Sustainable Building - Building Green

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 arena, 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!