Don't blame the building
An often quoted statistic is that 'buildings' are responsible for about 35% of greenhouse gas emissions. The most recent UK official figures suggest 18% from business, 15% from households and around 1.8% for public sector (waste management, energy and transport are amongst other categories) [1]. I wouldn't suggest that 35% is anything other than a substantial figure. What I would question, however, is the suggestion that buildings are responsible for such emissions. The only true responsible party is, of course, humanity. Just as it is with the vehicles - that we humans choose, own and operate. There are several dimensions to consider. Firstly, we humans design and construct our buildings in the first place, and our choice of size and materials strongly influences the eventual energy consumption of our buildings. Consider that between 1970 and 2010, the average size of US detached houses grew by a whopping 50% [2]. Not all houses are detached, of course, and many countri...