Global construction industry predicts green growth

While the global economy may look less than rosy, most professionals working in the construction industry believe that the lion's share of projects which do go ahead will have a significant green element.


A report into attitudes towards sustainable construction amongst those working in the building industry was carried out by McGraw Hill Construction Analytics.

The 50 page document looks at green building market activity around the world.

Its findings suggest green building has become a global phenomenon, with just over half (53%) of those quizzed about their expectations of future work saying they thought over 60% of the projects they worked on in the next five years would have a strong green element.

Almost a third of respondents (32%) said they thought green building already accounted for more than ten per cent of the total construction market.

The report also looks at trends in renewable energy, green product use, sector growth and key motivators and obstacles impacting market activity in seven global regions.

The document is based on a survey of early adopters in 45 countries across seven regions – Europe, North America, South America, Australia and New Zealand, Asia, the Middle East and North Africa, and Sub-Saharan Africa.

Asia was the fastest growing region while solar power was reported to be the most widely-used source of renewable energy installed on buildings, although wind power was expected to be the biggest growth area.

Geothermal is also expected to be a large growth area, with its use expected to more than double over the next five years.

The top reason for going green was cited as the moral arguments – that it was simply the right thing to do – while in the Middle East and Africa supporting the growth of the domestic economy was also seen as a key driver.

In Asia and Europe environmental regulations are perceived as a key motivating factor.

Sam Bond

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