1. Arch6026 - Building Systems II (2000/2001) Energy and Environmental Systems for Green Buildings Lecture 02 - What is Green Building?

2. Contents zWhat Does It Mean? zSustainability Concepts zGreen Building Materials zGreen Cities zGreen Architects

3. "It's not easy being green." -- Kermit the Frog, 1972.

4. What Does It Mean? zIt is not easy to define ‘green building’ too! ymany factors are involved ynot a yes-or-no question yimprecise ycontext specific zOther problems yfalse claims about green design ymisunderstandings (e.g. high cost & complicated)

5. What Does It Mean? zVarious approaches ygreen building yenvironmental architecture yecological building ysustainable building zOrigins ypassive design (in ancient time) yvernacular architecture (by natural means)

6. What Does It Mean? zUnderstanding in context yit is a holistic process for building life cycle ymajor goals xminimise environmental impact xuse resource efficiently xbe ecologically sound xensure healthy environment yother aims xlow or zero emission xself-sufficiency

7. Sustainability Concepts zSustainable development y"... is development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generation to meet their own needs." zCurrent problems yit becomes something of a bandwagon phrase ymany claims are hollow rhetoric (empty words) ylack of focused actions

8. Sustainability Concepts zAvoid confusion ysustainability  environmental protection ysustainability  economic development ysustainability = major cultural change towards more sustainable ways of living and working zSustainability yability to maintain a desired condition over time ygrow within the carrying capacity of supporting ecosystems and the resource base

9. Sustainability Concepts zNeed for actions yconvert armchair rhetoric into practice yimplement green design strategies yeducate building owners, users & designers zMajor issues in HK yrole of the Government yneed for more demon projects yneed for information, education & training

10. Green Building Materials zWhat makes a product green? ymeasured by their environmental impact ylife cycle of a sustainable material yusing local materials yembodied energy x‘lifetime’ energy requirement of a material xenergy input required to quarry, transport and manufacture the material, plus the energy used in the construction process

11. Green Building Materials zDefining standards - products: ymade from environmentally attractive materials ythat are green because what isn't there (e.g. CFC) ythat reduce environmental impacts during construction, renovation, or demolition ythat reduce environmental impacts of building operation ythat contribute to a safe, healthy indoor environment

13. Green Building Materials zInformation sources ygreen product guides and databases yhandbooks zApplication ydetermine need, analyse products, evaluate performance ybalance environmental and economic performance

14. Green Cities zCity development at different scales xbuilding, locality, district, city/town, region zSustainable urban design yspatial form ymovement ydesign & development yenergy yecology yenvironmental management

15. Green Cities zBasic principles y1: Increasing local self-sufficiency y2: Human needs y3: Develop energy-efficient movement networks y4: The open space network y5: Linear concentration y6: An energy strategy y7: Water strategy

16. YOU can be a GREEN DESIGNER!

17. Green Architects zYou need to do: yeducate and persuade the client for green design ywork in an interdisciplinary team approach xgreen specialist advice may be required yestablish goals and identify green tasks yevaluate and document the performance of unconventional materials or designs xe.g. by using analytical or computing tools yspecify green materials & practices

18. Green Architects zGreen team building yovercome fragmented knowledge & practice xto meet environmental & financial goals ycooperation among designers, contractors, building owners and users xto share expertise & coordinate design efforts yintegrated approach xconsider whole building & optimise performance