PX- Chapter 10: Sustainable Design Flashcards
what aspects of a project does sustainability affect
the whole environmental impact- including the materials, conservation of energy, alternate energy sources, adaptive resuse, IAQ, recycling, reuse.
what does it mean when the book says that sustainable design considers the full life cycle of a building material- what’s the full life cycle
for one material you look at impact of raw material extraction and fabrication, installation, operation, maintenence and displosal
are any green organizations mandatory
no, none are part of any building code but governmental entities or large corporations may require you to follow them
what types of LEED catogories are there ? (types of construction)
commercial interiors, new construction, existing buildings, core and shell development, homes, schools, retail, healthcare and neighbourhood developement
what is GBI in regards to sustainability
Green Building Initiative- produces the Green GLobes that promote environmentally sustainable building practices. Based on a 1000 point scale.
evaluates energy, indoor environment, site, water, resources, emissions and project management. Gets a rating of 1 to 4 globes
What is NAHB when it comes to sustainability
National Associate of Home Builders- Green Building Standard
partners with the ICC (international code council)- created standard that describes green building practices for single and mulfi family homes, residential remolding, site development.
Approved by ANSI
rating- get bronze silver gold or emerald
what is energy star when it comes to sustainable design
by the enironmental protection agency and the US department of energy.
For buildings- must design, build and manage projects in ways that save energy. After a year it’s energy consumption is measured and compared. on a scale from 1-100. 75 or more gets an energy star label
what is CHPS when it comes to sustainability
COllaborative for High Performance Schools
from California- but now a national organization
selection and handling of building materials
what is BRE when it comes to sustainability
Building Research Establishemtn - environmental assessment method
British- reviewing and improving the environmental performance of buildings.
get a pass, good, very good, or excellent
what are some examples of green product certification companies and describe
BIFMA- has two ANSI approved standards for VOS’s for office furniture
energy star product label- pretty basic
floor score- hard-surface flooring for IAQ as per California
Forest stewardship council
greenguard-tests indoor produts for emissions
Greenlabel Plus- for carpet- cushion and adhesive that conforms to CHPS
Green Seal- evaluates life-cycle of products
Green Format- web based database for self reporting sustainable properties of products. Verified though
ISO 14000- collection of standards that cover issues like performance, labeling, life-cycle assesment
UL Environment- part of Underwriters Labs- promotes the marketplace visibility of sustainable products, services and organizations
Water Sense- part of the EPA to help consumers identify water efficient products
what is the Life-cycle assessment (LSA) and what are the steps
evaluates the environmental impact of using a particular material or product of a building
- determine the purpose or the goals of doing the study
- inventory anaysis- hardet part- all of the inputs and outputs of the product
- Impact assessment- analysis the effects found in the analysis like resource depletion
- improvement analysis- suggestions on how to reduce the environmental impact
what are the four main stages of a product’s life cycle
raw-material aquisition
manufacturing (and distribution)
use and maintenance (and installing)
displosal
what are some examples of an “input” for the LCA
energy, water, raw or intermediate materials
what are some examples of an “output” for the LCA
pollution, solid waste, waterborn waste, transportation
when it comes to renewable materials, what does LEED give credit for in regards to this
credit if you use rapidly renewable building materials for 5% of the total value. Life cycle of 10 years or less - plants
what are rapidly renewable materials
wool carpet, bamboo flooring, straw board, cotton batt insulation, lino, poplar oriented strand board (OSB), sunflower seed board and wheatgrass cabinetry
what is the embodied energy of a material
as little energy possible for it’s extraction as a raw material, initial processing and subsequent manufacturing, transportation during life cycle. produce as little waste and pollution as possible
what would make a product more “green” when it comes to it’s maintainability
if you don’t have to use cleaners that are toxic or have VOC’s
should you use recycled or salvaged material more often
salvaged because it’s already existing
what items are good to salvage
doors, windows, cabinetry, furnishings and equipment
what types of metal are available with recycled contect
steel and aluminium
how can interior designers help with the problem of deforestation
use reclaimed wood, specifying sustainable or alternate materials (like engineered wood vs solid wood, MDF), using certified wood products, or use MDF for mouldings instead of wood or composite wood veneers made from fast growing trees
what type of interior design product can use recycled plastic
carpet or window frames
what are the four categories of groups of finishes
adhesives, flooring, wall finishes & ceiling finishes
why is it important to know about adhesives
because this can be the sustainable problem part, not the actual material
what types of materials require adhesives for their installation
carpet, resilient flooring, plams, sheet metal, wood veneers and some wallcoverings
what can you specify to help with adhevives and sustainability
a low VOC adhesive
what sustainability factors must you consder when picking a carpet
raw-material, raw-material disposal and IAQ.
what are good raw materials for carpet manufacturing
polyester and nylon blend carpet made from recycled pop drings (PET) or wool, also pick a recycled underpad
what type of carpet material can be recycled easily
Nylon 6 fiber
why are carpet tiles more sustainable than broadloom carpet
only a small number needs to be replaced with damaged and the adhesives tend out outgass less
what about a carpet is bad for IAQ
its construction & adhesive
construction- the backing (latex) is bad- alternate methods are available
why is vinyl flooring bad for sustainability
because it requires a lot of petrochemicals to be made and contains a lot of PVC that can’t be disposed of easily
why is recycled rubber not a great sustainable choice for flooring
because it off gasses so use where you have lots of ventilation
what is sustainable about linoleum flooring
made from renewable products, biodegradable, waterproof, fire resistant and antibacterial
what are the sustainable pros and cons to cork flooring
pro- renewable resource of under 10 years and the forests are well managed
con- from countries far away so the transportation requires a lot of energy
what makes GWB not super sustainable
because it can’t be recycled or disposed of easily
what is one factor about ceiling tiles that makes it good for recycling
it’s cheaper to recycle then send to the landfil
what can you do to specify more sustainable furniture? Name some ways to pick sustainable stuff
- pick furniture with steel, solid wood and glass which are all really recycleable after they are discarded
- use cushions with PET plastic
- biodegradable fabrics
- use powder coating instead of standard paint
how can the interior designer help with energy efficiency in a building (don’t describe yet)
- building commissioning
- Mechanical systems
- Electricity Use
- Plumbing
what is building commissioning in regards to energy efficiancy and sustainability
the process of inspecing, testing, starting up and adjusting building systems and verifying that they are operating as intended. The majority of building commissioning occurs during the design. We just have to make sure everything we designed is installed the way they were intended
what can the interior designer help with energy efficiency and the mechanical system?
- not use any mechanical system components that use CFC based refigerants
- use displacement ventilation- supply air originates at the floor level and rises to return air grilles in the ceiling. Doesn’t need to be cooled or heated as much cause it comes out closer to the users- only really good for new construction though
at what temperature does mold grow at
40 to 100 Fahrenheit or 4 to 38 celcius
how can you contain or prevent mold
control moisture in places where it should not be, or use a material that does not provide a nutrient for mold to eat (organic material)
what are the main causes of poor IAQ
chemicals from indoor, chemicals from outdoor, biological contaminates and poor ventilation
what is the most common source of poor IAQ
contaminates from indoor sources
what is a biological contaminant when it comes to IAQ
mold, bacteria, viruses developed from moisture infiltration or from bird poo
what are the three classifications of symptoms of poor IAQ
- Sick Building Syndrom (SBS)- symptoms disappear once they leave the building. Can’t pinpoint the exact cauase
- Building-related illness(BRI)- can pinpoint the cause of the illness- symptoms may not improve once they leave- the building gave them a cold
- Multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS)- expore to VOC’s or other chemicals- develop long term sensitivity to certain chemicals. Life long thing
what can an interior designer to do to help with poor IAQ
- Eliminate or reduce sources of pollution- low VOC finishes, finishes resistant to mold, suggest to the client to run the HVAC system for 2 weeks before ppl move in
- Control Ventilation- confirm with mechanical guy that minimum outdoor air ventiloation is being provided, provide separate rooms and vents for equipment that emits high concentration of pollutants like a big copier
- Establish good maintenence procedures- we have little control over this but we can provide it. can also pick finishes that are easy to clean and maintain
what is the Clean Air Act (CAA)
regulates air emissions from area, stationary and mobile sources to protect public health and the environment
what is ANSI/ASHRAE standard 62.1
ventilation for acceptable indor air quality- industry standard but compliance is voluntary
sets minimum outdoor air requirements for ventilation, managing sources of contamination and controlling humidity, filtering and maintenance of HVAC system
what is ANSI/ASHRAE standard 62.2
ventilation and acceptable IAQ in low rise residential buildings- same as above but for 3 stories or less
what year was lead paint banned and stopped being used
1978
what is adaptive reuse
reusing as much of the existing building stock as possible instead of constructing new buildings- turning an old warehouse into a residence is an example
why is recycling materials difficult
because you have to separate the different substances so they can be individually recycled which is done by hand usually. costs a lot.
what is a biobased product and what are some examples
a product made with plant or animal material as the main ingredient
adhesives, composite panels, GWB susbstrates, ceiling tiles, carpet backing
what is a coproduct
marketable byproduct from a processes that were traditionally thought of as waste but can be used as raw materials in a different fabrication process
what is the definition of sustainable
the condition of being able to meet the needs of the present generation with out compromising the needs of future generations
what are two ways to reduce the lighting required in a space that has nothing to do with the type of fixture you pick
use daylighting
use reflective materials/finishes
where does much of a building’s energy consumption come from
heating and cooling the building
what is one way you can reduce the cost of heating and cooling a building at each room
provide personal temperature controls and flexible underfloor wiring
what is the one cause of poor IAQ that I keep forgetting
poor ventilation- inadequate supply of fresh air so pollutants don’t get diluted or flushed out
when specifying finishes and thinking about sustainability, what factors about a finish should you consider- what sustainable things are the most important
durable so you don’t have to replace it often
biodegradable
recyclable
what are some ways a designer can reduce water usage in a building
low flow or flor restrictors
touch less or sensored faucets
water efficient appliances?
install meters to monitor water use or detect leaks.
