We spend more and more of our lives inside buildings. Their construction and operation have involved enormous impacts on our health, ecosystems, and the global climate. External costs from buildings arise from energy use (nitrogen pollution, CCGs, and acid rain from fossil fuel burning), toxic runoff, waste water, disruption of hydrologic flows, bird mortality, and much more. Poorly designed, built, and maintained buildings are a common cause of human suffering, illness, and death. 

Building design and well-planned land use matter even more in countries where there is no power grid. Good design and careful choice of materials enable the simplest buildings to perform better. They can be warmer in winter, cooler in summer, safer in earthquakes, fires, or typhoons, and they pose less risk for mold and asthma.