Green Building is both design and construction practices that promotes the physical and economic health of your family, the community, and the environment. It is an essential component of the related concepts of sustainable design, sustainable development and general sustainability. It achieves sustainability by more efficient use of buildings and site made possible by better harvesting of energy, water, and long life construction materials. Green building reduces the buildings impact on human health and the environment by the use of better sites, design, construction, operation, maintenance, and removal - the complete building life cycle.

The true impact of building green is more apparent when you look at the entire lifetime of a product in use.

Practitioners of green building often seek to achieve not only ecological but aesthetic harmony between a structure and its surrounding (natural or built) environment. The appearance and style of sustainable homes and buildings can be nearly indistinguishable from their less sustainable counter-parts.

Green design often emphasizes taking advantage of renewable resources, e.g., using sunlight through passive solar techniques and using plants and trees through green roofs and rain gardens.

Holcim and Green Building
After water, concrete is the second most used resource in the world. There is no practical substitute for this versatile and durable product. Cement is the chief ingredient in concrete, making it one of the most important resources in modern society. Its manufacture is, however, both resource- and energy-intensive. This fact is why eco-efficiency is at the core of Holcim's business. Holcim constantly seeks to produce more cement tonnage while using fewer resources and producing less waste and pollution. We understand the importance and are committed to the goal of understanding of the challenges faced and committing the resources necessary to achieve environmental sustainability.