Arch & Eco Midterm

Architecture

the art and science of designing buildings and other physical structures

Ecology

the interdisciplinary scientific study of the interactions between organisms and their environment

Sustainable Design

reduce negative impacts on environment and the health and comfort of building occupants

Regenerative Design

work with or mimic natural ecosystem processes

Sustainability

defined by Lester Brown, “able to satisfy needs without diminishing chances of future generations”

Sustainable Development

live within global biophysical carrying capacity, effectively sustain values by which people wish to live, basic needs met worldwide

Three Legged Stool Model

Environmental, Social, Economic

Nested Model

economy, society, environment

Environmental Concerns

population growth, finite resources

pollution

plastics, microplastics

methane

potentially worse than CO2, 86x CO2 equivalents

Ozone Depletion

O3 in ozone layer protects from harmful UV radiation

Deforestation, Desertification, and Soil Erosion

destruction of vegetation

Eutrophication

over enrichment of water bodies with nutrients

Acidification

chemicals emitted as air pollution and converted to acids

Endocrine Disruptors

interfere with hormones that regulate development

loss of biodiversity

loss of species, 6th great extinction

Anthropocene

current era

carrying capacity

limits of a specific lands ability to support people and their activities

ecological footprint

represents amount of land needed to support a given population

ethics

system of moral principles

intergenerational justice

choices of todays generations will directly affect the quality of life for future inhabitants of the Earth

distributional equity

right of all people to an equal share of resources

seven generation sustainability

in every generation, must consider impact on the future seventh generation

reversibility principle

making decisions that can be undone

polluter pays principle

places responsibility on individuals/corporations causing the impacts

precautionary principle

use caution when making decisions that may adversely affect nature, natural ecosystems, and global biogeochemical cycles

extending producer responsibility

addresses whole life cycle environmental problems

protecting the vulnerable

safeguarding populations against the actions of the human species

protecting the rights of the non human world

protecting rights to live for plants and animals, other living organisms

design for the environment

practice that integrates environmental considerations into product and process engineering procedures and considers the entire product lifecycles

front loaded design

advocates investment of greater effort during design phase to ensure recycling of products components

biomimicry

creating strong, tough and intelligent materials with no waste and using solar power, imitating nature

industrial ecology

study of physical, chemical, and biological interactions among industrial and ecological systems

waste = food

byproducts of one process are feedstock for another

construction ecology

closed loop material systems, depends solely on renewable energy, fosters and preservation of natural system functions

biophilia

humans have a need and craving to be connected to nature

ecological rucksack

Quantifies the mass of materials that must be moved in order to extract a specific resource

embodied energy

total energy consumed in the acquisition and processing of raw materials

Life Cycle Costing (LCC)

cost/benefit analysis for a building

ecological economics

healthy, natural systems and the free goods and services provided by nature are essential to economic success

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)

method for determining the environmental and resource impacts of a product over its entire life

Frank Lloyd Wright’s design ideology

Underlying structure of nature, Buildings integral to the site, environment, inhabitants, materials

R. Buckminster Fuller emphasized:

resource conservation, renewable energy, lightweight material, design for deconstruction

Richard Neutra emphasized:

connection of living spaces to nature, heatlh and nature, nature and structure

Lewis Mumford emphasized:

limited scale developments, region as significant influence on development, ecotechnics

Ian McHarg emphasized:

criticized lack of effort in nature responsive built environment, planning, life science

Malcom Wells

father of gentle architecture

John Tillman Lyle known for:

designing landscapes that function in sustainable ways of natural ecosystems

9 points of Hannover principles

* Insist on the rights of humanity and nature to coexist
* 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

Three steps to implementing eco design

analysis, synthesis, appraisal

5 ecological design principles

* Solutions grow from place
* Ecological accounting informs design
* Design with nature
* Everyone is a designer
* Make nature visible

David Orr’s view

full array of human interaction with nature

adaptive management

ecosystem functioning can never be fully understood

Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature (1997)

the conscious emulation of life’s genius

Cradle to Cradle

separating materials we use into categories: organic, technical nutrient, unmarketables

challenges to ecological design

thermodynamics, lacking understanding of ecology and ecological systems

wizards

tech innovation can solve the problem (Borlaug)

prophets

we all need to scale back (Vogt)

organic ecological design

combines an activist, social agenda with natural design

technological ecological design

human ingenuity, futurist in orientation and scientific in method

refuges, reserves, preserves, and conserves

locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological and/or cultural values

passive survivability

ability of a building to continue to offer basic function and habitability after loss of supporting infrastructure

resilience

the capacity of a system to absorb disturbance and reorganize while undergoing change so as to still retain the same function, structure, identity and feedback

Green Building Assessment

building assessment systems score or rate the effects of a buildings design, construction and environmental impacts

LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)

predominant building assessment tool in US

LEED Certification Levels

Platinum, Gold, SIlver, Certified

LEED Credentials

LEED GA, LEED AP, LEED AP Fellow

Green Globes

building rating protocol started in Canada, assists during design process

Living Building Challenge

biocentric rating system applied to buildings, communities, and products

Red List

list of known toxins

SITES Sustainable Landscapes Rating System

for projects located on sites with or without buildings

Minnesota Green Building Assessment Programs

Minnesota Sustainable Building Guidelines, Minnesota Sustainable Building 2030

Software for Sustainable Design

Energy+, Climate Consultant, Sefaria

EUI

Energy Use Intensity

Project Delivery

Process used to take a client wants and needs from design, through costing and construction, to a finished building and beyond

Green Building Delivery System

selection of project team members based on green building expertise, increased collaboration among project members

Design -- Bid -- Build (hard bid)

design team selected by owner and works on owners behalf to produce construction documents, conflicts among parties to the contract are common

High performance green building delivery system

greater communication among team members

Integrated Project Delivery

increased productivity, shorter delivery time, includes incentive clauses

Charrette

obtain input from project team, owner, users, community and other stakeholders

Integrated Design Process (IDP)

Term applied to the highest levels of collaboration and teamwork that help differentiate a green building process from the design process typically associated with a conventional project

MacLeamy Curve

ability to affect cost and functional capabilities is highest early in design process

Integrated Design Drivers

greater accountability, reduce inefficiency and conflict

Charrette Guiding Principles

involve everyone from the start, work concurrently, short feedback loops, work in detail

Building Information Modeling (BIM)

allows building to be constructed digitally and conflicts to be found and resoled

Value Engineering (VE)

process where owner engages in a formal review of the design with goal of maximizing value of project while reducing construction cost

greenfields

properties that have experienced little or no impact from human development

ghostboxes

large abandoned big box stores

adaptive reuse

keeping the structure but adapting the space to meet programmatic or functional needs

de malling

reversing storefronts to address the street, adopting pedestrian friendly planning

Special Flood Hazard Area

area of land subject to inundation by a flood having a 1% chance ina given year

endangered species

and animal or plant listed by regulation as being in danger of extinction

preventing soil compaction

ground mats, tree protection fencing

erosion

the process of displacing and transporting soil particles by the action of gravity

sediment

eroded soil that is suspended, transported, and/or deposited by moving water or wind

managing erosion and sediment

mulch, slit fences, fiber rolls, SilvaCells

intensive green roof systems

heavy and complex, requires more maintenance

extensive green roof systems

low maintenance, drought tolerant, self seeding

vertical landscaping

Use of screens and trellises to allow for vertical growth and interaction of the landscape from ground level to the roof of a building