how to design and build an energy efficient building

8/11/2019 How to Design and Build an Energy Efficient Building

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HOW TO DESIGN AND BUILD AN ENERGY EFFICIENT BUILDING?Energy efficient buildings(new constructions or renovated existing buildings) can be

defined as buildings that are designed to provide a significant reduction of the energy

need for heating and cooling, independently of the energy and of the equipments that

will be chosen to heat or cool the building.

This can be achieved through the following elements:

1. bioclimatic architecture: shape and orientation of the building, solar protections,

passive solar systems

2. high performing building envelope: thorough insulation, high performing glazing and

windows, air-sealed construction, avoidance of thermal bridges

3. high performance controlled ventilation: mechanical insulation, heat recovery

Only when the building has been designed to minimise the energy loss, it makes sense

to start looking at the energy source (including renewable energy) and at the heating

and cooling equipments. We designate this approach as the Trias Energetica concept.

The trias Energetica Concept

Following the principles of the Trias Energetica concept we have developed the

following 5-step approach:
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Bioclimatic architecturetakes into account climate and environmental conditions to

help achieve thermal and visual comfort inside. Bioclimatic design takes into account

the local climate to make the best possible use of solar energy and other environmental

sources, rather than working against them. Bioclimatic design includes the following

principles:

The shape of the building has to be compact to reduce the surfaces in contact with

the exterior; the building and especially its openings are given an appropriate

orientation (preferably towards the south); interior spaces are laid out according to

their heating requirements ;

Appropriate techniques are applied to the external envelope and its openings to

protect the building from solar heat in winter as well as in summer; passive solar

systems collect solar radiation, acting as free heating and lighting systems; the

building is protected from the summer sun, primarily by shading but also by the

appropriate treatment of the building envelope (i.e. use of reflective colours andsurfaces).

Thermal insulationis a low-cost, widely available, proven technology that begins

saving energy and money, and reducing emissions the moment it is installed. Well

installed insulation ensuresenergy efficiencyin every part of the building envelope

including ground decks, roofs lofts, walls and facades. It is also well suited for pipes and

boilers to reduce the energy loss of a buildings technical installations. Insulation is as
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relevant in cold regions as in hot ones. In cold/cool regions, insulation keeps a building

warm and limits the need for energy for heating whereas in hot/warm regions the same

insulation systems keep the heat out and reduce the need for air conditioning.

An exterior wall is well insulated when its thermal resistance (R value) is high,

meaning the heat losses through it are small (reduced U value). Insulation is a keycomponent of the wall to achieve a high R value (or a low U value) for the complete

wall. The thermal resistance R of the installed insulation products has to be as high

as possible.

To limit the thickness of the insulation within acceptable dimensions, Saint-Gobain

Isover constantly improves the thermal conductivity of its materials (lower lambda

value) thus allowing increased thermal resistance within the same space.

Air tightnessreduces air leakage the uncontrolled flow of air through gaps and

cracks in the construction (sometimes referred to as infiltration, exfiltration or draughts).

Air leakages need to be reduced as much as possible in order to create efficient,

controllable, comfortable, healthy and durable buildings With more stringent building

regulations requiring betterenergy efficiency, air tightness is an increasingly important

issue.

Details that are vital to achieving good air tightness need to be identified at early

design stage. The next and equally important step is to ensure these details are

carried over into the construction phase. Careful attention must be paid to sealing

gaps and ensuring the continuity of the air barrier. It is far simpler to design and build

an airtight construction than to carry out remedial measures in a draughty home.

Saint-Gobain Isover has developed systems with innovative accessories that allow

appropriate installation of the insulation while guaranteeing excellent air tightness

and allowing proper moisture management (see the Vario system presentation).

Consequences of air leakages: cold outside air may be drawn into the home through

gaps in the walls, ground floor and ceiling (infiltration), resulting in cold draughts. In

some cases, infiltration can cool the surfaces of elements in the structure, leading to

condensation. Warm air leaking out through gaps in the dwellings envelope (exfiltration)

is a major cause of heat loss and, consequently, wasted energy.

Most existing buildings, even those built recently, are far from being airtight and

because of unwanted air infiltration generate huge costs to owners and occupants, in

environmental, financial and health terms.A leaky dwelling will result in higher CO2 emissions. The additional heat loss will mean

that a correctly sized heating system may not be able to meet the demand temperature.

Draughts and localised cold spots can cause discomfort. In extreme cases, excessive

infiltration may make rooms uncomfortably cold during cooler periods. Excessive air

leakage can allow damp air to penetrate the building fabric, degrading the structure and
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reducing the effectiveness of the insulation. Air leakage paths often lead to dust marks

on carpets and wall coverings that look unsightly.

Ventilationis the intended and controlled ingress and egress of air through buildings,

delivering fresh air, and exhausting stale air through purpose-built ventilators in

combination with the designed heating system and humidity control, and the fabric ofthe building itself.

If you do not insulate properly and ventilate too little, you can risk warm humid air

condensing on cold, poorly insulated surfaces which will create moisture that allows

for moulds and fungi to grow.

Acontrolled ventilationstrategy will satisfy the fresh air requirements of an airtight

building. Air infiltration or opening of the window cannot be considered an acceptable

alternative to designed ventilation.

As the saying goes: build tight, ventilate right.

Green buildingFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about sustainable construction principles. For the building on the MIT campus,

seeGreen Building (MIT).For the building in Louisville, seeThe Green Building (Louisville,

Kentucky).

US EPA Kansas City Science & Technology Center This facility features the following green

attributes:

*LEED 2.0 Gold certified

*Green Power

*Native Landscaping

Sustainable energy
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Energy conservation

Cogeneration

Energy efficiency

Heat pump

Green building

Microgeneration

Passive solar

Renewable energy

Anaerobic digestion

Geothermal

Hydroelectricity

Solar

Tidal

Wind

Sustainable transport

Carbon-neutral fuel

Electric vehicle

Green vehicle

Plug-in hybrid

Sustainable development portal

Renewable energy portal

Environment portal

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Green building(also known as green constructionor sustainable building) refers to a structureand using process that is environmentally responsible and resource-efficient throughout a building'slife-cycle: from siting to design, construction, operation, maintenance, renovation, and demolition.This requires close cooperation of the design team, the architects, the engineers, and the client at allproject stages.[1]The Green Building practice expands and complements the classical buildingdesign concerns of economy, utility, durability, and comfort.[2]
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Although new technologies are constantly being developed to complement current practices increating greener structures, the common objective is that green buildings are designed to reduce theoverall impact of the built environment on human health and the natural environment by:

Efficiently using energy, water, and other resources

Protecting occupant health and improving employee productivity

Reducing waste, pollution andenvironmental degradation[2]

A similar concept isnatural building,which is usually on a smaller scale and tends to focus on theuse ofnatural materialsthat are available locally.[3]Other related topics includesustainabledesignandgreen architecture.Sustainability may be defined as meeting the needs of presentgenerations without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs .[4]Althoughsome green building programs don't address the issue of the retrofitting existing homes, others do,especially throughpublic schemes for energy efficient refurbishment.Green construction principlescan easily be applied to retrofit work as well as new construction.

A 2009 report by the U.S. General Services Administration found 12 sustainably designed buildingscost less to operate and have excellent energy performance. In addition, occupants were moresatisfied with the overall building than those in typical commercial buildings.[5]

Contents

[hide]

1Reducing environmental impact

2Goals of green building

o 2.1Life cycle assessment (LCA)

o 2.2Siting and structure design efficiency

o 2.3Energy efficiency

o 2.4Water efficiency

o 2.5Materials efficiency

o 2.6Indoor environmental quality enhancement

o 2.7Operations and maintenance optimization

o 2.8Waste reduction

3Cost and payoff

4Regulation and operation

5International frameworks and assessment tools

6See also

o 6.1Green building by country

o 6.2General 7References

8External links

Reducing environmental impact[edit]

Green building practices aim to reduce theenvironmental impactof building. The first rule[according towhom?]is that the greenest building is the building that doesn't get built. Since construction almost
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ding#Referenceshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_building#Referenceshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_building#Referenceshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_building#External_linkshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_building#External_linkshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_building#External_linkshttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Green_building&action=edit&section=1http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Green_building&action=edit&section=1http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Green_building&action=edit&section=1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_degradationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_degradationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_degradationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Avoid_weasel_wordshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Avoid_weasel_wordshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Avoid_weasel_wordshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Avoid_weasel_wordshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Avoid_weasel_wordshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Avoid_weasel_wordshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_degradationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Green_building&action=edit&section=1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_building#External_linkshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_building#Referenceshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_building#Generalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_building#Green_building_by_countryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_building#See_alsohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_building#International_frameworks_and_assessment_toolshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_building#Regulation_and_operationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_building#Cost_and_payoffhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_building#Waste_reductionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_building#Operations_and_maintenance_optimizationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_building#Indoor_environmental_quality_enhancementhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_building#Materials_efficiencyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_building#Water_efficiencyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_building#Energy_efficiencyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_building#Siting_and_structure_design_efficiencyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_building#Life_cycle_assessment_.28LCA.29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_building#Goals_of_green_buildinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_building#Reducing_environmental_impacthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_buildinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_building#cite_note-5http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_schemes_for_energy_efficient_refurbishmenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_building#cite_note-4http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_architecturehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainable_designhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainable_designhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_building#cite_note-3http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_materialhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_buildinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_degradationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmental_degradation


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always degrades a building site, not building at all is preferable to green building, in terms ofreducing environmental impact. The second rule is that every building should be as small aspossible. The third rule is not to contribute tosprawl,even if the most energy-efficient,environmentally sound methods are used in design and construction. Urban infill sites are preferableto suburban "greenfield" sites.[citation needed]

Buildings account for a large amount of land. According to the National Resources Inventory,approximately 107 million acres (430,000 km2) of land in the United States are developed.TheInternational Energy Agencyreleased a publication that estimated that existing buildings areresponsible for more than 40% of the worlds total primary energy consumption and for 24% ofglobal carbon dioxide emissions.[6]

Goals of green building[edit]

Blu Homes mkSolaire, a green building designed byMichelle Kaufmann.

Taipei 101,the tallest and largest green building ofLEEDPlatinum certification in the world

since 2011.

The concept ofsustainable developmentcan be traced to the energy (especially fossil oil) crisis andenvironmental pollution concerns of the 1960s and 1970s.[7]The Rachel Carson book, SilentSpring,[8]published in 1962, is considered to be one of the first initial efforts to describe sustainabledevelopment as related to green building.[9]The green building movement in the U.S. originated fromthe need and desire for more energy efficient andenvironmentally friendlyconstruction practices.
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There are a number of motives for building green, including environmental, economic, and socialbenefits. However, modern sustainability initiatives call for an integrated and synergistic design toboth new construction and in theretrofittingof existing structures. Also known assustainable design,this approach integrates the building life-cycle with each green practice employed with a design-purpose to create a synergy among the practices used.

Green building brings together a vast array of practices, techniques, and skills to reduce andultimately eliminate the impacts of buildings on the environment and human health. It oftenemphasizes taking advantage ofrenewable resources,e.g., using sunlight throughpassivesolar,active solar,andphotovoltaicequipment, and using plants and trees throughgreen roofs,raingardens,and reduction of rainwater run-off. Many other techniques are used, such as using low-impact building materials or using packed gravel or permeable concrete instead of conventionalconcrete or asphalt to enhance replenishment of ground water.

While the practices or technologies employed in green building are constantly evolving and maydiffer from region to region, fundamental principles persist from which the method is derived:Sitingand Structure Design Efficiency,Energy Efficiency,Water Efficiency,Materials Efficiency,IndoorEnvironmental Quality Enhancement,Operations and Maintenance Optimization,andWaste andToxics Reduction.[10][11]The essence of green building is an optimization of one or more of theseprinciples. Also, with the proper synergistic design, individual green building technologies may work

together to produce a greater cumulative effect.

On the aesthetic side ofgreen architectureorsustainable designis the philosophy of designing abuilding that is in harmony with the natural features and resources surrounding the site. There areseveral key steps in designing sustainable buildings: specify 'green' building materials from localsources, reduce loads, optimize systems, and generate on-site renewable energy.

Life cycle assessment (LCA)[edit]

Alife cycle assessment(LCA) can help avoid a narrow outlook on environmental, social andeconomic concerns[12]by assessing a full range of impacts associated with all cradle-to-grave stagesof a process: from extraction of raw materials through materials processing, manufacture,distribution, use, repair and maintenance, and disposal or recycling. Impacts taken into accountinclude (among others) embodied energy,global warmingpotential, resource use, air pollution,

water pollution, and waste.

In terms of green building, the last few years have seen a shift away from aprescriptiveapproach,which assumes that certain prescribed practices are better for the environment, toward the scientificevaluation of actual performance through LCA.

Although LCA is widely recognized as the best way to evaluate the environmental impacts ofbuildings (ISO 14040 provides a recognized LCA methodology), it is not yet a consistent requirementof green building rating systems and codes, despite the fact that embodied energy and other lifecycle impacts are critical to the design of environmentally responsible buildings.

In North America, LCA is rewarded to some extent in the Green Globes rating system, and is partof the new American National Standard based on Green Globes,ANSI/GBI 01-2010: Green BuildingProtocol for Commercial Buildings. LCA is also included as a pilot credit in the LEED system, though

a decision has not been made as to whether it will be incorporated fully into the next major revision.The state of California also included LCA as a voluntary measure in its 2010 draft Green BuildingStandards Code.

Although LCA is often perceived as overly complex and time consuming for regular use by designprofessionals, research organizations such as BRE in the UK and the Athena Sustainable MaterialsInstitute in North America are working to make it more accessible.

In the UK, the BRE Green Guide to Specificationsoffers ratings for 1,500 building materials basedon LCA.
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In North America, the ATHENA EcoCalculator for Assembliesprovides LCA results for severalhundred common building assembles based on data generated by its more complex parentsoftware, the ATHENA Impact Estimator for Buildings. (The EcoCalculator is available free atwww.athenasmi.org.) Athena software tools are especially useful early in the design process whenmaterial choices have far-reaching implications for overall environmental impact. They allowdesigners to experiment with different material mixes to achieve the most effective combination.

Siting and structure design efficiency[edit]See also:Sustainable design

The foundation of any construction project is rooted in the concept and design stages. The conceptstage, in fact, is one of the major steps in a project life cycle, as it has the largest impact on cost andperformance.[13]In designing environmentally optimal buildings, the objective is to minimize the totalenvironmental impact associated with all life-cycle stages of the building project. However, buildingas a process is not as streamlined as an industrial process, and varies from one building to theother, never repeating itself identically. In addition, buildings are much more complex products,composed of a multitude of materials and components each constituting various design variables tobe decided at the design stage. A variation of every design variable may affect the environmentduring all the building's relevant life-cycle stages.[14]

Energy efficiency[edit]Main articles:Low-energy houseandZero-energy building

An eco-house atFindhorn Ecovillagewith a turf roof andsolar panels

Green buildings often include measures to reduce energy consumptionboth the embodied energyrequired to extract, process, transport and install building materials and operating energy to provideservices such as heating and power for equipment.

As high-performance buildings use less operating energy, embodied energy has assumed muchgreater importanceand may make up as much as 30% of the overall life cycle energyconsumption. Studies such as the U.S. LCI Database Project[15]show buildings built primarily withwood will have a lower embodied energy than those built primarily with brick, concrete, or steel .[16]

To reduce operating energy use, designers use details that reduce air leakage through the buildingenvelope (the barrier between conditioned and unconditioned space). They also specify high-performance windows and extra insulation in walls, ceilings, and floors. Another strategy,passivesolar building design,is often implemented in low-energy homes. Designers orient windows andwalls and place awnings, porches, and trees[17]to shade windows and roofs during the summerwhile maximizing solar gain in the winter. In addition, effective window placement (daylighting)canprovide more natural light and lessen the need for electric lighting during the day.Solar waterheatingfurther reduces energy costs.
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Onsite generation ofrenewable energythroughsolar power,wind power,hydro power,orbiomasscan significantly reduce the environmental impact of the building. Power generation isgenerally the most expensive feature to add to a building.

Water efficiency[edit]See also:Water conservation

Reducing water consumption and protecting water quality are key objectives in sustainable building.One critical issue of water consumption is that in many areas, the demands on the supplying aquiferexceed its ability to replenish itself. To the maximum extent feasible, facilities should increase theirdependence on water that is collected, used, purified, and reused on-site. The protection andconservation of water throughout the life of a building may be accomplished by designing for dualplumbing that recycles water in toilet flushing or by using water for washing of the cars. Waste-watermay be minimized by utilizing water conserving fixtures such as ultra-low flush toilets and low-flowshower heads. Bidets help eliminate the use of toilet paper, reducing sewer traffic and increasingpossibilities of re-using water on-site.Point of use water treatmentand heating improves both waterquality and energy efficiency while reducing the amount of water in circulation. The use of non-sewage andgreywaterfor on-site use such as site-irrigation will minimize demands on the localaquifer.[18]

Large commercial buildings with water and energy efficiency can qualify for an LEEDCertification.Philadelphia's Comcast Centeris the tallest building in Philadelphia. It's also one of thetallest buildings in the USA that is LEED Certified. Their environmental engineering consists of ahybrid central chilled water system which cools floor-by-floor with steam instead of water.Burn'sMechanicalset-up the entire renovation of the 58 story, 1.4 million square foot sky scraper. It's thepride of Philadelphia's eco-movement.

Materials efficiency[edit]See also:Sustainable architecture

Building materials typically considered to be 'green' include lumber from forests that have beencertified to a third-party forest standard, rapidly renewable plant materials like bamboo andstraw,dimension stone,recycled stone, recycled metal (see:copper sustainability and recyclability),and other products that are non-toxic, reusable, renewable, and/or recyclable (e.g.,Trass,Linoleum,sheep wool, panels made from paper flakes,compressed earth block,adobe, baked earth, rammedearth, clay, vermiculite, flax linen, sisal, seagrass, cork, expanded clay grains, coconut, wood fibreplates, calcium sand stone,concrete(high and ultra high performance, roman self-healingconcrete[19]), etc.[20][21])The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) also suggests using recycledindustrial goods, such as coal combustion products, foundry sand, and demolition debris inconstruction projects[22]Building materials should be extracted and manufactured locally to thebuilding site to minimize the energy embedded in their transportation. Where possible, buildingelements should be manufactured off-site and delivered to site, to maximise benefits of off-sitemanufacture including minimising waste, maximising recycling (because manufacture is in onelocation), high quality elements, better OHS management, less noise and dust. Energy efficientbuilding materials and appliances are promoted in the United States throughenergy rebate

programs,which are increasingly communicated to consumers through energy rebate databaseservices such asGreenOhm.[23]

Indoor environmental quality enhancement[edit]See also:Indoor Air Quality

The Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) category in LEED standards, one of the five environmentalcategories, was created to provide comfort, well-being, and productivity of occupants. The LEED
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IEQ category addresses design and construction guidelines especially: indoor air quality (IAQ),thermal quality, and lighting quality.[24][25][26]

Indoor Air Qualityseeks to reducevolatile organic compounds,or VOCs, and other air impuritiessuch as microbial contaminants. Buildings rely on a properly designed ventilation system(passively/naturally or mechanically powered) to provide adequate ventilation of cleaner air fromoutdoors or recirculated, filtered air as well as isolated operations (kitchens, dry cleaners, etc.) fromother occupancies. During the design and construction process choosing construction materials andinterior finish products with zero or low VOC emissions will improve IAQ. Most building materials andcleaning/maintenance products emit gases, some of them toxic, such as many VOCs includingformaldehyde. These gases can have a detrimental impact on occupants' health, comfort, andproductivity. Avoiding these products will increase a building's IEQ. LEED,[27]HQE[28]and Green Starcontain specifications on use of low-emitting interior. Draft LEED 2012[29]is about to expand thescope of the involved products. BREEAM[30]limits formaldehyde emissions, no other VOCs. MASCertified Green is a registered trademark to delineate low VOC-emitting products in themarketplace.[31]The MAS Certified Green Program ensures that any potentially hazardouschemicals released from manufactured products have been thoroughly tested and meet rigorousstandards established by independent toxicologists to address recognized long term healthconcerns. These IAQ standards have been adopted by and incorporated into the following programs:

(1) The United States Green Building Council (USGBC) in their LEED rating system[32]

(2) TheCalifornia Department of Public Health (CDPH) in their section 01350 standards[33](3) TheCollaborative for High Performing Schools (CHPS) in their Best Practices Manual[34]and (4) TheBusiness and Institutional Furniture Manufacturers Association (BIFMA) in their level sustainabilitystandard.[35]

Also important to indoor air quality is the control of moisture accumulation (dampness) leading tomold growth and the presence of bacteria and viruses as well as dust mites and other organismsand microbiological concerns. Water intrusion through a building's envelope or water condensing oncold surfaces on the building's interior can enhance and sustain microbial growth. A well-insulatedand tightly sealed envelope will reduce moisture problems but adequate ventilation is also necessaryto eliminate moisture from sources indoors including human metabolic processes, cooking, bathing,cleaning, and other activities.

Personal temperature and airflow control over the HVAC system coupled with a properlydesignedbuilding envelopewill also aid in increasing a building's thermal quality. Creating a highperformance luminous environment through the careful integration of daylight and electrical lightsources will improve on the lighting quality and energy performance of a structure .[18][36]

Solid wood products, particularly flooring, are often specified in environments where occupants areknown to have allergies to dust or other particulates. Wood itself is considered to be hypo-allergenicand its smooth surfaces prevent the buildup of particles common in soft finishes like carpet. The

Asthma and Allergy Foundation of American recommends hardwood, vinyl, linoleum tile or slateflooring instead of carpet.[37]The use of wood products can also improve air quality by absorbing orreleasing moisture in the air to moderate humidity.[38]

Interactions among all the indoor components and the occupants together form the processes that

determine the indoor air quality. Extensive investigation of such processes is the subject of indoor airscientific research and is well documented in the journal Indoor Air, availableathttp://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=0905-6947 .An extensive set of resources onindoor air quality is available athttp://www.buildingecology.com/iaq .[39]

Operations and maintenance optimization[edit]

No matter how sustainable a building may have been in its design and construction, it can onlyremain so if it is operated responsibly and maintained properly. Ensuring operations andmaintenance(O&M) personnel are part of the project's planning and development process will help
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retain the green criteria designed at the onset of the project.[40]Every aspect of green building isintegrated into the O&M phase of a building's life. The addition of new green technologies also fallson the O&M staff. Although the goal of waste reduction may be applied during the design,construction and demolition phases of a building's life-cycle, it is in the O&M phase that greenpractices such as recycling and air quality enhancement take place.

Waste reduction[edit]Green architecture also seeks to reduce waste of energy, water and materials used duringconstruction. For example, in California nearly 60% of the state's waste comes from commercialbuildings[41]During the construction phase, one goal should be to reduce the amount of materialgoing tolandfills.Well-designed buildings also help reduce the amount of waste generated by theoccupants as well, by providing on-site solutions such ascompost binsto reduce matter going tolandfills.

To reduce the amount of wood that goes to landfill, Neutral Alliance (a coalition of government,NGOs and the forest industry) created the website dontwastewood.com. The site includes a varietyof resources for regulators, municipalities, developers, contractors, owner/operators andindividuals/homeowners looking for information on wood recycling.

When buildings reach the end of their useful life, they are typically demolished and hauled tolandfills. Deconstruction is a method of harvesting what is commonly considered "waste" andreclaiming it into useful building material.[42]Extending the useful life of a structure also reduceswastebuilding materials such as wood that are light and easy to work with make renovationseasier.[43]

To reduce the impact onwellsorwater treatment plants,several options exist. "Greywater",wastewater from sources such as dishwashing or washing machines, can be used for subsurfaceirrigation, or if treated, for non-potable purposes, e.g., to flush toilets and wash cars. Rainwatercollectors are used for similar purposes.

Centralized wastewater treatment systems can be costly and use a lot of energy. An alternative tothis process is converting waste and wastewater into fertilizer, which avoids these costs and showsother benefits. By collecting human waste at the source and running it to a semi-

centralizedbiogasplant with other biological waste, liquid fertilizer can be produced. This conceptwas demonstrated by a settlement in Lubeck Germany in the late 1990s. Practices like these providesoil with organic nutrients and createcarbon sinksthat remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere,offsettinggreenhouse gasemission. Producing artificialfertilizeris also more costly in energy thanthis process.[44]

Cost and payoff[edit]

The most criticized issue about constructing environmentally friendly buildings is the price. Photo-voltaics, new appliances, and modern technologies tend to cost more money. Most green buildingscost a premium of


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can be significantly impacted by certain aspects of green building design such as improved lighting,reduction of pollutants, advanced ventilation systems and the use of non-toxic buildingmaterials.[51]In The Business Case for Green Building, the U.S. Green Building Council givesanother specific example of how commercial energy retrofits increase worker health and thusproductivity, People in the U.S. spend about 90% of their time indoors. EPA studies indicate indoorlevels of pollutants may be up to ten times higher than outdoor levels. LEED-certified buildings are

designed to have healthier, cleaner indoor environmental quality, which means health benefits foroccupants."[52]

Studies have shown over a 20 year life period, some green buildings have yielded $53 to $71 persquare foot back on investment.[53]Confirming the rentability of green building investments, furtherstudies of the commercial real estate market have found that LEED and Energy Star certifiedbuildings achieve significantly higher rents, sale prices and occupancy rates as well as lowercapitalization rates potentially reflecting lower investment risk.[54][55][56]

Regulation and operation[edit]

As a result of the increased interest in green building concepts and practices, a number oforganizations have developed standards, codes and rating systems that let government regulators,

building professionals and consumers embrace green building with confidence. In some cases,codes are written so local governments can adopt them as bylaws to reduce the local environmentalimpact of buildings.

Green building rating systems such as BREEAM (United Kingdom), LEED (United States andCanada), DGNB (Germany) and CASBEE (Japan) help consumers determine a structures level ofenvironmental performance. They award credits for optional building features that support greendesign in categories such as location and maintenance of building site, conservation of water,energy, and building materials, and occupant comfort and health. The number of credits generallydetermines the level of achievement.[57]

Green building codes and standards, such as the International Code Councils draft International

Green Construction Code,[58]are sets of rules created by standards development organizations that

establish minimum requirements for elements of green building such as materials or heating andcooling.
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how to design and build an energy efficient building

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