Sustainability Green Building ARCH 330 Fall 2008

5 % of the world’s population uses 25% of the worlds energy

“Sustainability” has been defined by the Brundtland Commission, 1987, as “meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

In spite of our best efforts, the US Economy as a whole is massively inefficient. Only six percent of materials actually end up in products. Total waste in the United States, excluding wastewater now exceeds 50 trillion pounds per year.

Impact of the built environment 40% of the world’s energy 25% of the timber harvested 16% of the fresh water used 50% ozone depleting CFC’s 30% of raw materials used 35% of CO 2 emissions 40% of landfill waste

Environmental Impact of Buildings 60% of total annual electricity consumption 30-40% of wood and materials use 25% of water use 20-30% of municipal solid waste stream 25% of greenhouse gas emissions

In global markets, US Companies can no longer assume that the US sets environmental standards. Europe has become the leader, passing tough laws for a wide range of products, including chemicals, automobiles, electronics, tools and cosmetics. All automobiles and electronics either manufactured in or sold in Europe must be taken back by the manufacturer at their end of life.

The old decision model is based on a balance between cost, schedule and quality. However, designers also need to become equally familiar with the effect their decisions have on the environment and human health.

The amount of material that is “metabolized” by buildings and their supportive infrastructure surpasses automobiles, food and energy together. In fact, buildings are the largest users of energy.

What does that mean? It means making buildings and infrastructure that use land, material, energy, and water resources efficiently; that improve the health of ecosystems; and that address health issues relating to the indoor environment.

Global Goals Waste Nothing Adapt to Place Fit Form to Function Use “Free” Resources Renewable energy, local source Optimize Rather Than Maximize Reduce reliance on mechanical systems Create a Livable Environment

Shift in Perceptions Did you know…. If every household in the United States replaced one 100-watt incandescent light bulb with an ENERGY Star qualified compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL), it would prevent enough pollution to equal the removal of one million cars from the road, while providing savings of $30 in energy cost over the life of each CFL bulb. If each residence in America changed out five of their bulbs at their home they could save 20 power plants.

To start a sustainable way of life we need to stop consuming the Earth’s non-renewable resources as if there were no tomorrow ! Because: Tomorrow IS HERE !

Design Control - Can you be a little bit pregnant?

What is a sustainable building? Uses key resources more efficiently – energy, water, materials and land Reduces ecological loading – greenhouse gases, ozone-depleting substances, wastes Creates healthier environments for people to live, work and learn Has lower overall lifecycle costs

Green Building “An integrated framework of design, construction, operations, and demolition practices that encompass the environmental, economic, and social impacts of buildings.” “Building practices recognizing the interdependence of the natural and built environment and seek to minimize the use of energy, water, and other natural resources while providing a healthy and productive indoor environment.”

What Makes a Building Green? A green building, also known as a sustainable building, is a structure that is designed, built, renovated, operated, or reused in an ecological and resource-efficient manner. Green buildings are designed to meet certain objectives such as protecting occupant health; improving employee productivity; using energy, water, and other resources more efficiently; and reducing the overall impact to the environment.

Green building is the practice of increasing the efficiency with which buildings use resources — energy, water, and materials — while reducing building impacts on human health and the environment, through better siting, design, construction, operation, maintenance, and removal — the complete building life cycle. energywatermaterialsthe environmentdesignconstruction

Why Be Green? 90% of our time is spent indoors. Worldwide, buildings consume nearly 40% of the world's energy, 25% of its wood, and 15% of its water. 40% of landfill debris is from building construction alone. Humans use 95 tons of coal, 40,000 gallons of oil and 3 million cubic feet of natural gas every second of every day.

Green Building Whole-house approach to viewing building systems and components to achieve human, environmental, and technical goals. Reduce energy use. Improve indoor air quality. Responsible efficient use of land. Reduce construction material waste. Minimize water usage.

Green Building Sustainable Durable/Adaptable Building beyond the codes Build for the occupant Whole systems approach

Barriers to Green Codes Education Cost Products not available Breaking tradition

Reasons to build green “Building to code means that if a building were designed any worse it would be against the law.” Randy Croxton, Architect

What Makes a Product Green? Contains recycled or salvaged content Preserves natural resources Avoids toxic or other emissions Reduces construction impact Saves water or energy Promotes healthy indoor environments

LEED has 6 categories – Sustainable Sites: erosion control, site selection, alternative transportation, and heat island effect. – Water Efficiency: water efficient landscaping and indoor water use reduction. – Energy & Atmosphere: commissioning, energy performance, renewable energy, ozone depletion, measurement & verification. – Materials & Resources: recycled content, construction waste management, and local materials. – Indoor Environmental Quality: indoor air quality, low emitting materials, thermal comfort, day-lighting and views, and controllability of systems. – Innovation & Design Process: extra credit for innovative actions not covered in the rating system

Life Cycle Costing Economic assessment of alternatives that considers all of the significant costs of ownership over the useful life expressed in equivalent dollars. initial costs financing costs operational costs

Overview What is a sustainable or “green” building? What is LEED ® ? Why build green? How much does it cost?

Areas to look at Improved insulation systems Tight construction Improved durability Penetrations HI performance windows Tight ducts Efficient water heaters Lighting efficiency Appliances Water efficiency Materials Renewable energy Manage moisture

Developing a shift in thinking Is it really green? Are current habits? Immediate impact