Buildings significantly alter the environment.
Building construction consumes 40 percent of the raw stone, gravel, and sand used globally each year, and 25 percent of the virgin wood. Buildings also account for 40 percent of the energy and 16 percent of the water used annually worldwide. In the United States, about as much construction and demolition waste is produced as municipal garbage. Unhealthy indoor air is found in 30 percent of new and renovated buildings worldwide. Designing environmentally preferable buildings will help reduce the negative environmental impacts arising from building construction and renovation.