Download Five Green Building Concepts

Five Green Building Concepts:
Green building takes sustainable development concepts which can then be applied to a
vast array of practices tied to building construction. In doing so they increase the
efficiency of resources—water, energy, materials and waste—while reducing the impact
the construction project has on humans, health, and the environment.
There are many building life cycles that can be managed with green building concepts in
mind, such as design, construction, operation, maintenance, and waste removal/disposal.
Green building can reduce operating costs by increasing productivity and using less water
and energy, improve health by improving indoor air quality, and reduce environmental
impacts.
Break down each building concept below:
Design
The design process focuses on taking advantage of renewable resources right from the
start. Some techniques include:
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Using sunlight through passive (use the sun without any mechanical systems, roof
overhangs to keep sun out) (convert solar energy into a usable form for things like
light, heat, cooling, etc) and photovoltaic (solar panels) options
Using green roofs and rain gardens to reduce rainwater run-off
Green Roof on a Starbucks in Austin
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Using packed gravel for parking lots instead of asphalt or concrete to enhance
replenishment of ground water
Use high-efficiency windows and insulation in walls, ceilings, and floors
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Use trees planted in front of windows to produce shade in the summer and
maximize solar rays during winter- be careful with planting trees right in front of
building signs this can hide the stores advertising; careful tree placement is
important
Use native plants in landscaping design to reduce need for water, chemicals, and
maintenance labor.
Green building design keeps a close check on the full life cycle impacts of the resources
that make up the structure. Aesthetically, the design of the building doesn’t always take
the surrounding environmental features into account.
Construction
Green building projects take building materials into account early in the process as well.
Selecting what materials to use is usually part of the designing stage as well to ensure
sustainability in the following years. Some materials used include:
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Rapidly renewable plant materials like bamboo and straw
Lumber from forests certified to be sustainably managed
Dimension stone, a natural stone or rock that has been selected and fabricated
Recycled stone and metal and other products that are non-toxic, reusable,
renewable, and/or recyclable
Use building materials from local sources to minimize energy use due to their
transportation.
Along with materials, sustainability in the construction process can also include acts such
as employing local, so that opportunities and greater well-being are fostered in the local
community.
Operation
The low operation costs of an efficiently constructed green building generate many long
term benefits aside from sustainability. These include financial and health benefits, which
can be incorporated in many ways.
Financial benefits:
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Lower energy costs from some of the design processes–mentioned above, and
including but not limited to:
o high efficiency windows and insulation
o passive solar building design
o roofs that create high solar reflectance (thereby reducing heat transfer to
the building) and high thermal emittance (when a large percentage of
absorbed/non-reflected solar energy is able to be released). These are
called ―cool roofs‖
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These designs/efficient materials reduce costs directly in
maximizing natural light, heating and cooling, thereby requiring
less electricity usage.
capitalized natural ventilation from absorption chillers
heat recovery ventilation systems to recover heat from used air and
transfer it to fresh air.
Install fluorescent lighting to use 2/3 to 3/4 less energy than incandescent
bulbs
 this lowers electricity use directly, as well as indirectly with
cooling loads
Installing highly efficiency appliances-some interesting statistics* about
appliances to note, from the National Institute of Building Sciences’
―Whole Building Design Guide―:
 Older toilets use 3.7-7 gallons per flush
 Dishwashers use 8-14 gallons per cycle
 Top-loading washers use 45 gallons/load
 A dripping faucet waste 15-21 gallons per day
 like fluorescent bulbs, high efficiency appliances will reduce
energy use directly by their efficiency and also by producing less
waste heat
Health Benefits:
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Health benefits from green building are greater than just a better natural feeling.
From the National Institute of Building Sciences’ ―Whole Building Design
Guide‖, here are some health statistics to think about (* Notes in footer)
o US EPA ranks indoor air pollution among top five environmental risks.
Unhealthy air is found in up to 30% of new and renovated buildings
o W.H.O. reports that indoor air pollution causes 14 times more deaths than
outdoor air pollution (2.8 million lives)
o of hundreds of EPA-regulated chemicals, only ozone and sulfur dioxide
are more prevalent outdoor than indoors
o 20 percent of all housing in the US has too much lead dust or chippings
(causes kidney and red blood cell damage, impairs mental and physical
development, may increase high blood pressure)
o about a quarter of the nation’s largest industrial plants and water treatment
facilities are in serious violation of pollution standards at any one time
o an estimated 7 million Americans are made sick annually by contaminated
tap water; in some rare cases this results in death
These risks can be reduced and conditions improved by following green building
concepts in:
o regulating natural air ventilation and quality
o non-toxic, natural and renewable materials
o regulated water and efficient appliances
Maintenance
Maintaining a building is important to ensuring it remains sustainable and profitable.
Like one would do with a car, as the building ages, it is important to check areas of the
building to make sure they are still at an acceptable quality level. However, the nice thing
about green building is that even though initial costs of implementation are higher, longterm maintenance is often much less of a hassle! Consider the idea of design concepts
taking into account the increased usage of natural light and temperature control services–
the more natural used, the less maintenance of and dependency on furnaces, air
conditioners, and lighting systems you will have to worry about, as they will be used less.
Reduce Waste
Waste can be reduced on several levels by taking a green approach to building. In terms
of construction, using the materials listed above helps divert waste from landfills. With
the appropriate green-building measures, waste reduction carries on to the operation of a
building as well.
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on site waste management, such as separating garbage, recycling and compost
centralized wastewater treatment systems reuse wastewater from dishwashing or
washing machines
o however these are costly and use a lot of energy–there are many smaller
steps to be taken as an alternative, such as low power showerheads,
converting wastewater to fertilizer via a biogas plant, and more
making it easy for occupants to reduce energy waste as a part of their daily
routines, such as intelligent building design to allow them enough light that
daytime lights are unnecessary, to mention one option
Ultimately, from diverting waste from landfills in the construction process, to designing
efficiently to minimize waste during operation, to ensuring on-site maintenance chooses
efficient products and processes, keeping green concepts in mind throughout all stages of
building life cycle will contribute to waste reduction.
As they are just static structures, buildings aren’t often regarded in great detail unless by
an architect, civil planner or something of the sort. However, as described by data from
the U.S. Energy Information Administration, buildings are responsible for almost half
(48%) of all annual greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S.
Source Website:
http://www.thegreenrocket.com/2008/09/11/five-green-building-concepts/