Buildings are large entities and, as such, they impact upon the environment in various ways.
As always, designers, builders and building owners have to seek a balance between often conflicting considerations, appearance, comfort, ease of construction, maintenance costs, capital costs etc. Now, environmental impact is an added variable. However, it has been shown that if environmental considerations are included early in the design process, it is possible to incorporate them without incurring additional costs. Environmental factors 2. Needs of occupants of dwellings 4.