New and renovated buildings in Israel will now have to comply with a newly launched “Israel Standard for Green Building”.
During a press conference on this past Tuesday to announce the launch of a new green building standard for new and renovated buildings in Israel, Environmental Protection Minister Gilad Erdan said that “a green building is a good type of building that is worth living in. It is better quality and more economical.” Economics may be one of the ways that the Environment Ministry is trying to make “Israel Standard 5281” more appealing, as it is claiming that it is expected to save families living in four room apartments approximately 1,000 NIS per year. It appeases environmentalists as well, however, since it will significantly reduce electricity and resource consumption.
The new regulation meets international standards, but is designed to adapt to Israel’s unique climate and construction style. The categories examined under the new regulation include: energy efficiency, land usage, water conservation, building materials, health and welfare, waste separation, transportation associated with work, construction-site management, and innovation.
Danny Goldstein, the director of the Standards Institution, said that “Israel Standard 5281 is at the forefront of global green building standards and is easy to implement and understand. The standard widens the possibilities of ranking green buildings and adds a system for evaluating new buildings and existing buildings undergoing renovation.”
The standard will currently be applied to the following types of buildings during the construction phase: residences, offices, educational buildings, tourism venues, health facilities, commercial structures, and public assembly buildings. Residential green building standards will be implemented in a few weeks, as of August 1st, whereas the others will begin being implemented on September 1st.
Since buildings are currently responsible for over 60 percent of Israel’s electricity consumption, the hope is that Israel Standard 5281 helps builders reduce 30 percent of electricity use (in addition to 70 percent of construction waste and 10 percent of water use).
Erdan continued to say that “I believe that promoting the use of the Green Building Standard will produce new building standards in Israel. Soon all homebuyers will demand that contractors adhere to the new standard.”
Read more about green building across the Middle East::
Green Housing Construction Gets Underway in Israel, Creates Jobs in Negev Town of Yeruham
Abu Dhabi Building to Achieve All Five Green Building “Pearls”
Qatar’s Green Building Council Rallies Community Leaders
Image via: Wonderlane
Author: Karen Chernick
Much to the disappointment of her Moroccan grandmother, Karen became a vegetarian at the age of seven because of a heartfelt respect for other forms of life. She also began her journey to understand her surroundings and her impact on the environment. She even starting an elementary school Ecology Club and an environmental newsletter in the 3rd grade. (The proceeds of the newsletter went to non-profit environmental organizations, of course.) She now studies in New York. Karen can be reached at karen (at) greenprophet (dot) com.
