Produced in partnership with the World Green Building Council (WorldGBC), the report is based on a survey of early market adopters in 45 countries.
Major findings include:
- By 2013, 53% of responding firms expect to be largely dedicated to green building (on over 60% of projects), up from 30% today.
- The fastest growing regional green building market is Asia, where the population of firms largely dedicated to green building is expected to jump from 36% today to 73% in 2013.
- 86% of firms expect rapid or steady growth in sales and profit levels associated with green building.
- Solar power is the most common form of renewable energy in every region, used by over half (52%) of industry professionals today and expected to grow to 76% in the next five years. The most dramatic growth is expected in wind power use (57% expected in 2013, up from 20% today), followed closely by geothermal power (expected to double from 22% today to 45% in 2013).
- "The right thing to do" is the top business reason driving green building around the world. "Supporting the domestic economy" is prominent in Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East/North Africa, while "environmental regulations" are driving market activity in Asia and Europe.
"Green building has truly become a global movement," said Harvey M. Bernstein, McGraw-Hill Construction vice president of Industry Analytics, Alliances and Strategic Initiatives. "Firms around the world are awakening to the positive business, environmental and societal impacts of green building, and there is a growing need for market intelligence about global and regional trends. The level and nature of market activity varies by region, but overall we are seeing widespread growth as green becomes increasingly visible throughout the global marketplace."
"It's important to recognize that buildings and infrastructure globally contribute 40% of the green house gas emissions that are forcing climate change," said Andrew Bowerbank, World Green Building Council executive director. "This is more than what the transportation or manufacturing sectors contribute. It is critical now that industry leaders recognize current environmental opportunities in the marketplace and begin to collaborate to demonstrate effective solutions."
