Sustainable Practices Mid Term Exam Prep

Sustainable Practices Mid Term Exam Prep

Sustainable Design

• Definition: Sustainable Design aims to:

  • Reduce negative impacts on the environment and the health and comfort of building occupants.

  • Improve building performance.

Objectives of Sustainability

• Goals:

  • Reduce consumption of non-renewable resources.

  • Minimize waste.

  • Create healthy, productive environments.

Sustainable Design Principles

• Core Principles:

  • Optimize site potential.

  • Minimize non-renewable energy consumption.

  • Use environmentally preferable products.

  • Protect and conserve water.

  • Enhance indoor environmental quality.

  • Optimize operational and maintenance practices.

Sustainable Design Philosophy

• Benefits:

  • Encourages informed decisions during each phase of the design process.

  • Reduces negative environmental impacts and health risks to occupants.

  • Does not compromise the bottom line.

Holistic Approach

• Features:

  • Encourages compromises and tradeoffs.

  • Positively impacts all phases of a building's life cycle (design, construction, operation, commissioning, and decommissioning).

Sustainability and Environmental Challenges

Definition of Sustainable Practices

• Concept: Delivery of products and services that:

  • Satisfy human needs and enhance quality of life.

  • Progressively reduce ecological impact and resource intensity in line with Earth's carrying capacity.

Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development

Definition of Sustainability

• Meaning: "To be capable of being kept in existence or maintained."

• Origins: Sustainable design is rooted in sustainable development, integrating human civilization within Earth’s ecosystems.

Sustainable Development

• Background: Defined by the World Commission on Environment and Development (Brundtland Commission).

• Key Point: Environmental and economic development are inseparable.

  • Developed nations focus on reducing environmental impact from growth.

  • Developing nations often damage the environment using cheaper, harmful methods.

Conditions for Sustainable Development (Dr. Harl-Henrik Robert)

• Four Principles of Sustainability:

  1. Eliminate the buildup of substances from the earth's crust.

  2. Eliminate the buildup of harmful societal substances.

  3. Prevent physical degradation of nature.

  4. Ensure conditions do not undermine human capacities to meet needs.

Environmental Challenges to Sustainable Development

Energy Use in Buildings

• Statistics: Buildings use one third of total energy; contribute to two-thirds of electricity and one-eighth of water usage.

• Energy Generation Methods: Include burning fossil fuels, solar, wind, and nuclear.

• Types of Energy Use:

  • Operational Energy: Energy consumed for building operation.

  • Embodied Energy: Energy used in the manufacture, transport, and installation of construction materials.

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)

• Assessments Include:

  • Energy consumption, solid waste emissions, air and water pollution, global warming potential, resource use.

Other Environmental Concerns

• Air Pollution: Caused by chemical reactions involving sunlight and combustion exhaust.

• Water Pollution: Results from industrial processes and runoff.

• Land Degradation: Overharvesting and habitat destruction.

• Waste Management: Issues from hazardous materials (e.g., dioxins, PCBs).

Buildings & Construction Sector Impact

• Consumption Statistics:

  • 3 billion tons of raw materials yearly.

  • 50% of materials taken from nature are building-related.

  • 40%-50% of greenhouse gas emissions come from buildings.

  • 50% of energy used globally is in buildings.

Sustainable Building Design

• Definition: Integrated design that sustainably manages natural, economic, and human resources.

• Sustainability Phase Impact:

  • Construction, occupancy, renovation, repurposing, demolition.

Rating Systems and Environmental Assessment Methods

Introduction to Rating Systems

• Need for Assessment Methods: Essential for evaluating design phases and environmental performance.

• Major Rating Systems:

  • LEED: Developed by US Green Building Council.

  • BREEAM: First green building rating system.

  • Others include Green Globes and Eco-home assessments.

Benefits of Building Rating Systems

• Identify performance in environmental criteria, reduce impacts, improve indoor conditions, and challenge market innovation.

LEED Rating System

• Framework: Focuses on sustainable site development, water, energy efficiency, material selection, and indoor environmental quality.

• Certification Levels: Ranges from Certified to Platinum, based on points.

Green Assessment Systems

Overview of Other Systems

• Green Globes: Integrates green design principles.

• BREEAM: Minimizes environmental impact, lowering costs via energy efficiency.

• Green Star: National environmental rating system for building evaluation.

Life Cycle Design in Building Materials

Specification Types

• Proprietary, descriptive, reference, and performance specifications.

Certifications and Standards

• Must comply with ASTM, ISO, and CSA standards.

Cradle-to-Cradle Concept

• Principles: Aim to eliminate waste via life-cycle analysis.

• Lifecycle Phases:

  1. Manufacturing and delivery process.

  2. Building materials' useful life, including maintenance.

  3. Waste management post-use.

Embodied Energy

• Encompasses all energy used throughout a building’s lifecycle.

Greenwashing

• Definition: Misleading claims about environmental benefits, often found in marketing rather than practice.

Strategies for Product Selection

Selection Steps

1. Research: Identify material options and gather data.

2. Evaluation: Confirm technical information and fill gaps.

3. Selection: Use matrices for scoring and environmental criteria evaluation.

Sustainable Material Criteria

• Sustainable materials should be renewable, environmentally responsible, and focus on resource efficiency, indoor air quality, energy efficiency, water conservation, and affordability.