Sustainable design

2. Sustainable Design
Eco-Design
Green Design
All describe design with concern for
the impact of designed
environments on the sustainability
(and, often, renewability) of the
resources they consume or
minimization of their use.

3. •Land Use
•Energy Consumption
•Water Use
•Selection of Materials
•Pollution and Toxicity
•Waste Disposal

4. •Land Use
Intelligent land use includes planning single
family homes that are grouped to minimize
the building of streets and automobile use.
•Energy Consumption
Minimize energy consumption through
efficient heating and cooling, as well as
dependence on natural ventilation, solar
heat and daylight illumination.

5. •Water Use
Reduction of water use for lawn watering,
fountains and pools, and specifying
plumbing fixtures that minimize water
consumption.
•Selection of Materials
Choosing materials that have the least
undesirable impact on depletion of
resources. Products made from recycled
materials are ecologically sound design
decisions.

6. •Selection of Materials
•Reclaimed lumber salvaged from
demolition and reprocessed into forms
usable for new projects.
•Floor tiles and materials for countertops
made from recycled automobile tires.
•Bathroom and flooring tiles made from
recycled glass from bottles and other
waste.

7. •Pollution and Toxicity
Many materials that may be used in
interiors can produce fumes, known as off-
gassing, that can have a negative impact
on health of occupants.
The use of solvents based on volatile
organic compounds (VOC’s) in paints and
adhesives and other products are
objectionable sources of bad air quality.

8. •Waste Disposal
•Recycling program for the building
•Glass, most metals and many plastics can
be recycled into new products
•Factory wastes such as sawdust and wood
scraps can be used to make particle board
and similar products.

9. Sustainable Design Issues
•Worldwide building construction and operations account
for 40% of the world’s energy consumption. (The
Worldwatch Institute)

10. Sustainable Design Issues
•Worldwide building construction and operations account
for 40% of the world’s energy consumption. (The
Worldwatch Institute)

11. Sustainable Design Issues
•Worldwide building construction and operations account
for 40% of the world’s energy consumption. (The
Worldwatch Institute)
•It is estimated that 30% of new or renovated buildings
have indoor air quality problems, and that the associated
costs to employee health and productivity losses are tens
of billions of dollars each year.

12. Sick Building Syndrome

13. Sick Building Syndrome
•Defined as “situations in which building occupants
experience acute health and/or comfort effects that
appear to be linked to time spent in a particular building.”

14. Sick Building Syndrome

15. Sustainable Design Issues
•Worldwide building construction and operations account
for 40% of the world’s energy consumption. (The
Worldwatch Institute)
•It is estimated that 30% of new or renovated buildings
have indoor air quality problems, and that the associated
costs to employee health and productivity losses are tens
of billions of dollars each year.
•Automobile oriented urban sprawl creates smog,
dependency on foreign oil and traffic congestion. (U.S.
DOE)

16. Urban Sprawl
•Expansion of human populations away from
central urban areas into low-density and usually
car-dependent communities

17. Sustainable Design Issues
•Worldwide building construction and operations account
for 40% of the world’s energy consumption. (The
Worldwatch Institute)
•It is estimated that 30% of new or renovated buildings
have indoor air quality problems, and that the associated
costs to employee health and productivity losses are tens
of billions of dollars each year.
•Automobile oriented urban sprawl creates smog,
dependency on foreign oil and traffic congestion. (U.S.
DOE)
•Fifty acres of prime U.S. farmland are converted to
development every hour. (American Farm Land Trust)

18. Sustainable Design Definitions:
•Sustainability is a state in which interdependent natural,
social and economic systems prosper today without
compromising their future prosperity.
•Meeting the needs of the present without compromising
the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

20. •LEED stands for Leadership in Energy &
Environmental Design.
LEED Certification

21. •LEED is a green building certification program
that recognizes best-in-class building strategies
and practices. It evaluates environmental
performance from a ‘whole building’ perspective
and provides a definitive standard for what
constitutes a ‘green building’.
LEED Certification

22. •LEED program began in 1998, and is run by the
United States Green Building Council (USGBC).
•www.usgbc.org
LEED Certification

23. •There are different levels of certification
(Certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum) based on
the level of sustainability for a given project.
LEED Certification

24. •Provides different ratings systems for specific
project types: New Construction, Existing
Buildings, Schools, Retail, Commercial Interiors,
Homes, Healthcare, etc.
•Provides guidelines on how to create a green
building.
•Certification offers proof to the public that the
project is environmentally sound.
Advantages of Leed:

25. •Sensitive Land Protection (avoiding
development of environmentally sensitive land).
•Access to quality mass transit.
•Bicycle facilities.
•Reduced parking footprint.
•Construction Activity pollution prevention.
•Open exterior space.
•Rainwater Management
Examples of credit considered
for LEED Certification:

26. •Light pollution reduction.
•Indoor and outdoor water use reduction.
•Renewable energy production.
•Storage and collection of recyclables.
•Construction and demolition waste management.
•Indoor air quality management plan.
•Day lighting
•Environmentally preferable interior finishes and
furnishings.
Examples of credit considered
for LEED Certification:

27. Case Study:
California Academy of
Sciences, San Francisco, CA

28. California Academy of
Sciences, San Francisco, CA
Architect: Renzo Piano

29. California Academy of
Sciences, San Francisco, CA
Opened in 2008 as the largest public LEED
Platinum-rated building in the world.
Sustainability extends to all facets of the building,
from bike racks and rechargeable vehicle
stations outside the building, to radiant subfloor
heating inside and energy-generating solar
panels on top of the building.

30. •Green roof canopy visually connects the building
to the park landscape, and provides gains in
heating and cooling efficiency.
•The 15-cm thick soil on the roof acts as natural
insulation, and keeps approx. 14 million liters of
rainwater from becoming stormwater.

31. •Solar panels provide up to 10% of the building’s
electrical needs.
•Floor to ceiling walls of glass enable 90% of the
building’s interior offices to use natural light.
•90% of all demolition materials were recycled.

32. •32,000 tons of sand from foundation excavation
were applied to dune restoration projects in San
Francisco.
•95% of all steel was from recycled sources.
•68% of insulation came from recycled blue
jeans.
•30% less energy consumption than Federal
Code requirement.

33. •Recycled blue jeans used as insulation material.

34. •Waterless Urinals.

35. •Collecting rainwater from roofs to provide
building owners with non-potable water for
irrigation, toilets, and cooling.

36. •Using grass pavers and
grass blocks for pavement.