Designing for Sustainability

2. Chapter 11 Designing for Sustainability

3. Objectives • Explain the difference between sustainability and green building. • List six major sustainable design concepts and explain how they apply to residential design. • Explain the concept of building information modeling. • Describe two national certification programs for sustainable housing.

4. Sustainability vs. Green Building • Sustainability: meeting human need for food, housing, other needs and wants, without using up nonrenewable resources, and without negatively affecting the environment • Sustainablebuilding • Green building: strives to efficiently use materials and processes, reduce pollution, and cause little damage to environment

5. Sustainability vs. Green Building • Sustainability identifies general concepts relating to green building technology and sustainable design • Many buildings being constructed using environmentally friendly practices are still in “green building” phase

6. Sustainable Design Concepts • Consider entire life cycle of the home • Design and construction stage, occupancy or use stage, and end-of-life stage • Avoid depleting (using up) natural resources • Prevent damage to the environment throughout the building’s life cycle

7. Sustainable Design Concepts • Elements of sustainable building design: • Proper site selection • Efficient placement of house on site • Use of sustainable materials and processes • Improved energy choices and use • Water conservation and protection • Low-impact or no-impact operation and maintenance • Adaptability to meet multiple purposes

8. Site Selection • Select site before home is designed • Consider impact of development on area’s ecosystem • Multiple effects no matter where building is placed on site • Consider amount of energy needed for building and then living on site

9. Locating the House • Determine building location and orientation on site • Use existing plants, sun and wind patterns to your advantage • Plan to pave as little of site as possible

10. Locating the House • Choosing a proper site. (Nejron Photo/Shutterstock.com)

11. Architecture Green • Aluminum: A sustainable material • 100% recyclable • Can be recycled over and over • A simple process that saves energy • If placed in a landfill, aluminum items may take hundreds of years to decompose • Recycled aluminum items often used in the home

12. Designing a Sustainable Home • Design stage critical to long-term sustainability • Choose materials and building processes that minimize impact on environment • Reclaimed or recycled building materials • Reduce or eliminate use of toxic substances

13. Reclaimed and Recycled Building Materials • Reclaiming involves salvaging materials from buildings being torn down and other sources • Recycling involves using materials made of recycled materials and recycling the homes materials at the end of its useful life • For example, flyash used to make concrete

14. Toxic Substances to Avoid • Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) • Creates dioxins during production and disposal • Dioxins and heavy metals known as persistent bioaccumulativetoxicants(PBTs) • Relatively green alternatives available • Volatileorganiccompounds (VOCs) • Semi-volatileorganiccompounds (SVOCs) • Pressure-treated lumber

15. Greenwashing • Green building popularity leads manufacturers to make false claims about products being green or environmentally friendly • Known as greenwashing • Read labels carefully, research products or ingredients before purchasing

16. Energy Choices • Netzeroenergybuildings rely on renewable energy sources, avoid nonrenewableenergysources • Renewable energy includes solarenergy, geothermalenergy, and energy efficient techniques such as weatherization, daylighting, solarharvesting

17. Energy Choices • Weatherize door and window openings. (LesPalenik/Shutterstock.com)

18. Water Conservation and Protection • There is a fixed amount of water on Earth • Fresh water supplies are in demand • To conserve and protect fresh water supplies: • Use water-efficient plumbing fixtures such as low-flow toilets • Install irrigation systems that use graywater

19. Operation and Maintenance • Low-cost design ideas that increase sustainably over the lifetime of the home • Install only ENERGY STAR appliances • Use water-efficient landscaping methods, such as xeriscaping and irrigation systems • Do not overwater

20. Adaptability • Homes are sometimes no longer needed or wanted • Flexible structures can be repurposed • Design homes to meet ADA standards • Use movable walls • Some homes must be torn down • During original design stage, use recyclable or reusable materials

21. Building Information Modeling (BIM) • Building Information Modeling, or BIM, is process that utilizes software tools to streamline building design, analysis, management • Provides a way of looking at building projects that includes design, construction, and also managing the building throughout life cycle

22. Green Home Certifications • Several national organizations and associations offer certification that a home meets specific “green” standards • Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) • National Green Building Certification Program • ENERGY STAR

23. LEED for Homes Program • In 2000, US Green Building Council (USGBC) developed certification program called LEED Green Building Rating System • LEED for Homes rates buildings on different factors to achieve a “whole-building approach” to sustainability

24. LEED for Homes Program • First page of LEED for Homes Simplified Project Checklist. (US Green Building Council)

25. National Green Building Certification Program • Offered by Research Center at the National Association of Homebuilders (NAHB) • Approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI)