DK Ching VD - Sustainability

conservation

the preservation, protection, or restoration of natural resources, ecosystems, and their habitats for the future

human ecology

the study of the interaction of people with their environment and institutions

blackwater

the wastewater produced by toilets and urinals

gray water

the relatively clean wastewater generated from such domestic activities as dishwashing, bathing, and laundry, which can be recycled on-site for flushing toilets and landscape irrigation to reduce the consumption of fresh water

greenfield

an undeveloped or underdeveloped site, either left to nature, used for agriculture, or considered for commercial development

brownfield

an abandoned or previously used industrial or commercial site whose future use is affected by read or perceived environmental contamination

carbon footprint

a measure of the greenhouse gases produced by human activities involving the burning of fossil fuels

carbon neutral

a term describing any of a number of practices that neither contribute to nor reduce the amount of carbon released into the atmosphere

solar path diagram

a graphic depiction of the path of the sun within the sky vault projected onto a horizontal plane

latitude

the angular distance north or south from the equator of a point on the earth's surface, measured in degrees along the meridian passing through the point

meridian

a great circle on the earth's surface passing through both geophysical poles

longitude

the angular distance east or west on the earth's surface, measured from the prime meridian at Greenwich, England, to the meridian of a given point and expressed either in degrees or a corresponding difference in time

solar house

a house designed to absorb and store solar heat in order to supplement or replace conventional heating methods

solar-heating system

a heating system using solar energy as the primary source of heat

active solar-heating system

a solar-heating system using mechanical means, such as solar collectors, fans, or pumps, to collect, store, and distribute solar enegry

solar collector

a device or system designed to use solar radiation to heat and absorber through which a transporting medium, such as air or water is circulated

solar orientation

the placing of a building in relation to the path of the sun, either to maximize the amount of heat gained from solar radiation during the coldest months, or to minimize the amount of heat gained in the warmest months

passive system

any of various technologies or techniques that uses nonmechanical, nonelectrical means, such as radiation, conduction, and natural convection, to distribute heat and daylight

passive solar-heating

a solar-heating system using a building's design and construction and the natural flow of heat to collect, store, and distribute solar energy, with minimal use of fans or pumps

berm

a bank of earth placed against one or more exterior walls of a building as protection against extremes in temperature

Trombe wall

a glass-fronted exterior masonry wall that absorbs solar heat for radiation into the interior of a building, usually after a time-lag of several hours

drumwall

a stack of black, water-filled drums placed on the inside of a window wall to absorb solar heat and then release it slowly into the interior of a building

murocaust

a massive exterior wall having vertical channels through which solar-heated air passes, serving as a heat reservoir for short time periods and radiation to interior wall surfaces and spaces

sun deck

a roof, balcony, or terrace that is exposed to the sun and used for sunbathing

solarium

a glass-enclosed porch, room, or gallery used for sunbathing or for therapeutic exposure to sunlight

sunroom

a glass-enclosed porch or room oriented to admit large amounts of sunlight

thermal siphon

a method of passive, nonmechanical heat exchange based on the neutral convection of a heated liquid expanding and rising and being replaced in the loop by cooler liquid returning by gravity

ventilate

to provide a room with fresh air to replace air that has been used or contaminated

natural ventilation

the process of ventilating a space by the natural movement of air rather than by mechanical means

chimney effect

the tendency of air or gas in a shaft or other vertical space to rise when heated, creating a draft that draws in cooler air or gas from below

vent

an opening, as in a wall, serving as an outlet for air, smoke, fumes, or the like

passive cooling

technologies or techniques, such as natural ventilation, evaporative cooling, or high thermal mass, used to cool buildings without consuming power

air change

the replacement of the volume of air contained within a room with an equivalent volume of fresh air within a given period of time

cross ventilation

the circulation of fresh air through open windows, doors, or other openings on opposite sides of a room

ventilator

a louvered opening or motor-driven fan for replacing stagnant air with fresh air

attic ventilator

a wind- or motor-driven fan for assisting the natural air flow through an attic space

solar chimney

a method for improving the natural ventilation of buildings, consisting of a vertical shaft in which air heated by solar energy rises by convection, pulling in cooler air at the base of the chimney from underground or via heat-exchange tubes; also called "thermal chimney"

solar updraft tower

a renewable-energy power plant that uses the updraft of a solar chimney to drive electricity-producing turbines

downdraft cooling tower

a cooling system that humidifies and cools warm, dry air by passing it through evaporative cooling pads or water sprays at the top of a tower, causing a downdraft of cooler, humidified air into the occupied space below and in the process, drawing in more air at the top of the tower

mechanical ventilation

the process of supplying fresh air to a building or removing stale air from it by mechanical means, as with fans

whole-house ventilator

equipment that incorporates one or more fans and duct systems to draw in a continuous supply of fresh air to the living areas of a house while exhausting an equal amount of stale air, providing controlled, uniform ventilation throughout the living areas of a house

whole-house fan

a motor-driven fan that pulls air in from open windows and exhausts it through attic and roof vents

exhaust ventilation syste

a whole-house ventilating system suitable for cold climates, consisting usually of a single fan that extracts indoor air from a house while make-up air infiltrates through leaks in the building shell and through adjustable, passive vents

supply ventilation system

a whole-house ventilating system consisting of a fan and duct system that introduces fresh air into one or more rooms of a house while air leaks out through holes in the building envelope, exhaust-fan ducts, and any window or wall vents

plenum ventilation

a system of mechanical ventilation in which fresh air is forced into the space to be ventilated from a chamber (plenum chamber) at a pressure slightly higher than atmospheric pressure, so as to expel stale air

fan

a device that rotates an array of blades or vanes about an axis in order to produce a current of air

exhaust fan

a fan for ventilating an interior space by drawing air from the interior and expelling it outside

centrifugal fan

a fan that receives air along its axis and discharges it radially

high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter

a filtration device consisting of a mat of randomly arranged, typically fiberglass fibers, designed to trap pollutants and particles by forcing them to adhere to the filter fibers using one of the following techniques

balanced ventilation system

a whole-house ventilating system consisting of two fans and two duct systems and capable of introducing fresh outside air while exhausting an approximately equal quantity of stale inside air

energy-recovery ventilation system

a whole-house ventilating system that provides a controlled way of ventilating a house while minimizing energy loss through the use of either heat-recovery ventilators or energy-recovery ventilators

demand-controlled ventilation

a ventilation system that adjusts outside ventilation air based on the number of occupants in a space or zone and the ventilation demands that those occupants create, using a combination of hardware, software, and control sensors

heat-recovery ventilator

an energy-recovery ventilation system that uses a heat-exchange core to transfer heat from the exhaust air stream to the prefiltered fresh air stream in the winter and, during the summer, cool the prefiltered fresh air stream with the exhaust air stream

enery-recovery ventilator

an energy-recovery ventilation system having a heat exchanger that transfers both heat and moisture, cooling and dehumidifying the incoming fresh airstream in the summer while heating and humidifying the cold, drier incoming airstream in the winter

semiconductor

a solid, usually crystalline substance, such as silicon (Si) and gallium arsenide (GaAs), having a conductivity between that of an insulator and that of most metals

p-type semiconductor

a semiconductor deficient in electrons

n-type semiconductor

a semiconductor having an excess of electrons

photovoltaic effect

the phenomenon in which the incidence of light or other radiant energy upon the junction of two types of semiconducting materials induces the generation of an electromotive force

photovoltaic cell

a solid-state device that converts solar energy into electrical energy by means of the photovoltaic effect; also called "solar cell"

photovoltaic module

a number of photovoltaic cells housed in a protective structure and electrically connected in series to obtain a certain voltage and in parallel to provide the desired amount of current; also called "solar panel"

photovoltaic array

multiple photovoltaic modules typically mounted on rooftops and electrically connected to generate and supply the required amount of electricity in commercial and residential buildings

building-integrated photovoltaics

the incorporation of photovoltaic technology into the roof, walls, or windows of a building as either a principal or ancillary source of electrical power, often replacing conventional building materials

hydropower

power created and controlled by the damming of rivers

wind power

power generated by a turbine that converts the kinetic energy of wind flow into mechanical power that a generator can use to produce electricity

ocean energy

the thermal energy stored in the earth's oceans from the sun's heat and the mechanical energy of its tides and waves

ocean thermal energy conversion

a process for generating electricity from the thermal energy stored in the earth's ocean

tidal power

power generated by a process utilizing the natural motion of the tides to fill reservoirs, which are then discharged through electricity-producing turbines

wave energy

the energy of sea waves harnessed and converted into electricity at either offshore or onshore locations

geothermal energy

the earth's internal heat, used for direct heating and cooling in buildings or, in the form of hot water or steam pulled from deep geothermal reservoirs, for driving turbine generators to produce electricity

hydrogen power

the burning of hydrogen or its use by fuel cells to combine electrochemically with oxygen to produce electricity and heat, emitting only water vapor in the process

sustainable design

a design approach that emphasizes efficiency and moderation in the use of materials, energy, and spatial resources

green roof

a roof of a building that is partially or completely covered with vegetation, a growing medium, and sometimes a root layer and drainage system, installed over a waterproof membrane to lower building temperatures, reduce the heat island effect, lessen stormwater runoff, and absorb carbon dioxide from the air

green wall

a wall that is partially or completely covered with vegetation and, in some cases, soil or an inorganic growing medium

green facade

a green wall having the climbing vegetation rooted in the ground and growing up either directly on the wall or on specially designed supporting structures

living wall

a self-sufficient vertical garden attached to the exterior or interior wall of a building, consisting of a structural frame, layers of geotextile material, soil or other growing medium, an automatic irrigation system, and plant materials; also called "biowall", "vertical garden"

green building

building to provide healthy environments in a resource-efficient manner, using ecologically based principles

green

descriptive of a material, product, or process not considered to be harmful to the environment

smart building

a building that utilizes a computerized network of sensors and other electronic devices to unify a variety of building automation tasks

smart facade

cladding designed to conserve and reduce the energy needed for heating, cooling, and lighting a building; also called "climate wall", "double-skin facade"

smart roof

a roof that uses shingles, tiles, or membranes containing energy-generating photovoltaic technologies or colored to reflect or absorb solar heat as required by the external environment and indoor conditions

daylight harvesting

a method of lighting control that reduces energy consumption by using photosensors to detect daylighting levels and automatically adjusting the output level of electric lighting to create the desired or recommended level of illumination for a space

bi-level switching

a lighting control system that provides two levels of lighting power in a space, not including off

multi-level switching

a form of bi-level switching in which multiple lamps in a single light fixture can be switched on and off independently of each other; also called "step switching"

continuous dimming

a method of lighting control that maintains the desired or recommended level of illumination for a space by modulating the output from electric lamps and fixtures in proportion to the amount of available daylight detected by light-level sensors

occupancy control

an automatic lighting control system that uses motion or occupancy sensors to turn lights on when human activity is detected and turn lights off when a space is vacated

user-controlled lighting

any lighting system that allows users to control the level, intensity, and color balance of the light in a space or zone