Posts Tagged ‘sustainable site development’
Posted on March 3, 2009 - by admin
Sustainable Building | What is LEED?
Sustainable Building | What is LEED?
By: Kristin Harding
The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED as it is commonly called, was established by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) to develop a rating system for green building. It is the measure for design, construction and operation of green buildings. LEED advocates sustainability through a whole-building approach in 5 areas of performance in human and environmental health. Those 5 areas are:
• Energy efficiency
• Sustainable site development
• Water savings
• Materials selection
• Quality of indoor environment
The rating system is tailored to each project and coincides with LEED specific programs. A handful of these programs are New Construction, Existing Buildings, Commercial Interiors, Core and Shell, Homes, Neighborhood Development and Schools. The rating system fosters global endorsement of sustainable green building and improvement through the “creation and implementation of universally understood and accepted tools and performance criteria.” The criterion is developed by leaders in their specific industry and ranked in 4 levels of certification; in ascending order those levels are: certified, silver, gold and platinum. These LEED certifications are directly related to the number of credits earned in each of the 5 performance categories listed above. Currently, the LEED standards are applicable to new commercial construction, major renovation, interior projects and existing structure operation. However, standards are being developed to include construction for commercial core and shell, neighborhood development and new homes.
The members of the USGBC recently approved a revision to the LEED rating system that will be effective in March. This update, known as LEED 2009, hopes to bring about more consistency within the family of LEED rating systems, more focus on energy and climate issues through the use of more scientific benchmarks and an evaluation of building technology. The point system for all LEED programs will consist of 100 points with a possible 10 point “bonus.” Previously the system was based on 64 points with a potential for 5 bonus points. A sliding scale was created to earn marks for optimizing energy efficiency, with a maximum of 19 points, as compared to the former maximum of 10 points. With changes like this you can see that the projects hoping to be LEED certified will need to have a much heavier focus on energy performance. Some of the other changes reflected in the LEED 2009 rating system are:
• 20% reduction in water-use is now mandatory for certification; previously you would have earned 1 point for water-use reduction.
• The “Sustainable Sites” category will contribute to almost 24% of the maximum score, this is about 4% higher from the old rating system.
• LEED 2009 offers bonus points to those that put an emphasis on their regional environmental goals (to be published in March).
• The “Energy and Atmosphere” category now makes up nearly 32% of the total score; formerly it was approximately 25%.
• Access to public transportation earns 6 points as opposed to 1 point prior to the revisions.
I would venture to believe that USGBC anticipates applicants to shine their spotlights on energy use and renewable energy sources – as that has been a driving force as of late.
Some of you reading this may already know that it’s not easy being green (thanks Kermit) and in order to obtain LEED certification you have to put yourself to the test through the USGBC’s certification process. The USGBC’s website has a multitude of information about the process, helpful documents and guides, a listing of professionals that are LEED accredited and schedules for LEED training workshops and conferences. The certification is performed by a third-party who will evaluate the building to ensure that it meets the highest standards of sustainability. If you’re uncertain as to whether or not your building has the potential to be LEED certified, take a moment to review the LEED checklist.
Going through this process has incredible rewards not only for the environment but from a financial standpoint. When your building is LEED certified you qualify for special tax rebates, zoning allowances and benefits in hundreds of other cities. The federal economic stimulus package also provides existing buildings the opportunity to take advantage of these benefits by properly retrofitting current equipment and structures. As you can see, LEED is the yardstick by which the green building industry is measured through its efforts to champion environmental friendliness and efficient use of energy. In my final installment of this series I’ll discuss how sustainable building should stay afloat amidst the economic downturn – yes some industries will thrive during this and I believe sustainability is just now gaining popularity. Until our next discussion, go green!
Posted on March 3, 2009 - by admin
Sustainable Building | What Makes a Green Building Green?
Sustainable Building | What Makes a Green Building Green?
By: Kristin Harding
The first installment of this series was about sustainable building pertaining to the financial benefits and potential profits involved with building green. In this second installment, I want to discuss some of the basic elements of green building. Some people believe that it takes a cornucopia of materials and structure to deem your building green, others believe that it takes very little – use this wood and these windows and you’re done. With that being said, join me as we delve into some of the core principles behind sustainable building.
Site Location
The initial thought should be focused on the site location. We’ve all heard the saying in real estate, “location, location, location!” That phrase is also true with sustainable buildings. However, what makes the proper location with green buildings is different. While the location is important, the other key factors are the potential to rehabilitate or recycle an existing building if you make the decision to not start from the ground up. In conjunction with the site location, orientation and landscaping play important roles as they both have an impact on the surrounding ecosystems, modes of transportation and energy use. Smart, forward thinking is paramount in the development phase of sustainable and whole building design. Think about your growth potential, take into account your security requirements, access roads, lighting and parking parameters – because if these elements (and many others) are not integrated at the initial stage of site design, the integrity of your project could be adversely affected. The point is to achieve optimal results that will create a beautiful, intelligent and truly sustainable design.
Responsible Use of Energy
Our next principle, the efficient use of energy, is a big one and the driving force for those who want to go green. Did you know that 76% of all the electricity produced by power plants in the United Stated are allotted to the building sector? Additionally, it also accounts for 38% of carbon dioxide – a main greenhouse gas that affects changes in our climate – 49% of sulfur dioxide and 25% of nitrogen oxides that are found floating in our air. Not to mention that most of this energy is generated from non-renewable, fossil fuel resources. This should be a major concern as the United States’ supply of fossil fuel is rapidly declining. With so many issues surrounding energy use, let’s be thankful for those that thought of the alternatives to consuming energy in a responsible manner. Your design should look to utilize renewable sources like, passive solar heating, natural lighting and photovoltaics. Next, think about proper HVAC and lighting systems that will reduce the energy load by utilizing components that are climate-responsive. Federal regulation codes provide you with the requirements for these types of systems that are more energy efficient. Additionally, the use of sensors can assist in regulating loads based on the number of occupants in the building and the availability of natural resources based on the time of day. I also think that while we can implement these tools to help conserve our energy use, wouldn’t it be even better to monitor the efficiency and savings? As part of your design plan, devise a program to track the use of your systems and contrast them to equipment that is similar in size and scope but less energy efficient.
Water Conservation
By reducing water consumption and improving quality you have hit one of your goals in sustainable design. A key concept of water conservation is to elevate your dependence on water that is collected, used, purified and recycled on the premises. There are several ways to conserve water and its quality.
• Use of indigenous plants in your landscape design that can tolerate the native soil and precipitation.
• Installment of water-efficient plumbing like toilets, urinals and faucets; caulking around pipes and plumbing fixtures.
• Utilize water catchment basins and cooling towers.
• Protect water quality by using non-toxic cleaning products, eliminate the use of materials that are lead-pollutants and install water runoff filtration systems.
• Use groundwater, greywater and roof water for tasks on-site.
The Use of Environmentally Friendly products
The idea behind sustainable/green building is to look at the impact over the course of a life cycle, by using environmentally friendly materials. Part of this investigation is the research involved in a life cycle assessment (LCA). As I mentioned in the site location portion of this installment, the ability to rehabilitate an existing building is preferable. If this option is not feasible, try revitalizing existing equipment, materials and furniture. There are other resources like ATHENA, which approaches sustainability through LCA. They also have a great “EcoCalculator” that will give you a non-biased comparison of common building assemblies. When considering materials, maximize the recycled content of new materials and omit the use of materials that are toxic during the manufacturing process and utilization. Lastly, plan an initiative to recycle as much as you can during the construction or rehabilitation phase and reduce the amount of waste on the construction site that could negatively impact the environment.
Happy and Healthy Indoor Environment
By taking the sustainable building route you can rest assured that the individuals occupying the space will be happier, healthier and more productive. My first installment discussed the benefits of sustainable building and the positive impact it has on sales and employee productivity. Here are some basics that will assist you with providing a better work environment:
• Provide a quality water filtration system (please, do not provide bottled water) and customized water containers, like Sigg or Nalgene.
• Use HVAC systems that will control humidity, preventing mold and airborne bacteria; and provide proper ventilation and outdoor air where available.
• Use paint with low volatile organic compounds (VOCs) or zero-VOC.
• Make design choices that will allow people the opportunity to glance outside – aesthetics and views are important to employees, not to mention this could also provide outdoor ventilation through the use of windows.
Building Maintenance and Operation
After going through the process of creating a beautifully sustainable building the last thing you want to do is defer regular maintenance and throw the “go green” mentality out of the window. Once you have people occupy your building make sure that they understand the culture of sustainability and the importance of carrying these principles forward. Provide cleaning products that are non-toxic, implement a recycle program in your space and remind them that it takes everyone doing their part to keep the mentality alive, as I believe that this is an important aspect of maintaining the integrity of the structure. Regular maintenance, such as pest control and cleaning, should use non-toxic products. Perform frequent check-ups on the systems throughout the building and make reminders about service appointments. In general encourage practices that cover these basic concepts and welcome the opportunity to expand on them.
Now that was a crash course on the basics of what makes a green building green. To encompass the information that I’ve listed above, try and remember these core objectives of sustainable building: respect the environment around you by promoting the use of energy, water and raw materials in an efficient and environmentally friendly arenas, remember the life cycle of goods, utilize efficient systems and products that are not harmful to outdoor and indoor environments, develop methods to encourage recycling and responsibility for energy consumption and finally, focus on creating an enjoyable, aesthetically pleasing environment that is safe, habitable and productive. In my next installment we’ll look at the detailed planning process that involves sustainable building. Until next time, go green!
