundings must be taken into account. The survey named “World Green Building Trends” of 2016, headed by Dodge Data and Analytics have found out that green buildings have already reached 24% of all buildings in the world. In Brazil, the Green Building Council and the Acqua (1) LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a certification granted to sustainable buildings, which has been designed and granted by the American NGO named U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), according to the guidelines for rationalized resources (e.g. energy, water) a building meets. Source: Green Building Council Brazil 1,200 800 400 0 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2006 2007 2005 2004  Figures per year   Accumulated figures   Certificates per year   Accumulated number of certificates