Table of ContentsSummaryIntroductionPerformance of Green Building MaterialsNew Green Building SystemsConclusionSummaryGreen buildings are created to build an environmentally friendly and energy efficient structure while throughout its life cycle, which is surely essential in the construction sector. The question of the effectiveness of green building is nevertheless controversial when it comes to safety and building design. This research project will determine the efficiency, safety and comfort of such construction by examining the main elements of green construction. Emphasis will be placed on the structural, industrial and financial situation of building performance. In addition, occupant satisfaction with green buildings has been taken into account in research aimed at analyzing the condition of buildings in terms of regulations, acoustic and thermal comfort. This research was carried out using more than twenty sources from journals, books and academic articles. Key elements of green building include recycled and insulating materials, new roof-wall systems and increased ventilation. The properties of recycled components and insulation materials have been shown to cause moisture, mold and fire problems by presenting building performance risks that can damage the building structure. As for the financial performance of green buildings, green materials are estimated to be more expensive than expected and may suffer financial losses due to green rating standards. These arguments indicate that industrial, performance and financial risks can be a barrier to improving building performance and preventing the downsides of green building. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get the original essayIntroductionIn recent years, buildings with minimal environmental impact have become increasingly evident in the construction industry. These green buildings are considered a current and prospective vision of construction with the mission of reducing damage to ecology and the environment. To achieve these goals, each element of the building will be created with specific products and systems instead of traditional materials. Although these elements operate in a resource and energy efficient manner, their properties are underestimated and can lead to moisture and mold problems, which can be caused by poor and dangerous design. Some experts believe that the new materials are sustainable and reduce the negative impact on the environment; however, by carrying out such ecological construction, one may lose the robustness and safety of the building itself. Because eco-friendly materials are newer, there is often less information about them, which can cause difficulties for homeowners and builders. Additionally, financial efficiency is not sufficiently reflected in construction compared to conventional housing. From the users' point of view, their expectations of green buildings are sometimes not completely justified. This research project will argue that despite the relevance of reducing negative environmental effects, green building may not be a productive enough way to improve building safety and design due to performance, industrial and financial risks . This article will first focus on how materials and systems workecological in the building, then will examine the financial situation of the building and finally, will analyze the reaction of the occupants about their house. Performance of ecological building materials Use of recycled and insulating materials for energy savings. One of the main characteristics of green buildings is the use of products that have no negative impact on the environment. Over the years, traditional materials like steel, cement, glass, aluminum, plastics, and bricks have been used in the construction industry (Reddy 2004, 900). Moreover, these materials are easily available for buildings because their production companies are numerous and have been working for a long time. However, if traditional products were used extensively and continuously, it would have a negative impact on the environment and reduce energy resources (Giama and Papadopoulos 2016, 92). Therefore, there is a strong demand to replace these materials with “green” components to solve these problems. It is for this reason that recycled products occupy an important place among green materials in reducing resource and energy consumption. A considerable amount of natural resources can be saved by using these components in construction (Sun and Fang 2011, 90). Similarly, thermal insulation materials are also used as a major structural element of the building envelope to reduce thermal transmission (Hidalgo and Welch 2015, 286). There are many types of insulation materials and they are used depending on the required applications in different building components (Rostam and Mahdavinejad 2015, 645). In green buildings, carbohydrate-based foam insulation is applied to save energy and it is increased to achieve better energy performance (Odom and Scott 2009, 20). Thus, these green materials are incorporated into construction to save resources and energy. Impact of Green Materials on Building Design Green building materials can negatively affect the structural design of buildings despite their positive impact on the environment and energy. Experts say implementing new materials can present various challenges for builders and developers. According to Odom and Scott (2008), these products are primarily manufactured by mixing synthetic and natural materials in the building envelope, which can lead to an increased risk of moisture condensation. Furthermore, as they are produced quite recently, there may be insufficient knowledge and unfamiliarity about the structure of the products, which may be the biggest challenge for construction (Hwang and Jian 2013, 276). For example, in order to provide buildings with the required performance, it is necessary to understand the permeance, water-related properties and others of new products (Ibid). Additionally, alongside new materials, the use of recycled components can be another barrier to achieving a sustainable building. Because they were reused in the new structure, they may not provide ideal water drainage performance, which could improve condensation efficiency by repelling water (Odom and Scott 2009 , 20). Additionally, these materials cannot be effortlessly integrated into adjacent new products (Ibid). After recycling, the qualities of existing components, such as flashing, rainwater barriers, and air barriers, can be changed and function in opposite ways (Odom and Scott 2008, 37). These materials may also lose their durability, quality and not lastlong due to their products that have already been used and served their purpose in construction (Hunag and Wang 2014, 355). Therefore, certain characteristics of green building materials may pose performance risks in terms of properties, qualities and durability and may negatively affect building outcomes. Combined with recycled components, insulating materials can increase risks for the industry. The properties of expanding foam insulation materials are very different from those of traditional insulation, which builders once applied in buildings. For example, some carbohydrate-based foam insulation products retain more water than traditional hydrocarbon-based foam insulation (Odom and Scott 2009, 20). If water retention in the insulation increases, this will have a negative effect on the performance of the walls, leading to moisture issues in the design due to their water absorption qualities (Ibid). Furthermore, the fire safety performance of insulating materials is as important an issue in building management as it is in environmental protection. Thermal insulation materials are mostly combustible and can compromise the fire safety design of the building (Hidalgo and Welch 2015, 292). The reason for this is the emission of pyrolysis gas, which has the ability to ignite and release flammable gases containing toxic species (Ibid). Furthermore, Chow (2003) mentions that using thermal insulation envelope materials as the main part of walls in green building construction could start a fire quickly within 15 minutes. Such dangerous properties linked to increased insulation could endanger the entire building. These points indicate that increased use of insulation products can lead to poor performance of green buildings and can contribute to fire risks although they can conserve energy.New green building systemsUse of wall systems containing insulated productsThe roof and walls of the construction represent the important elements responsible for the exclusion of humidity in the building (Tobias and Vavaroutsos 2012, 45). Compared to traditional buildings, the load-bearing walls of green buildings, which support the weight of the house above, become thicker to minimize waste, thus benefiting in terms of energy efficiency (OECD 2003, 27). On the other hand, these new wall system products involve unexpected problems related to moisture flow. For example, the amount of condensation may be increased due to a change in the course of moisture flows through the wall and roof system (Odom and Scott 2008, 39). As noted above, a new insulating material, which retains a large amount of water, is the main element of the wall system of green buildings. The dew point in walls, the temperature at which dew forms, can change due to increased insulation (Ibid 2009, 20). As a result, condensation can be harmful and the drying potential can be reduced, which can lead to loss of wall structure (Ibid). Additionally, this material is specially added in wall cavities and inside the building, making it practical for noise attenuation (Tobias and Vavaroutsos 2012, 50). However, when using this material, a significant amount of mold can form in wall cavities. To explain, if water were to flow through a water-resistant barrier, the wet-dry cycling process, which helps maintain wall design, would not occur (Odom and Scott2008, 39). Therefore, new wall systems in green buildings with increasing insulation can damage the main structure of the building. The Work of Increased Ventilation for Green Building One of the main elements of green building is increased ventilation, which provides comfort to the building occupants. To reduce air pollutants, it is necessary to regulate ventilation inside the building. According to the OECD (2003), the reason is that indoor air pollution has become a major environmental problem in terms of construction activities as well as health problems. It is estimated that if building ventilation is increased, indoor pollutant levels could be reduced (Wei 2015, 14). Additionally, the majority of people spend up to 90 percent of their time indoors, so high levels of air pollutants are of particular concern (OECD 2003). Therefore, in green buildings, designers mainly focus on good indoor air quality (IAQ), which is not only the primary element of a healthy building, but also includes building parameters such as comfort, lighting, acoustics and vibrations (Spengler and Chen 2000, 568). ). In order to achieve IAQ goals, the “stack effect” is considered an important phenomenon in building design that allows a natural flow of air during summer and winter (Tobias and Vavaroutsos 2012, 64 ). To this end, ventilation in green buildings is increased to benefit from the "stack effect", cooling the air to the degree necessary to keep occupants comfortable and allowing warmer air to rise where it is evacuated (Ibid). Thus, increased ventilation helps improve user comfort and building productivity. On the other hand, an increased level of mechanical ventilation of buildings can lead to humidity problems, which harms building performance. Usually, expanded ventilation is accompanied by significant movement of air from one side of the building to the other (Chen 2000, 571). With this in mind, when huge amounts of air are moved around the building, at the same time the architectural elements of the building confine the airflow from the supply side to the return side of the air handling equipment, the building may become unbalanced or partially depressurized (Odom and Scott 2008, 40). Additionally, in hot and humid climates, increased ventilation leads to increased humidity levels (Ibid 2009, 20). This indicates that green buildings in countries with humid summers may be more exposed to danger due to increased ventilation. By increasing ventilation, moist outdoor air will be absorbed into building cavities due to unexpected pressurization. This process mainly causes an increase in mold in wall structures which results from the condensation of moist air (Ibid). Additionally, Spengler and Chen (2000, 591) noted that increasing the use of ventilation systems consumes more energy due to their complicated procedure. Such techniques can affect the building's energy saving performance. As a result, while increased ventilation keeps occupants comfortable, it can for the most part be risky to building performance by causing moisture and mold problems. Financial situation of green building Compared to traditional houses, green building costs are higher than expected and therefore have an ineffective influence on the financial performance of the building. It is estimated that investment costs for energy-saving and environmentally friendly materials have increased by 10-25%,.