Toward sustainable building and urban designs

Green buildings are the buzzwords in the global architectural community. It refers to construction technology and building designs committed to maximizing efficiency in resources and reducing the negative impacts on the environment.

European and North American societies are drawing up long-term road maps to shift toward sustainable urban and architectural design, paving the way to create a new market in environment-friendly construction across the world. London-based Arup, a global design, engineering and consulting company, became a frontrunner in the environment-friendly construction market by training 35 veteran architects between 1999 and 2002 and launching a new innovation department in 2003.

The Korean construction industry is mired stubbornly in the local market slump and is struggling to find a breakthrough. The industry put itself into it’s current state because it failed to read global trends and it didn’t act fast enough to meet new demands.

To shake itself out of lethargy, the local industry must seek a new business model that can generate quality growth and valued-added revenue and make itself into an industry of new knowledge and innovation.

The construction industry must be restructured to better accommodate different sectors for convergence effect. Companies must be better equipped to fare competitively on the global market and contribute to the national economy.

It must join forces to build social consensus on the symbiotic development of construction business, the promotion of startups through innovations and new technologies, business models for sustainable building and urban designs and the overall benefit to individual living standards.

by Leigh Seung-bok, Professor at Yonsei Unviersity and chairman of Korea Green Building Council