Tips on Green Building Designs

The building should make use of the topography, sunlight, shade and other elements of the site on which it is built.

The ultimate goal of green building design is to create sustainable buildings. "Sustainable design supports an increased commitment to environmental stewardship and conservation," according to the Whole Building Design Guide of the National Institute of Building Sciences. The organization also says that sustainable buildings create a balance of "cost, environmental, societal, and human benefits while meeting the mission and function of the intended facility or infrastructure." Here are six tips for creating green building designs.

Site It Right

Fit the building to the site, instead of fitting the site to the building. Take advantage of shading, natural wind blocks, exposure to sunlight and topography that offers underground options for portions of the building. Consider how existing buildings on the site might be used in the design or to complement the design. Study how the building location will affect migratory patterns of animal species and what effect it will have on the watershed and drainage of the land. Calculate the potential for wind power and solar power.

Aim for Energy Efficiency

Beginning in the design phases, plan the insulation, window and door locations and other heating and cooling factors to work with the existing climate. Use skylights, passive solar, solar power and geothermal to augment or downsize the heating and cooling systems. Install high-efficiency heating and cooling equipment and lighting systems. Add occupancy sensors and monitoring systems that reduce energy use.

Save Water

Focus on using as much of the on-site water as possible. Reduce runoff and collect water from roof drains to use for irrigation, toilet flushing and other non-potable purposes. Install low-water-use fixtures. Reuse "grey water." Set up systems for treating waste water and plan to restore the site's water profile to its predevelopment condition.

Use Environmentally Friendly Products

Use products that score high on a life-cycle assessment to reduce waste and improve efficiencies. Use a high percentage of recyclable materials and materials that are harvested sustainably. Consider using assemblies that can be broken down and reused at the end of their useful lives. Don't use materials that have pollution and toxicity in their life cycles. Buy local.

Make the Indoors Friendly

Make good use of ventilation and lighting and eliminate materials that give off volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Control moisture with effective building envelope construction. Don't overlook ventilation and filtration to reduce the effects of high security risks such as chemical and biological attacks.

Design for Efficiency

Involve operations and maintenance people in the design phases so they have input on the systems and the amount of work needed to maintain them. Use simpler systems with fewer moving parts to minimize maintenance and breakdowns. Specify materials and systems that use less water, air and energy and that don't have toxic chemicals associated with their use. Build in meters to track the key attributes of the building's sustainability so there is a record of how it is performing.

References

• Whole Building Design Guide of the National Institute of Building Sciences: Sustainable