Green Development Chapter 6: Building Design Lecture Notes

6 basic elements of a green building: 1. Designed to fit the site The site informs the design of the building Solar access, vegetation, soils, topography, hydrology, other on-site energy production potential (wind, micro-hyrdo, biomass) 2. Designed to foster community Human scale development Gathering spaces, welcoming spaces, hanging out spaces 3. Design for resource efficiency Building materials Water resources Energy resources 4. Design for healthful indoor environment Good quality air and good ventilation rates Good lighting Good thermal comfort Good acoustics 5. Design for adaptability How can the building be modified to accommodate future needs 6. Design for durability and easy maintenance Life-cycle considerations Overcoming barriers and seeking opportunities in design Characteristics of green building materials: Locally produced (extracted, harvested, manufactured) 500 mile radius of project site Have high recycled content (pre-consumer and post-consumer content) Are highly recyclable (scrap and reuse of the material for another purpose) Perform as well as or better than conventional materials Availability of green materials: getting easier (specialty dealers, big-box home improvement stores, on-line options)

Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ)

Resource Mapping Example pg 183

Green Building Materials and Eco-labels (ecolabeling) How to determine if a material is green? Turn to independent, 3rd party reviewers such as:

First-party certification equates to a self-declaration. This type of certification is not based on verification by independent third parties. The

rigor and credibility of such claims, therefore, is less certain than claims that have been independently certified.

Second-party certification means that an industry, trade or special

interest group that gains revenue from the sale of certified products, has critical involvement in the certification, either through administration of

the certification program, verification of the claims or creation of the standards and methods. Second-party certifications are very common and

often portrayed as third-party.

Third-party certification refers to certification programs in which all

aspects of the certification program, from claims verification and standard design to administration of the program, are conducted and run by an

independent body whose only ties to manufacturer or industry are fees for assessment services.

1. Green Seal Go to this website http://www.greenseal.org/ and look under find green seal products & services Look for this logo on products:

2. Design for the Environment Go to this website http://www.epa.gov/dfe/ Look for this logo on products:

3. Greenguard Environmental Institute Go to this website http://www.greenguard.org Look for this logo on products:

4. Carpet and Rug Institute Go to this website http://www.carpet-rug.org/ Look for this logo on products:

EPA Comprehensive Procurement Guidelines http://www.epa.gov/osw/conserve/tools/cpg/products/index.htm#construct Modeling for energy usage: Todays design software allows for the modeling (predicting) of energy usage based on certain design parameters. As you make design changes (Insulation, orientation of the building, windows (glazing), landscaping, etc.) the software calculates impacts to energy performance. Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) A construct comprised concerned with: 1. Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) a. Good quality air (proper humidity, low particulates, low odor, low chemical content) b. The correct volume of air being delivered into the breathing zone (where your head is standing and/or sitting) c. Removal of carbon dioxide and other pollutants from used or stale air 2. Thermal comfort 3. Lighting comfort 4. Acoustic comfort

Getting the IEQ correct, and measuring it, can be a difficult process due to: a. individual preferences (not everyone likes the same temp or air delivery rates) b. other aspects of building design (may restrict air flow, for example) c. location of the building d. primary function of the building (may have other non-human needs as design drivers) e. humans interfere with set controls Getting IEQ right, and identifying/quantifying the human benefits associated with good IEQ, will be the main driver of the future of green building. Recall the graph from page 18 showing the highest costs/square foot being associated with humans. Here is a breakdown of potential financial benefits associated with green buildings. Note where the value is.

The Lawrence Berkeley National Lab estimates dollar values in the $10 13 billion range associated with improvements to occupant health associated with improvements in IEQ.

70-78% of the total

financial benefit

lies within the

human resource

component