Real estate sustainability trends to watch for in 2022, according to Alexander Studhalter

By modifying personal and societal behaviors, sustainable living aims to reduce the personal and societal environmental negative impact.

Alexander Studhalter, an experienced businessman and real estate investor, has many suggestions on this matter. In this article, Alexander Studhalter will show the up and coming real estate trends to look out for this year.

Firstly, what does sustainable real estate really mean?

In simpler terms, sustainable living helps reduce one’s carbon footprint. The World Wildlife Fund offers an environmental footprint calculator if you need motivation.

Sustainability means minimizing the impact on humans and the environment and using the Earth’s resources as efficiently as possible.

To understand how you can get started, let’s first look at the ethos of sustainable living.

What entails a sustainable lifestyle, according to Alexander Studhalter?

There are great ways to incorporate sustainable lifestyles into people’s lives. Here are some of Alexander Studhalter’s primary suggestions:

Home automation or Domotic systems (smart homes)

In smart homes, appliances, and systems, like lighting and heating, are monitored and managed remotely through internet-connected devices.

Using a smartphone app or other networked device, home automation provides homeowners with security, comfort, convenience, and energy efficiency. IoT-enabled smart homes often communicate with each other, sharing consumer usage data and automating tasks based on homeowner preferences.

Energy conservation

We produce electricity by burning fossil fuels, such as coal, to power our homes and businesses. The release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere causes global warming.

Reducing the energy, we use can help reduce the need for burning fossil fuels. This approach means it helps make a healthier environment for our planet.

Updated building regulations (ADO)

There is a Usage of passive design techniques to limit the use of active cooling. The new ADO seeks to resolve this issue by limiting unwanted solar gains.

The ADO expects design teams to consider external noise, poor air quality, and security. They need to do that when developing any future overheating mitigation strategy.

Alexander Studhalter thinks achieving compliance with ADO is possible via simplified and detailed dynamic thermal modeling methods. There is no right or wrong choice unless external factors are involved or if there is a communal heating system.

Alexander Studhalter thinks there should be an emphasis on Green Building

Whether designed, built, or operated, green building can positively affect our climate and natural environment. Using green buildings saves precious natural resources and improves the quality of our lives.

To begin with, what are the principles of green building?

Green building strategies can help reduce maintenance and replacement costs, utility bills, home ownership costs, and resale value. Alexander Studhalter says that there are three main principles for green building: 

Designing a sustainable site

Building in a site that is sustainable helps minimize urban sprawl and protect valuable land, habitats, and open spaces.

The preservation of valuable green spaces can be achieved by Promoting higher density urban development. It ensures that each site’s environmental assets are protected.

Quality & Conservation of Water

This process ensures that the site’s natural hydrological cycle is preserved and closely emulated. Emphasis is placed on stormwater retention, on-site infiltration, and ground water recharge.

It helps maximize the use of recycled and reused water on the site, including rainwater harvesting, stormwater, and gray water.

Environment & Energy

Green building contributes to optimize building siting & design, material selection, and energy conservation measures to minimize adverse environmental impacts.

Energy sources with low environmental impact are encouraged to be used as much as possible. Building performance should exceed the minimum International Energy Code (IEC) compliance level by 30-40%.

What are the best certificates for green building?

There are many certificates for green building out there. The two following certificates are the most recommended by Alexander Studhalter:

LEED

It is one of the world’s most used green building rating systems. LEED provides a framework for green buildings that are highly efficient, healthy, and cost-effective.

Sustainability achievement and leadership are globally recognized through LEED certification. Around the world, millions of people live, work, and learn in LEED-certified buildings.

BREEAM

This certification standard is the most widely used across the world. Each building type has its scheme. (BREEAM Courts, Eco homes, Healthcare, education, offices, prisons …).

BREEAM certification is an easy-to-use system that evaluates the environmental performance of buildings. Through this certification system, professionals can reduce their environmental impact.

The company’s BREEAM certification demonstrates sustainability. This approach also permits better productivity, comfort, and well-being of building occupants.

Why does Green real estate move up the corporate list?

According to Alexander Studhalter, there are many reasons commercial building owners go green.

Green commercial buildings conserve energy and water, enable reuse and recycling, incorporate sustainable materials, and avoid toxic products. Building owners understand that green real estate does its part to make the world’s air and water healthier.

Refurbishment or new construction, which is greener?

Is new construction greener than a renovation? Alexander Studhalter believes that it isn’t. “The most sustainable thing to do is to refurbish rather than rebuild from scratch”, says Studhalter.

It’s an inconvenient truth for the industry. Our voracious appetite for building is, in no small part, to blame for the climate crisis.

Greta Thunberg has pointed out that we cannot simply build our way out of it. We cannot afford to only build greener. We need to build less.

What are the Green real estate hotspots you should invest in?

More than 120,000 green-rated buildings worldwide give investors a wide choice of sustainable assets. But which cities should they consider first?

Here are 15 green building hotspots worldwide, including projects in progress, planned projects, and completed, certified buildings: 

• There are five cities in the Americas – Washington DC, New York, Houston, Los Angeles, and Chicago.
• Five from EMEA – London, Paris, Stockholm, Abu Dhabi, and Dubai.
• And five from Asia-Pacific – Singapore, Beijing, Shanghai, Melbourne, and Sydney.

In conclusion, Alexander Studhalter believes that acting on these trends will protect the environment and the world. So, go on and go green!