Week 2: Chapter 1- A Holistic Approach to Building Design and Construction

Chapter 1

A Holistic Approach to Building Design and Construction

In Chapter 1 we learned about most of the organizations that help are associated with sustainable buildings. We also learned about the purpose of this book and how interior designers are used in this field of sustainable design. 

Notes From the chapter 

Building Information Modeling (BIM)

• This requires all stakeholders in the building to be involved earlier in the process. Sustainable Building Ratings Systems often require this approach. A three-dimensional computer model is constructed that includes rich data from all subcontractors and suppliers early in the process. Because this model incorporates structural, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, lighting, and other information during the design process, interference between systems can be discovered well before a building is under construction. Corrections made to the computer model are far less costly than those made in the field.

LEED

• LEED is the most common certification for green buildings
• under the LEED title there is speculation, some include, Building Design and Construction (BD+C), Interior Design and Construction (ID+C), Homes (Homes), Operations and Maintenance (O+M), and Neighborhood Development (ND).
• a team will determine which level of LEED Certification they hope to obtain for the project. The current levels of compliance are, from highest to lowest: Platinum Certified, Gold Certified, Silver Certified, and Certified. The number of points accumulated determines the ultimate certification classification

Other LEED Rating Systems 

• Green Globes- provides a series of sustainable building assessment and certification tools for buildings in the US and Canada in an online format.
  
  
  
• AASHE STARS- a self-reporting framework developed by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. Was created to to assist universities and colleges in measuring their sustainability performance.
  
  
  
• Green Guidelines for Healthcare (GGHC)- These guidelines outline best practices for sustainable design in healthcare, including basic practices and principles, design, construction, and operation.
  
  
  
• Living Building Challenge- claims to be the most advanced measuring system for sustainable buildings. The seven areas cover all aspects of a building and its location and consist of Place, Water, Energy, Health + Happiness, Materials, Equity, and Beauty.
  
  
  
• NZEB- This certification by the ILFI focuses on Net Zero Energy use.
  
   
• PassiveHaus Institute US- This multi-attribute rating system is focused on air tightness, source energy limits, and space conditioning criteria.
  
  
  
• SITES- third-party rating system evaluates performance criteria for Water, Wildlife Habitat, Energy, Air Quality, Human Health, and Outdoor Recreation Opportunities.
  
  
  
• WELL- focuses on human wellness. There are some overlaps with the LEED Green Building Rating Systems, but WELL extends its focus to human well-being--both physical and mental--within the built environment.
  
  
  

International Sustainable Building Rating Systems

• BCA Green Mark Scheme-Singapore
• BEAM- Hong Kong
• CASBEE- Japan
• EDGE- The whole world
• Green Star SA- South Africa 
• Pearl Rating System for Estidama- Abu Dhabi

International Standard Organization (ISO) 14000

• This group of standards holds as its goal “to provide a framework for a holistic strategic approach to the organization's environmental policy, plans, and actions”

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)

• a technique to assess the environmental aspect and potential impacts associated with a product, process, or service by Compiling an inventory of relevant energy and material inputs and environmental releases, Evaluating the potential environmental impacts associated with identified inputs and releases, and Interpreting the results to help you make a more informed decision

BEES (Building for Environmental and Economic Sustainability)

• a web-based energy software tool that allows the user to make decisions based on life cycle information and consensus standards. The BEES model, developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), focuses on an environmental performance score coupled with an economic performance score.

Theories of Sustainable Design

• The Natural Step- They have a goal of providing a uniform definition of sustainability and accelerating the transition to a sustainable society worldwide. The framework helps convert theoretical principles to application and involves looking at an organization's relationship to the biosphere.
• Ecological Design- seeks to minimize impact to the environment. By working with natural systems, water, habitat preservation, and local resources--ecological designers try to integrate the built world with the natural one.
• Pattern Language- Christopher Alexander created a series of patterns that he says represent different design conditions in the world that people prefer and published these in a book of the same title in 1977. He draws the patterns from examples in the vernacular and recommends their use in designed places
• Hannover Principles-
• Insist on the rights of humanity and nature to co-exist
• Recognize interdependence
• Respect relationships between spirit and matter
• Accept responsibility for the consequences of design
• Create safe objects of long-term value
• Eliminate the concept of waste
• Rely on natural energy flows
• Understand the limitations of design
• Seek constant improvement by the sharing of knowledge
• Biomimicry- Biomimicry is the title of a book by biologist Janine Benyus. As adopted by the design pro­fessions, it refers to the study of nature as a source and inspiration for design problems. The basic principles of Biomimicry as outlined by Janine Benyus are as follows:
• Nature runs on sunlight
• Nature uses only the energy it needs
• Nature fits form to function
• Nature recycles everything
• Nature rewards cooperation
• Nature banks on diversity
• Nature demands local expertise
• Nature curbs excesses from within
• Nature taps the power of limits
• Permaculture- As defined by Mollison and Holmgren, permaculture is “an integrated, evolving system of perennial or self-perpetuating plant and animal species useful to man”
• National Park Service- has created its own guidelines for sustainability when working on a NPS-owned property
• Cradle to Cradle- The main concept of the book seeks to eliminate waste on the planet. McDonough maintains that waste equals food and that the elimination of waste creates a cradle-to-cradle system to replace our current cradle-to-grave system for human materials and their use.
• Biophilia/Biophilic Design- the term biophilia refers to man’s affinity with nature. Its application to design, biophilic design, involves the integration of nature and natural processes into building design.
• Ecological Footprint- The global footprint network defined the ecological footprint as “a management tool that measures how much land and water a human population requires to produce the resources it consumes, and to absorb its wastes under prevailing technology”

Product Oversight and Rating Systems

• Forest Stewardship Council- certifying wood products
• EnergyStar- provides energy use guidelines for a variety of building products and appliances.
• Scientific Certification Systems (SCS) Sustainable Choice- recognize carpets conforming to the National Science Foundation 140 standard
• Master Painter's Institute (MPI) Green Performance- guidelines for volatile organic compounds and is recognized under the LEED Rating Systems.
• Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI)- party certification standard for sustainable logging and reforestation initiatives.
• Greenguard- certifies products and furniture
• Green Seal- evaluates a wide range of products including paints, adhesives, lamps, chillers, windows, window films, and occupancy sensors.
• Green Squared- for tiles and tile installation.
• Cradle to Cradle- the program is a comprehensive certification process that looks at the entire life cycle of products.
• Planet Positive- standardize carbon offset credits within the industry.
• Green Seal- life-cycle assessment for many products including light fixtures, sealants, flooring, and other materials.
• SCS Global Services- evaluates a wide range of products including carpets, textiles, wood, insulation, and more.
• WaterSense- addresses water use level in showerheads, faucets, urinals, toilets, and valves
• Transparency Labels (ILFI): Declare Products- Declare is a nutritional label for building products developed by the International Living Futures Institute. Modeled after a food label, the Declare program evaluates and labels products and materials in relation to their contents. To be a part of a Living Building, none of the following materials or compounds can be included in any product or material:
• Antimicrobials (marketed with a health claim)
• Alkylphenols and related compounds
• Asbestos compounds
• Bisphenol A (BPA) and structural analogs
• Chlorinate Polymers, including PVC, PVDC, Chloroprene (Neoprene) and CPVC
• Chlorobenzenes
• Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs)
• Formaldehyde
• Monomeric and Polymeric and Organophosphate Halogenated Flame Retardants (HFRs)
• Organotin Compounds
• Perfluorinated Compounds (PFCs)
• Phthalates (Orthophthalates)
• Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)
• Short Chain and Medium Chain Chlorinated Paraffins (SCCPs and MCCPs)
• Toxic Heavy Metals
• Wood treatments containing Creosote or Pentachlorophenol
• Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in wet-applied products
• Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI) Green Label Plus- The CRI Green Label, established in 2004, is a second-party certification mechanism. The carpet industry provides ratings for its own products

Team Members: Qualifications and Responsibilities

• Architect- an individual trained in the art and science of building design. 
• Interior Designer- An interior designer designs the interior spaces of a building and works only with non-load-bearing partitions.
• Engineers- are educated and licensed in specific areas of specialization. In general, their specific training does not include aesthetic concerns. Although they design structures, they are not designers in the sense that an architect or interior designer is a designer.
• General Contractor- Generally, no specific education requirements exist for contractors, although some may have a post-secondary educational background. Some jurisdictions divide contractors into different classes--A, B, and C--based on the monetary value of the projects they can do
• Owner-  paying for the project.
• Specialists- 
• In addition to the basic players involved in a standard construction and design project, there may also be a specialized need for experts in particular areas. Examples of these include Security, Acoustics, Lighting
• LEED Accredited Professional- A LEED Accredited Professional has passed the LEED exam developed by the US Green Building Council
• WELL Accredited Professional- has passed the WELL exam developed by the International Well Building Institute and administered by the GBCI.

Architects/Engineers vs. Interior Designers

 

Blog assignment

Evaluate an interior space on campus. How does this space make you feel? Emotionally, Physically, Spiritually?

I chose to do the prayer room. The chapel staff has created a prayer room in the basement of the chapel. It has been a place for me to go and reflect and read my bible while I am on campus. My freshman year it was to be very well decorated and clean. But as the years went on they wanted to add more seating so they just found random chairs and it has not been well kept. So now when I am in there it is still a space that is calming and has good memories. But I am a person who needs things to be clean so now that this space is not as clean and seems less organized and eclectic I feel more and more uncomfortable in the space. I still love this room it just has a different place in my heart than it did before. This assignment told me that we can feel in our bodies when something is not well put together. This is something that I plan to bring into my time as a designer.