Green Building Basics 101
Green Building refers to a comprehensive approach to designing, constructing and renovating buildings that prioritizes human and environmental health, while also taking into account aesthetics, comfort, economics, and performance on multiple levels.
Process
Elements of Green Building
Economic Impact of Green Building
Environmental Impact of Conventional Building
Process
Green building begins with an Integrated Design Process. Unlike a conventional design process, where architects, engineers, designers, builders, and owners fulfill their roles in isolation from one another, Integrated Design emphasizes a team approach that involves joint performance goal setting, collaboration, and creative "outside the box" solutions. This approach optimizes the potential for designs that reduce costs, maximize efficiency, comfort, and functionality and minimize the negative impacts of construction on public health and the environment.
Elements of Green Building
Green Building is essentially about recognizing and better understanding the relationship building design has with the environment, and building occupants; and then ensuring that design maximizes human and environmental health. Though the green building knowledge base is vast, knowing a little about the following five topics will give you a decent understanding of green building.
Site Selection - a building's orientation to the sun, wind, and weather can significantly alter building energy use. Treating building sites with care can help improve or restore stressed eco-systems, improve drainage and quality of life for building occupants.
Energy Efficiency - The construction and operation of buildings accounts for 37% of all energy use and 68% of all electricity demand in the United States. By properly insulating and sealing homes, installing energy efficient heating, cooling, hot water systems, and appliances, and taking advantage of renewable energy sources like solar, wind, and geothermal we can dramatically reduce the buildings' impact on the environment including reducing buildings' contribution to global warming.
Water Conservation - Over 12% of our fresh water supply is consumed in buildings. By installing water saving faucets, toilets, and showerheads and by capturing and using rainwater and "grey" water from our roofs and tubs, we can significantly reduce our demand for fresh water.
Materials and Resources - Construction, both new and renovation, consumes large quantities of materials. Green building carefully considers the environmental impact of building materials. What is the product made of? Does it contain harmful or toxic chemicals? Does the product contain recycled content or can it be easily recycled? Can the product be harvested at a sustainable rate? These are some of the critical questions green builders must ask before choosing building materials.
Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) - Students perform better, workers are more productive, and occupants are generally happier and healthier in buildings with superior indoor environmental quality (IEQ). IEQ primarily considers daylight, air quality, and views (to the outside).
Economic Impact of Green Building
A recent research study estimated the value of the U.S. green building materials market at $21.1 billion in 2005, and projected that figure would rise to $21.9 billion in 2006 and to $27.9 billion by 2011.
The United States Green Building Council's LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating system reported over 80 million square feet of construction projects seeking LEED certification in 2002. By 2006 that figure had jumped to 642 million square feet.
Environmental Impact of Conventional Building
- The construction and operation of buildings accounts for 37% of all energy use and 68% of all electricity demand in the United States.
- Over 12% of our fresh water supply is consumed in buildings.
Over 65% of solid waste generated in the United States originates in buildings.
- Global warming, a problem long tied to automobiles, is increasingly linked to building operation. In fact, buildings are linked to an estimated 30-50% of green house gas emissions.
