arch tech exam 1

Greenhouse Effect

a natural process where gases in Earth's atmosphere trap heat from the sun, keeping the planet warm enough to sustain life

Why architects should consider green building

The effects of climate change which are changing the earth

Until 1950, atmospheric ____ has never been alarmingly high

CO2 emissions

Green Building

Green building is about turning the promises of sustainability into reality

What weeks are highly influential to sustainability in the design process?

Week 1-4

Some examples of goals for green buildings qualities include

• Improve indoor air quality.

• Improve indoor water quality.

• Increase thermal comfort.

• Reduce noise pollution.

• Improve morale.

A designer’s first green building question

What climate and site forces should shape the building?

Paris Climate Agreement

Its primary goal is holding the global average temperature increase to well below 2°C while pursuing efforts to limit it to 1.5°C above per-industrial levels.

Architecture 2030

Architecture 2030’s mission is to rapidly transform the built environment from the major contributor of greenhouse gas emissions to a central solution to the climate crisis.

The built environment generates 42% of annual global _____________.

CO2 emissions

building operations are responsible for ___ of global CO2 emissions

while building and infrastructure materials and construction (typically

referred to as embodied carbon) are responsible for an additional ___ annually

27% , 15%

How do relative improvement and absolute limits answer different questions on green building design?

Relative: improvement over a reference building

Absolute: performance against a fixed target

Together: direction plus destination

Integrated design: Conventional sequencing

often asks engineers to “make it work” after major form decisions are fixed

Integrated design: Integrated sequencing

uses technical feedback early enough to change the design.

Examples of where a strong layer fails wherever continuity is broken

Physical gap: air, water, or heat bypasses the control layer

Thermal bridge: conductive material interrupts insulation

Unprotected insulation: air movement erodes effective performance

Code: IECC:

Energy Conservation

Mechanical code:

ventilation and indoor air quality

BASELINE CODE

Coordinates life safety, energy, ventilation, water, and construction

requirements

GREEN CODE

Broadens environmental requirements in enforceable model-code language ready for local adoption

LEED made a shared environmental vocabulary visible : Five core environmental credit areas

• Materials and Resources

• Energy and Atmosphere

• Sustainable Sites

• Water Efficiency

• Indoor Environmental Quality

BREEAM:

broad categories and graded ratings

Standard 189.1

minimums plus performance options in model-code language

Green Globes:

online assessment with life-cycle and operations emphasis

Passivhaus concentrates ambition in ….

enclosure and energy performance

• Very low heating and cooling demand

• Airtightness, insulation, minimal thermal bridging, low-U windows

• Heat-recovery ventilation supports indoor air

  quality

A rating becomes credible through field evidence examples:

• Blower-door and duct-leakage tests

• Ventilation, humidity, and combustion-safety

checks

• Accredited raters + certified software and methods

Net-zero goals sit beside health, equity, beauty, habitat, and material responsibility.

• Net-zero energy, water, and onsite waste processing

• Site preservation, materials, health, and biophilic connection

• Equity and beauty become explicit design responsibilities

The 2030 Challenge action methods:

• reduce demand before supplying renewable energy

• Pair new construction with renovation of existing area

• Escalate reductions toward carbon-neutral performance

Scope

which environmental and human outcomes count?

GREENFIELD

Build only with a clear need, minimized footprint, habitat

protection, and accountable mitigation

INFILL

Repair a gap or brownfield while using existing streets, utilities, and services

COMPACTNESS

Reduce exterior area, thermal bridges, cladding, and weather exposure

PERIMETER ACCESS

increase daylight, views, natural-ventilation potential, and outdoor

connection

Sunlight favorable directions:

Favor controllable north and south exposures

• Limit low-angle east and west solar burden

Airflow:

• Shallow plans shorten cross-flow paths

• Height and vertical openings can strengthen

  buoyancy flow

• Climate, smoke, acoustics, security, and air quality

  limit operability

Complex form: multiplies materials and failure points

• More edges increase thermal-bridge and air-sealing risk

• Offsets can add structure, cladding, membrane, and labor

• Keep complexity only where it earns measurable value

solar path: HORIZONTAL

South: overhangs answer predictable high-angle summer sun

solar path: VERTICAL

East + west: fins or screens respond to low-angle sun

solar path: OPERABLE

Awnings and shutters adapt to season, weather, glare, and

view

GROSS ROOF

The full plan includes parapets, equipment, skylights, decks,

vegetation, drains, and penthouses

ROOF: USABLE ZONE

The usable zone excludes shade, setbacks, access paths, clearances, and fragmented areas

Prioritize the roof by performance—not novelty

• start with drainage, safety, required equipment, and replacement

• Compare energy, carbon, water, daylight, use, and life-cycle value

• Zone compatible functions and reserve a clear future pathway

ROOF: Near-building features can shelter—or sabotage

LEVERAGE

• External shade, clear solar zones,isolated balconies, and intentional drainage reduce loads and risk

LIABILITY

• Mid-sized shade, roof clutter, slab extensions, and uncoordinated water paths lock in penalties

The envelope manages four environmental flows

Water, air, heat, and vapor move by different mechanisms but meet at the same details

Drainage provides the…

First water defense

• Slope exterior surfaces and flash every interruption

• Lap drainage materials in the direction of flow

• Provide drainage space, weeps, and a safe exit

Continuity requires in design requires…

field and transition details

FIELD

Repeated materials can make control layers clear, accessible, and

consistent

TRANSITIONS

Corners, openings, parapets, foundations, and penetrations need

explicit connections

Whole-window performance includes

glass, frame, and edge

Whole-window performance

• Use whole-product U-factor for conductive performance

• Select SHGC by orientation, shading, climate, and load goals

• Coordinate frame, spacer, air leakage, installation, and interior surface temperature

Define the air barrier as

one continuous pressure boundary

Vapor control must preserve a drying path

• Limit vapor flow where it could reach cold vulnerable layers

• Avoid trapping moisture between low-permanence materials

• Provide at least one reliable drying direction when practical

Durability depends on

sequence, access, and verification