Intro to Green Building & Sustainablity Flashcards
What happens during the Occupancy, Operations & Performance Feedback Phase of the integrated process?
- performance checked throughout lifetime of building
- data monitored
- repeat training for building personnel & occupants
- educated about green features of building & sustainable practices
- feeback from users & personnel
What happens during the Design & Construction Phase of the integrated process?
- meetings held continuously w/all members
- actions taken to protect workers, building occupants, neighborhood & surrounding environment from construction
- LEED requirements for certificate documented
- train building personnel to maintain green standards
What happens during the Discovery Phase of the integrated process?
(GOALS & BUDGET)
Predesign to ensure project goals are set early & cost-effectively
i.e.
- risks identified
- triple bottom line assessed
- system created for collab of whole team
- location chosen well
- codes & standards evaluated
- LEED requirements & level of certification considered
- life cycle costing
- life cycle assessment
- computer modeling to evaluate strategy & alternatives
To reveal building problems during O&M, what kind of inspections can be conducted?
- Retro-commissioning (efficiency of building’s system & equipment)
- Energy & water audits
- Solid waste audits
- Occupant surveys
- Green purchasing & green house keeping program assessments
How often do projects need to be re-certified to not lose their LEED O&M certification?
5 years
Training building operations personnel after construction is complete on all the assumptions that are made during the design & the performance of all building systems establishes a successful _______ phase
O&M (ongoing operations & maintenance)
What are considered Hard Costs during construction?
Costs that physically contribute to the construction
i. e.
- labor
- construction materials
- equipment
Soft Costs during the construction phase cover what?
Everything needed for developing a project that does not physically contribute to the building
i. e.
- management & supervision costs
- design costs
- permits
- taxes
What does a Waste Management Plan during construction address?
The storage, collection & disposal of waste generated during the construction phase, recyclable & landfill waste
What are some ways you can develop an Indoor Air Quality Management Plan during construction?
- Protect HVAC from dust
- Use materials w/minimal levels of toxicity
- Vent whole building to clear construction contamination before occupancy
During construction, prevent air & water pollution by implementing an ______ & _____ Control Plan, that also includes a ______ Prevention Plan to prevent erosion, sedimentation & stormwater pollution to the water bodies, wetlands & entire neighborhood
Erosion & Sedementation
Stormwater Pollution
How is a BIM used in the LEED system? Pre req or credit?
Pre-requesite & a credit that requires use of a BIM to show how much energy savings is established by implementing different strategies
Benefits of using a BIM?
- define types of materials planned to use
- set project location
- run energy simulations for building according to climate & location
- sunlight interacts w/building & adjust orientation
- locations of windows & skylights
What does BIM stand for?
Building Information Model
What is Building Information Modeling?
Creation of a 3D project model to better understand how to maximize green benefits
Role of a LEED project administer
- Primary contact of USGBC/GBCI for LEED project
- Act as a project manager, overseeing LEED certification process
LEED AP vs LEED GA project duties
LEED AP -
- support & encourage integrated design, streamline the application & certification process
LEED GA -
- provide support to other project team members
Design-Build Approach
All people who make up all parts of a project work collaboratively from the beginning of the project (i.e. steakholders, design teams, construction teams)
Steakholder Meetings
Meetings conducted amongst the project team, steakholders, neighbors & community members in order to understand & discuss community needs, issues & concerns
Charrettes
Intense workshops held @ the beginning of the project & during project milestones w/entire team for brainstorming & collabs among different disciplines
Linear Approach
Project team member completes a work individually & passes it onto the next person
Iterative Process
Ideas are developed by entire project team. Smaller groups research & refine topic, then brought back to table for group to make final decision
What laws take precedence over LEED requirements?
- Inernational code council standards (ICC)
- ADA
- Zoning & local codes (building height, type of project, size of building, parking requirements)
What factors are effected by project location?
- commuting in cars vs. near public transport
- climate
- soil type will effect structural calculation
- underground water
To turn project goals into a reality, a strong evaluation of the _____ is mandatory. It should assist the project teams rather than creating challenges.
Project location
What are some questions that should be asked in the pre-design phase to integrate the whole project team early on & develop an efficient project design?
- climate
- rainfall
- soil
- vegetation
- building orientation
- occupants commuting
- resources & construction material transportation to job site
- building code requirements
- how does energy get to site
Why does climate effect a project’s location?
Consider what type of HVAC system is used
Why is it important to consider a building’s orientation?
Get more sunlight & reduce operation costs
How can you use rainfall at a project’s location?
Capture & use for irrigation
Steps of the Design-Bid-Build process
Project owner > hires architect
Architect > hires electrical & mechanical designers
Electrical & mechanical > design parts seperately
Construction plans issued > project owner bids to general contractors
GC’s architect > architect meets w/ electrical & mechanical to resolve problems
Conventional Building Process
Project teams work in isolation & collab when problems occur
What is Life Cycle Costing?
Assess a product’s total cost by evaluating both its purchase price & operating costs
i.e.
cheap refrigerator vs. more expensive & durable
Conducting an ____ for the whole building is beneficial in showing the trade-offs b/w different materials & in helping in the selection of materials that would be best fit for the project & environment
LCA (lifecycle assessment)
Life Cycle Assessment/Approach
Evaluates all environmental effects of a project, product or service during its whole lifetime
Life Cycle Assessment Calculation
Cradle-to-grave +
cradle-to-cradle +
total energy use & other environmental consequences resulting from creation of that material
When deciding on the products to be used in projects & also support the decision making of the project teams, the life cycle approach should be implemented for environmental considerstions with _____. & for construction considerations _____ should be applied.
Life cycle assessment
Life cycle costing
Embodied Energy
Energy consumed resulting from a product’s manufacturing, transportation, installation & use
In order to avoid waste, closed systems should be formed & a product should become a part of another product after its useful life, through what process?
Recycling & reusing
What is the purpose of the Cradle-To-Cradle Approach?
Aims to extend product lifecycle to avoid waste
Cradle-To-Grave Approach
Investigating materials from their extraction to their disposal
What is a big/important part of Systems Thinking?
Being able to see where actions can yield big changes
Prius Effect
User responds to something only if they have real-time info about it
i.e.
Buiding automation system showing excess energy stats by tracking individual consumption of all building systems & fiding ways to reduce energy use
Positive vs. Negative Feedback Loop
Positive -
A producing B which in turn produces more A
Negative -
A change brings an additional change in the opposite direction
Emergent Properties
Certain properties that emerge as a result of interaction w/individual elements
Different individual parts work to create a whole system
What can have emergent properties?
Systems, not individual
Closed System
Doesn’t produce waste product @ end, system continues independently
i.e.
Water cycle, nature
Open System
System that constantly consumes other items, uses them & produces waste @ end w/no feeback loops
i.e.
A city
Integrated Process
Emphasizes importance of connection & communication among all professionals & steakholders in the project to work together from start to finish for better high performance building
Name the 5 systems of a building
REMBI is in the building 🪩🕺🏼
- resources
- energy
- materials
- building occupants
- information
Systems Thinking
Understanding every system of a building & their relationships, looking at the project as a whole
What are the factors used to select building materials?
- raw material of product
- extracted in reasonable manner
- how long it can be used
- maintenance required
- what happens to it once useful lifecycle ends? Recycled?
- cause harm to environment
3 concepts of sustainable thinking & green building (not part of the conventional building process)
- systems thinking
- life cycle approach
- integrated process
Energy generated on site through burning fossil fuels fall under which scope of energy?
Scope 1
What does Scope 3 energy relate to?
Energy sources that are NOT owned or directly controlled
What does Scope 2 energy relate to?
Purchased energy
What does Scope 1 energy relate to?
Direct energy from owned or controlled sources
Common sources of federal greenhouse emissions under scope 3?
- transmission & distribution losses from purchased electricity
- business travel
- employee commuting
- controlled solid waste disposal
- contracted wastewater treatment
Common sources of federal greenhouse gas emissions under scope 2?
- purchased electricity
- purchased heating/cooling
- purchased steam
Common sources of federal greenhouse gas emissions under scope 1?
- vehicles & equipment
- stationary sources
- on site landfills & wastewater treatment
- fugitive emissions
What is the 1st thing a green community should implement?
Reduction of distances vehicles travel
What has become the #1 cause for global climate change?
Increase in CO2 in the atmosphere from human activity
Primary greenhouse gases on earth
- water vapor
- carbon dioxide
- nitrous oxide
- methane
- ozone
According to the bottom line, what is the benefit of a skylight?
- reduce energy consumed by lights
- reduce greenhouse emissions
- less energy = less $
- natural light = healthier workplace 🙂
According to the triple bottom line, all green buildings should establish what 3 components?
- profit (economic prosperity)
- people (social responsibility)
- planet (environmental stewardship)
At the same time
What are Net-Zero energy projects?
Projects that only use their own generated renewable energy
Regenerative Design
A type of building design that creates no waste & provides more output than consumed input
Why are green building occupants satisfied more so than in regular building?
- lower level pollutants
- superior air, lighting, accoustical qualities
- contribute to health & productivity
List the percentages of benefits for green building
33% lower CO2 emissions
27% energy use reduction
27% higher levels occupants happy
13% lower maintenance $
The average green building uses how much less energy than a normal building?
24%
Why do buildings harm the environment?
- wildlife habitats destroyed & soil becomes impermeable
- manufacturing causes pollution to water & air, release of toxic gases & chemicals
- energy consumption = increase gas emissions
- adds to the consumption of potable water
- commuters increase energy & gases
What % do built environments contribute to all greenhouse emissions?
67%
Buildings produce more CO2 than what 2 factors?
Transportation & industrial emitters
Buildings in the US account for what %s of environmental impacts on Built Environments?
72% electricity consumption 40% raw materials use * 38% CO2 emissions 30% waste output 24-50% energy use 14% potable water consumption
What is a built environment?
Man-made surroundings that are needed for human activity
i.e. roads, buildings, neighborhoods
What is green building?
The practice of creating structures & using processes that are environmentally responsible & resource-efficient throughout a building’s life cycle
Phases of the integrated process
Discovery > Design & Construction > Occupancy, Operations & Performance
What is the maximum space allowed between two points when conducting ASE1000,250 reporting?
2 ft
