Remarkable green building technologies you can experience today

As countries are better able to make use of technology to support sustainable building, remarkable strides are being made in green technology, giving us a glimpse of what's to come.

You may be sitting in an office right now that utilises green technology but not even know it. If not, your office could be retrofitted with cutting-edge green technology that could vastly improve the quality and productivity of your working life.

When thinking about green technology, the first thing that may come to mind is solar panels, low-emission glass and building features that incorporate different types of recycling of natural resources, but there is more. Imagine external paint for buildings that can help improve indoor air quality or windows that automatically adjust their level of tinting to moderate building temperature. These are just some of the technologies you can't see, but can experience now.

Using nanotechnology, Philippines-based paint manufacturer Boysen is able to create a paint that 'cleans' air. To do this, titanium oxide nanoparticles in the paint interact with sunlight to render a number of harmful substances harmless.

Nanotechnology is also the secret behind a new generation of electrochromic 'smart windows' that respond to sunlight or heat energy, and utilise natural sunshine to regulate heat and light in a room.

Green improvements have also been made to waste-management solutions. Alternative options now include biogas digesters that turn methane from food and animal waste into reusable energy such as electricity or fertilisers.

Green building technology in Indonesia

One example of a fully experiential (and almost invisible) green technology in Indonesia is an in-duct air purification system recently introduced to help fight the problem of Sick Building Syndrome (SBS).

SBS is the result of air pollution in buildings which cause a variety of health problems to people working in high-rise buildings. Symptoms include headaches, fatigue, eye, nose and throat irritation.

RGF's Guardian Air PHI and REME air filtration system can be retrofitted into an existing air conditioning system to eliminate the pollutants that cause SBS. The system uses environmentally friendly oxidisers called hydroperoxides to break down surface and airborne contaminants at their source, ensuring cleaner air is distributed.

The system is just one example of how green building technology is being adopted in parts of Southeast Asia.

Innovations in futuristic building technologies have led to more advancement in internal green-building features. As demand for sustainable building solutions continue to grow, we can expect to see more exciting conceptualizations become actual practice soon.

(Photo Credit: Flickr)