Why Build Better?

By Neil May

Why build better? Here are a few good reasons:

• Reduced Energy Consumption
• Increased Comfort
• Better Health
• Less Maintenance
• Longer Building Life
• Less Impact on the Natural Environment
• Lower Costs

For most people however the criteria on which they assess the value of a home, prior to purchase or occupation, are first the location and then perhaps the kitchen and the bathroom. The layout and the appearance of the house may be considered but how often do people ask about the performance of the building itself? Do most people even know what building performance means? And yet it will be crucial to the comfort and health of the building occupants as well as to the running and maintenance costs, and to the impact the building has on the natural environment. All of these will have a considerable effect on the life of the building occupants directly or indirectly.

Building better is about making buildings energy efficient, healthy, comfortable, flexible and durable. It is not about adding costs (indeed it is about reducing costs) but it is about adding thought and care. In this article I will try to identify the main reasons as to why we should build better (and at the same time as to why the way we build now is inadequate) and provide simple answers as to how we can build better with ease and with confidence.

Next: Reduced Energy Energy Consumption