Green Building is Growing Rapidly in Every Region of the World, According to New Report from McGraw-Hill Construction

Shanghai, China (PRWEB) September 29, 2008 -- McGraw-Hill Construction (MHC), part of The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP), today released the first-ever global look at green building market trends in a new SmartMarket Report, Global Green Building Trends: Market Growth and Perspectives from Around the World (http://construction.ecnext.com/coms2/summary_0249-294702_ITM_analytics). Key findings from the report, which covers market activity, key triggers and obstacles, and trends in renewable energy driving green building in seven regions around the world, were presented today at MHC's 2008 Green Building & Energy Efficiency International Conference (http://construction.com/events/GreenBuilding/) at the Shanghai World Financial Center.

Produced in partnership with the World Green Building Council (WorldGBC), the report is based on a survey of early market adopters in 45 countries. Major findings include:

? By 2013, 53% of responding firms expect to be largely dedicated to green building (on over 60% of projects), up from 30% today.

? The fastest growing regional green building market is Asia, where the population of firms largely dedicated to green building is expected to jump from 36% today to 73% in 2013.

? 86% of firms expect rapid or steady growth in sales and profit levels associated with green building.

? Solar power is the most common form of renewable energy in every region, used by over half (52%) of industry professionals today and expected to grow to 76% in the next five years. The most dramatic growth is expected in wind power use (57% expected in 2013, up from 20% today), followed closely by geothermal power (expected to double from 22% today to 45% in 2013).

? "The right thing to do" is the top business reason driving green building around the world. "Supporting the domestic economy" is prominent in Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East/North Africa, while "environmental regulations" are driving market activity in Asia and Europe.

"Green building has truly become a global movement," said Harvey M. Bernstein, McGraw-Hill Construction vice president of Industry Analytics, Alliances and Strategic Initiatives. "Firms around the world are awakening to the positive business, environmental and societal impacts of green building, and there is a growing need for market intelligence about global and regional trends. The level and nature of market activity varies by region, but overall we are seeing widespread growth as green becomes increasingly visible throughout the global marketplace."

"It's important to recognize that buildings and infrastructure globally contribute 40% of the green house gas emissions that are forcing climate change," said Andrew Bowerbank, World Green Building Council executive director. "This is more than what the transportation or manufacturing sectors contribute. It is critical now that industry leaders recognize current environmental opportunities in the marketplace and begin to collaborate to demonstrate effective solutions."

For more information on WorldGBC, please visit www.worldgbc.org.

To order a copy of Global Green Building Trends: Market Growth and Perspectives from Around the World (http://construction.ecnext.com/coms2/summary_0249-294702_ITM_analytics) SmartMarket Report, visit the McGraw-Hill Construction store online at http://www.analyticsstore.construction.com. Previous SmartMarket Reports also available online include Greening of Corporate America, Education Green Building, Health Care Green Building, and The Green Builder: Navigating for Success in a Down Market (pre-order for Sept. 26). In addition, McGraw-Hill Construction will release several reports at GreenBuild (booth #1410), including the first-ever 2009 Green Outlook Report, The Green Home Consumer SmartMarket Report, and Commercial and Institutional Green Buildings SmartMarket Report.

About McGraw-Hill Construction

McGraw-Hill Construction connects people, projects and products across the design and construction industry. For more than a century, the Company has remained North America's leading provider of construction project information, plans and specifications, product information, industry news, and industry trends and forecasts. In print and online, the Company offers a variety of tools, applications, and resources that easily integrate with its customers' workflows. Backed by the power of Dodge, Sweets, Architectural Record,Engineering News-Record (ENR) , GreenSource and 11 regional publications, McGraw-Hill Construction serves more than one million customers within the $4.6 trillion global construction community. To learn more, visit http://www.construction.com.

About The McGraw-Hill Companies

Founded in 1888, The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP) is a leading global information services provider meeting worldwide needs in the financial services, education and business information markets through leading brands including Standard & Poor's, McGraw-Hill Education, BusinessWeek and J.D. Power and Associates. The Corporation has more than 280 offices in 40 countries. Sales in 2007 were $6.8 billion. Additional information is available at http://www.mcgraw-hill.com.

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