GREE BUILDING

PRESENTED BY:Hector LandaetaAbdullah NamankaniMarcos Soto

Why is it important to go green now?

Energy Efficiency.Renewable Energy. Environmental benefitsSocial benefitsEconomic benefit.

Definition of Green BuildingThe Office of the Federal Environmental Executive defines green building as "the practice of 1) increasing the efficiency with which buildings and their sites use energy, water, and materials, and 2) reducing building impacts on human health and the environment, through better design, construction, operation, maintenance, and removal--the complete building life cycle.

Winner of a national green-building award, this low-maintenance house should produce as much energy as it uses

Definition Of SustainabilityThe idea of sustainability, or ecological design, is to ensure that our actions and decisions today do not inhibit the opportunities of future generations.

Ecological issues impacted by the building process Global Climate Change - the result of increased pollution in the upper atmosphere Declining sources of non-renewable fuels - and increased damage from their extraction and use Habitat Destruction & Loss of Bio-Diversity - conversion of wild lands to human developments combined with resource extraction.Toxic Pollution - the over-reliance on synthetic chemicals has many consequences that have complex interactions once released

The history of Green Building.Past:

Present:

Future:

Green Building WorldwideGermany

Canada

What is LEED?Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)

A metric for Green Building evaluating environmental performance from a whole building perspective over a buildings life cycle

Voluntary Program.

Administered by USGBC: U.S Green Building Council

Points-based; cumulative

No penalty for NOT achieving points

Green building goals established or existing industry standards referenced

Rating Systems

The Different Levels of Certification

There are four levels of Certification

LEED Certified: 26 32 pointsLEED Silver: 33 38 pointsLEED Gold: 38 51 pointsLEED Platinum: 52 69 points

How can a project can be USGBC certified?

Certification Process has four steps:

1Eligibility2Project Registration 3Certification & Documentation 4Building Certification

Why Certify?LEED certification provides independent, third-party verification that a building project meets the highest performance standards.

The LEED plaque is recognized nationwide as proof that a building is environmentally responsible, profitable, and a healthy place to live and work.

Qualify for a growing array of state and local government initiatives.

Why Certify?LEED-certified buildings: are leading the transformation of the built environment are built as designed and perform as expected. have lower operating costs and increased asset value are healthy and comfortable for their occupants reduce waste sent to landfills conserve energy and water reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions qualify for tax rebates, zoning allowances, and other incentives in hundreds of cities demonstrate an owner's commitment to environmental stewardship and social responsibility

Why do we see Green everywhere ?Global WarmingCarbon EmissionsCarbon FootprintReducing the Carbon FootprintKyoto ProtocolGreenhouse gasesEconomic v/s Environmental Issue

CostApproved minimum standards. Then, according to points awarded by the grading system obtain a level such as:Level of certification Cost to get this level

CERTIFIED (26-32points) =

TestLEED for New construction buildings as of 07/6Distribution by geography1-1920-4950-99100-199200+

Green and not green factory

The Economic Benefits of Energy Efficiency, Environmental Efficiency.Energy Efficiency Using energy more efficiently Saves operating costs on utility bills over the life of the building (30 Years) Reduces the cost per unit on manufactured goods and services Enhances resale and lease value of real estate Environmental Efficiency Reducing environmental impact Reduces waste materials and disposal costs, Reduces water usage, Reduces chemical use and disposal costs Encourages recycling and reuse of materials Develops local markets for locally produced materials- saves on transportation costs and develops economy-of-scale price reductions.

Average Savings of Green Buildings

Human Efficiency

Human Efficiency Improving indoor environment, producing healthier places to work increases productivity reduces absenteeism boosts morale and corporate loyalty reduces employee turnover Green Buildings enjoy high profile notoriety and their developers enjoy the well-deserved public perception of goodwill toward employees and the community.

Increased Productivity

Areas Perceived Value of Working in a Green building to be:

If you're going to build big in Miami, build green or don't build at all.Mayor Manny Diaz, City of Miami

FIU Green Building made by EGB at FIU

******Time and nature have sculpted your land; see this as an asset: Most importantly, use what nature has given you by working with existing topography, plants, and views. Vegetation is good, native vegetation is better: Shade, shade, shade: Your driveway, sidewalk, and paved terrace all absorb the suns rays during the day, storing it like a battery, and radiating that energy back - even at night. These hardscapes form microclimates of hot air pockets that are not only miserable for people, but take a huge toll on the cooling bill of any nearby building. At the city scale, dense collections of hardscape add up to a lot of heat (this is the urban heat island effect,) so the more you can keep Where is your water going?: Maybe youre not yet ready to capture and recycle rainwater, but any precipitation that isnt soaked up by your lawn runs straight into your citys storm water system. While this is a natural thing for water to do, it nevertheless picks up the oil, antifreeze, fertilizer, and pesticides that have accumulated in your yard or driveway, contaminating the water system and contributing towards erosion.

Reduced site disturbance Implementation :Used previously cleared land where possible Minimized grading Surrounding vegetation carefully protected

*promote green roofs which are a great way to utilize rain water and divert it from running off-site. Other rain catchment systems can be devised in the form of botanical facades, and modular permeable pavement. Water Efficient Landscaping WE Credit 1.1 GreenGrid roofs can be designed so that irrigation is not required. Drought-resistant plants can be selected or greywater systems can be directed onto the roof to irrigate. As an added benefit, runoff from the green roof is filtered by the vegetation and soil media, so this water can be used to irrigate other landscaping features without pretreatment. Water Conservation can be obtained by utilizing materials and systems that meet the following criteria:Products and systems that help reduce water consumption in buildings and conserve water in landscaped areas.

1) Water Collection and Reuse: If you hate to miss out on a great bargain, look out the window next time it storms to see what youre passing up theres no more cost effective water source than rain. In fact, if one rainstorm drops 1 inch of rain on your yard, you have just watched the equivalent of over 250 bathtubs full of water trickle by! The first step for increasing water efficiency at home is to reduce the use of drinkable water for non-consumption purposes. There are two ways to do this: collect rainwater and reuse indoor wash water. You can install cisterns above or below ground that will collect and store run-off from rooftops and other impervious surfaces; as well as from laundry machines, dishwashers, bathtubs and sinks (this is classified as grey water, meaning that it does not include human waste or sewage). These collection tanks can then serve as an on-site supply for watering your lawn and garden. Its also possible to reuse grey water indoors in toilets and for washing, but the regulations and requirements are a bit more complex than for outdoor use. Regardless, there are varying degrees of treatment and filtration that can be installed in conjunction with your cistern, depending on what you intend to use the water for.2) Irrigation 3) Indoor Water Use: The primary means of reducing indoor water use has to do with the fixtures you choose. Selecting low-flow sink and bathtub faucets, showerheads and toilets can reduce indoor water use by 30-40%. 4) Water Treatment Using Natures Tools 5) Then there is the natural water-filtering ability of plants a form of bioremediation which a number of ecologists, scientists and engineers have learned to harness for large scale filtration of contaminated water Optimize Energy Performance EA Credit 1 Green roofs have been documented to reduce energy demand by more than 50% annually in certain types of structures. Reduced demand and increased efficiency may also lead to smaller cooling systems and lower capital costs. Energy Efficiency can be maximized by utilizing materials and systems that meet the following criteria:Materials, components, and systems that help reduce energy consumption in buildings and facilities.

*Keep Cooling and Staying WarmTake advantage of your site The USGBCs residential program doesnt establish requirements for site orientation because every homeowner has a unique building and site. However, the relationship of your home to the sun and wind is paramount in maximizing thermal efficiency. Situating your home (and your rooms, doors and windows) in a way that makes maximum use of sun-paths and wind patterns is called Passive Design, because it allows your house to function without active mechanical heating and cooling. Passive Design is the best and most-obvious way to start a green building, because it improves ventilation, its more comfortable than living with constant heating and air-conditioning, it significantly reduces electricity bills, and it reduces greenhouse gas emissions from heating, cooling, mechanical ventilation and lighting.

More than views pass through windows Your windows can be engineered to block heat in the summer and cold in the winter. Windows let in not only visible light, but infrared and ultraviolet light as well. These forms of radiation hit interior objects and raise their ambient temperature such as your napping cat, for example. Nowadays, most windows have a factory-applied coating, but you can also pick up IR and UV blocking tints at your local home improvement store. If youre purchasing windows, be sure to take note of the U-value, which is a measure of how much heat makes it through an assembly (as opposed to an R-value, which is a measure of resistance.) The lower the U-value of your windows, the more insulation they provide.

Insulate! Aside from taxes and legal documents, there are few subjects that might cause your eyes to glaze over faster than insulation. Its just the stuff that goes in the wall, right? Well, theres a lot to be gained both in comfort and money by a little extra knowledge of the subject. Every material has a specific ability to resist heat traveling through it; this is its R-value. Higher value = better insulation

Air Conditioning & Machine Efficiency What is a green building product or material? Green building materials are composed of renewable, rather than nonrenewable resources. Green materials are environmentally responsible because impacts are considered over the life of the product (Spiegel and Meadows, 1999). Depending upon project-specific goals, an assessment of green materials may involve an evaluation of one or more of the criteria listed below.

Resource Efficiency can be accomplished by utilizing materials that meet the following criteria: Recycled Content: Products with identifiable recycled content, including postindustrial content with a preference for postconsumer content. Natural, plentiful or renewable: Materials harvested from sustainably managed sources and preferably have an independent certification (e.g., certified wood) and are certified by an independent third party. Resource efficient manufacturing process: Products manufactured with resource-efficient processes including reducing energy consumption, minimizing waste (recycled, recyclable and or source reduced product packaging), and reducing greenhouse gases. Locally available: Building materials, components, and systems found locally or regionally saving energy and resources in transportation to the project site. Salvaged, refurbished, or remanufactured: Includes saving a material from disposal and renovating, repairing, restoring, or generally improving the appearance, performance, quality, functionality, or value of a product. Reusable or recyclable: Select materials that can be easily dismantled and reused or recycled at the end of their useful life. Recycled or recyclable product packaging: Products enclosed in recycled content or recyclable packaging. Durable: Materials that are longer lasting or are comparable to conventional products with long life expectancies.

1) Use Low- or classified Zero-VOC paints, wood finishes, adhesives, and caulks. Even if youre the master of DIY home projects, and you craft a beautiful dining room table with the eco-friendliest wood, choosing conventional paints, adhesives and finishes means that your final touches taint the entire effort by emitting harmful gases. These volatile organic compounds (VOCs) seep into the air in your home or mix with outdoor pollutants to create ground level ozone (smog). Well be talking more about the air-quality aspects of VOCs later in the series, but for now, its good to know how to avoid slathering toxins on your walls, floors and furniture. When you shop around, youll see labels indicating Low-VOC and zero-VOC paints, meaning they contain a reduced number of grams of VOC per liter (under 150 grams for low-VOC and under 5 for zero-VOC).

2) Re-Use, Recycle, Use Rapidly Renewable, and choose Third Party Certified Products.We put a lot of emphasis on the Rs in last weeks installment. In areas that call for conventional plywood or finished materials, such as cabinets, trim, doors, shelving and window frames, you want to be certain your products didnt come from clearcut virgin forests. As it turns out, reclaimed lumber is often higher quality than new lumber, and grasses such as bamboo and straw (the stalk of wheat, rice, and barley) make a great MDF (medium density fiberboard) alternative for the cabinetry and built-ins; bamboo can be harvested in 3-5 years, and straw-based MDF is derived from an annually renewable waste product.

4) Cover Your Surfaces Wisely, From the Inside Out.For countertops and backsplash, you can utilize recycled content tile, such as Sandhill Industries and Vetrazzo, which contain up to 70% recycled glass and other materials. There are also a number of cementicious countertops available with recycled and post-industrial by-products.

Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) is enhanced by utilizing materials that meet the following criteria:Low or non-toxic: Materials that emit few or no carcinogens, reproductive toxicants, or irritants as demonstrated by the manufacturer through appropriate testing. Minimal chemical emissions: Products that have minimal emissions of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). Products that also maximize resource and energy efficiency while reducing chemical emissions. Low-VOC assembly: Materials installed with minimal VOC-producing compounds, or no-VOC mechanical attachment methods and minimal hazards. Moisture resistant: Products and systems that resist moisture or inhibit the growth of biological contaminants in buildings. Healthfully maintained: Materials, components, and systems that require only simple, non-toxic, or low-VOC methods of cleaning. Systems or equipment: Products that promote healthy IAQ by identifying indoor air pollutants or enhancing the air quality.

Daylight & Views: Provide Daylight for 75% of occupied spaces and exterior views for 90% of occupied spaces.

Implementation:

Long-thin, south-facing footprint Interior & Exterior light shelves Offices and cores arranged perpendicular facade

2) Help buildings breathe better. Spaces that are closed up like hermetically sealed boxes can cause pollutants to accumulate to levels that can pose health and comfort problems and contribute to Sick Building Syndrome. Instead, naturally ventilate spaces as much as possible without compromising reasonable humidity levels. Variations in temperature are also important spaces kept at a constant temperature do not mimic our natural internal fluctuations, and can cause a sense of malaise. *******