Publisher Summary The building and construction industry along with government is beginning to make fundamental changes in the way infrastructure is designed, built, utilized, maintained, and renewed, in order to achieve sustained global economic growth while enhancing environmental quality. The building and construction industry needs to remove or reduce barriers to improving building and construction practices in order to support sustainable development goals. Early in this century, developments in technology began to change the path of architecture in the United States. The development of mechanical and electrical systems, combined with artificially inexpensive energy, removed the limitations of form, site, and materials that were previously necessary if a building was to be habitable. Architects no longer had to be concerned with providing natural light and air as these could be provided artificially. As the natural influences on architecture were gradually discarded, artificial energy consumption increased dramatically causing a corresponding increase in the pollution of the natural environment. This development and application of technology also changed the profession of architecture as specialists began to design and install these systems. Architects no longer had direct responsibility for environmental control and engineering consultants became responsible for providing a suitable indoor thermal and visual environment. This chapter also discusses telecommuting, which is work carried out at home or at an office close to home, where the worker has no personal contact with coworkers but is able to communicate with them and perform work-related activities using computer and communication technologies.