The 7 Helpful Tips and Tricks for Greening Your Commercial Projects in Canada Posted by Best Access Doors - Canada on 14th Jun 2023
Canada is home to many green projects that aim to protect and shield its inhabitants from climate change's adverse effects. These projects promote sustainability in many aspects, including clean energy, public transportation, and commercial projects.
Here are ten useful tips and tricks that you can take advantage of to help make your commercial property more sustainable and environmentally friendly.
Tip #1: Create a Green Building Plan
Creating a building plan that focuses on sustainability is a green commercial project's first and most crucial step. During the planning stage, consider all options regarding the project to eliminate future problems or emergencies that can cause delays, like on-site accidents or lacking construction materials.
Here's a list of the things you need to do in the planning stage:
- Calculating the costs for materials, labour, deliveries, etc.
- Work schedule and allocation
- Finding recycled or eco-friendly materials and where to buy them
- Hiring workers, a contractor, an engineer, and an architect
- Incorporate green practices in the design
Whether for a new construction or a retrofit project, viewing other green establishments or designs can help you get a clear view of what to do.
Tip #2: Smaller Buildings Produce Less Pollution and Require Minimal Work
Constructing commercial buildings that are smaller than their usual size is also a great tip in transforming a commercial project into a green commercial project. Smaller establishments require fewer utilities, lower electricity consumption, and require less labour and materials when building. Less of these also help prevent greenhouse gas production. Being sustainable should also mean reduced costs.
Tip #3: Add Natural Elements to the Building's Design
Adding natural elements or materials that enable them helps better the environment and keep everyone healthy. These natural elements' benefits make it an undeniably smart investment, especially if you run an office space, a consumer or a service store. Clean and unfiltered air results in higher productivity and attracts more consumers to go green.
Here are the natural elements or devices that you can include in your green building plan:
- Skylights for natural light and ventilation
- Plant boxes or garden on the roof
- Water fountains
- Trees
- Green roofs
- Thermally broken roof hatches
- Solar panels
- Recycled materials
- Rainwater containers
Another beneficial effect of installing these natural elements is that it will bring humans closer to nature, which is an essential factor in the rise of the adverse impacts of climate change.
Tip #4: Use Recycled Materials
Using and applying recycled materials in most aspects of your green building design helps you save costs and reduces the waste in landfills. Recycled furniture, tables, countertops, dressers, etc., also helpslower energy use and minimizes emissions of commercial buildings, all for the benefit of the environment. You can use recycled materials such as bamboo, corks, straw, concrete slabs, reclaimed plastic, and wood.
Tip #5: Heat and Sunlight as a Natural Source of Energy
Installing a geothermal roof or a solar panel is one way of practicing the use of free energy. These roofs can be a huge factor in your green design as they convert heat and wind into free energy for everyone. Both innovations on the roofing system will help your green project move forward and inspire other future commercial building owners to install these as well.
Using solar energy as a source of electricity in your commercial building is ideal. Commercial buildings have high electricity bills due to the heavy use of electricity to keep the building operating. Solar energy provides benefits such as environmental impact, reduced electricity bills, and improved grid security.
Tip #6: Install Devices That Reduce the Use of Water and Energy
Adding a rainwater harvesting system to your green commercial project is an excellent way to make it more eco-friendly. This system collects usable rainwater, including water for toilets and sprinkler systems, to keep plants and trees healthy and strong.
Tankless water heaters also reduce electricity use as it warms up water that passes through its electric coil. Still, it can only heat limited amounts of water, which is a good thing to prevent wasting water.
Mechanisms that do not use electricity mean less energy consumption in the building. The use of wood in a commercial project is ideal as it has lower embodied energy as opposed to concrete and steel materials. Another example of zero-energy mechanisms is building designs that allow the free flow of natural air and light while preventing air leakages.
Tip #7: Install LEED(Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Products
Applying LEED-certified products in commercial projects is a huge help in turning them into green buildings as it contains environmentally highly efficient and cost-saving materials. A perfect example of a product with LEED certification is the ADC-PFI-SS Fire-Rated Insulated Access Door with Flange - Stainless Steel.
LEED-certified structures are champions of the environment that have received global recognition for their green design and actions toward sustainability. It involves an intricate process of determining system ratings, pre-requisite requirements, goals, and specific metrics to ensure that a building aligns with the agency's objectives.
Why Go Green?
With the rise of the adverse effects of climate change, creating green commercial building projects is now big help to all living species. Practice these tips and tricks to enhance the world's environmental health, starting with Canada. Going green projects can be costly and tedious, but the government supports these projects, and the benefits you will receive when you go green will outweigh the initial cost and labour.
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