Green Building Technology Youll Never See But Can Experience Now

Editors note:Parker White is vice president of business development in JLLs technical services business.

Picture an office that cleans up after itself, improves indoor air quality with nanotech-formulated paint, and responds to sunlight by magically adjusting window tint, all while fighting climate change. Then imagine entering your workspace to find your desk light on and the temperature just asyoulike it. These innovations are already at work in some modern buildings, in the shape of the networked ecosystem of intelligentbuildingequipment and devices.

Beyond the Wow! factor and the large-scale benefits to our planet,greenand smartbuildingtechnologies are changing the way we live and work, and creating business opportunities fortechnologyinnovators, commercialbuilding owners and tenants.

Buildings designed with sustainability-supporting materials, big-data-crunching automated systems and onsite clean energy are expected to represent 55 percent of all U.S. commercial and institutional construction by 2015, according to McGraw-Hill Constructions 2013Dodge ConstructionGreenOutlook.Recent research from groups like CO2 Scorecard, demonstrate that these kinds of advancements in how people consume energy have contributed twice as much to the recent drop in U.S. GHG emissions as the reduced use of coal in favor of natural gas.

Its no coincidence; sustained public interest in sustainability has triggered a surge ofgreenbuildinginnovation. Spiraling water concerns and energy costs have sparked resource-efficientbuildingoperations among commercial property owners and occupiers. New regulations in many U.S. states and municipalities provide further motivation in the form of energy disclosure ordinances or tax incentives for sustainable construction andbuildingoperations.

Also important is the growing body of research showing thatgreenbuildings are good for employee health and well-being. Corporate tenants are willing to pay higher rents for the resulting workplace productivity gains, while employees and consumers alike prefer companies that are socially and environmentally responsible.

Here are a few of thebuildingtechnologies that are changing the game of greening the planet and transforming our culture in the process.

Does the paint in your office clear the air? Now it can. A Philippines-based company,Boysen,has created the worlds first air-cleaning paint. Its based on nanoscale titanium dioxide, which is used to reduce harmful emissions in power plants and motor vehicles. It interacts with light to break down nitrous oxide and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into harmless substances.

Nanotechnology is also behind smart electrochromic glass windows that can respond to environmental conditions. These windows can be integrated withbuildingautomation systems and programmed, along with otherbuilding equipment, to utilize natural sunshine and heat to offset the need for artificial lighting and artificial heating from HVAC.

Nanotechnology can even improve hygiene: Adding silver nanoparticles to paint can add lasting antimicrobial properties, an infection-prevention technique borrowed from the medical world. The biocidal effect of the released silver ions prevents the growth of mold, algae and bacteria.

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Green Building Technology Youll Never See But Can Experience Now