If you are interested in building new things like homes not like a typical home but like a mansion then you should take this class next year and learn about building on brownfields vs building on greenfields.

“It is beyond the typical single-family homes that we see every day. It ranges from materials used (greener, sustainable, recycled) to building techniques. Build sites that are “brownfield” already have a lot of infrastructure in the area and can help revitalize a deteriorating urban environment,” James Bonar said.

Building on brownfields out in the open urban areas is more expensive than building on greenfields because you don’t have to clean up anything harmful before you start building.

“Brownfield areas are quite often more expensive to build at because of needing to demolish existing buildings or clean up possible hazardous waste but the costs are offset some because of electricity, water, sewage, and streets already being available. Once the brownfield area is built on, there is often public transportation, shopping, entertainment, and jobs available close by which makes it cheaper for the tenant to live there because they may not have to own a car which then has costs of insurance, maintenance, and gas,” Bonar said.

Building on greenfields is very different than building on brownfields because greenfields have never been built on and they can be found in the country or rural places and there easier to build on than brownfields because building on brownfields you have to destroy existing buildings and clean up any harmful supplies before you can start building.

They could walk or bike to places they need to go. “Greenfield” sites are raw land that has never been built upon. As a society, we need to protect our productive farm ground and wildlife areas from being swallowed up to be used for housing. It is easier and often cheaper to build on greenfield sites and can be well-planned and building-oriented on the site to take advantage of natural resources, wind-blocking, drainage, and solar. In theory, these dwellings of the future should be as close to “Net Zero” as possible. Net Zero buildings produce as much energy as they use and emit no carbon emissions.

If you are interested in learning more, enroll in Sustainable Architecture Design after taking its prerequisite, Architecture.