SUSTAINABLE DESIGN Flashcards
List 5 things to do with water for a sustainable project
- Controlling stormwater runoff
- Prevent erosion
- Use rainwater
- Employ graywater
- Water conservation (eg. Low flow fixtures)
What first/most basic step to ensuring a sustainable design project?
Minimize disturbance to the site
What is graywater
waste water not from toilets or urinals
What is blackwater?
Water from toilets, urinals (some places include waste from laundries, kitchen sinks)
What are some of the problems that stormwater runoff can create? (Eight.)
- Increased load on sewers
- Increased potential for flooding
- Pollution of waterways with road salts, sediment, petrol, fertilizers, heavy metals, bacteria
- Erosion of sites and waterways
- Erosion of stream beds
- Soil creep, landslides
- Stream warming
- Loss of aquatic biodiversity
What does stormwater management sets out to do?
Reduces stormwater runoff pollutant loads, discharge volumes, and discharge rates
Name some materials that can create pervious paving
Grids of concrete, plastic or other. Or porous asphalt or concrete
The 2 basic advantages of rainwater collection
- You can use that water (for all sorts of nonpotable purposes like irrigation, flushing toilets)
- You are also reducing stormwater runoff
What are the 3 elements of a rainwater collection system?
- Collection system
- Storage cistern
- Distribution system
3 good materials and 2 bad materials to use in a rainwater collecting roof
- Clay tile, metal, concrete are good
2. Asphalt shingles and lead-containing metal (like flashing) are bad
What are steep roofs better than shallow ones for collecting rain?
The wind cleans them more from dust and debris
How do you determine the amount of rainfall you will collect?
Multiply the horizontal area of catchment by average annual rainfall for the region and then reduce by around 75% for loss and evaporation
You can also be green by using graywater in a ____ ________ system
Heat recovery
What is LCA and what are the 3 steps?
Life cycle analysis measure the full environmental impact of using a particular material in construction.
- Define goals and scope of study
- Perform inventory analysis (all the way down to the energy require to obtain raw materials)
- Impact assessment (resource depletion, pollution, etc)
- Improvement analysis
What are the 4 main stages of a product’s life cycle?
- Raw material acquisition (acquisition, processing, transport to manufacturing facility)
- Manufacturing (including packaging and transport to final site)
- Use/maintenance (including installation, performance, fixing)
- Disposal (including reuse and recycling)
What is embodied energy?
All the energy it took to get the raw material, process it for manufacturing and get it to where it needs to be
Name 5 advantages of fly ash on concrete
- Comes from coal-fired plants (therefor recycling a byproduct)
- Increases concrete strength
- Decreases permeability
- Reduces temperature rose during placement/curing
- Increases sulphate resistance
- Improves workability
- Reduces need for cement (can replace 40 to 50% sometimes 65% of the Portland cement needed)
What is AAC autoclave aerated concrete? What is it good for?
Lightweight, precast concrete made with aluminum powder, hardened in molds, cured in an autoclave. Formed into blocks that can be cut and shaped with normal woodworking tools. Used for non loading bearing residential and light commercial walls. Has great insulation, reduced air infiltration, and great insulation value. And it requires less cement.
What is a common higher recycled content of steel?
30%
What is a renewable resource?
A material that comes from a source that can be renewed in a short period of time.
What is a common higher recycled content of aluminum?
20%
What is the resin based alternative to urea formaldehyde in engineered wood products using wood waste?
MDI (methyl-diphenyl isocyanate)
What does FSC stand for?
Forest Stewardship Council
A bldg can get a LEED credit if it uses a __% of FSC certified wood product
50%
What is the most sustainable plastic product (bio plastics, polylactide PLA) made of?
Corn biodegradable
Some sustainable insulations… Cellulose insulation - what is it?
Contains at least 70% post consumer paper waste
Some sustainable insulations… Mineral-fiber insulation - what is it?
Made from mill slag or basalt rock, available as rigid boards, batt, or
Loose
Fill
Some sustainable insulations… Glass
Fiber insulation - what is it?
Contains at least 30% post consumer
Recycled glass, available in rigid boards, batt, and loose fill
Some sustainable insulations… Vermiculite - what is it?
Made from mica expanded by heat. Loose fill.
Some sustainable insulations… Perlite - what is it?
Made from volcanic rock expanded by heat, used as lightweight aggregate for plaster/concrete or as loose-fill
Some sustainable insulations… Compressed straw can be used …
As infill in structural insulated panels
What are the standards by which the national Fenestration Rating Council measures the energy efficiency of windows?
U–factor, solar heat gain coefficient, and visible light transmittance coefficients.
Name two reasons that interior finish materials provide a primary method of improving a buildings sustainability.
They are one of the main sources of potential indoor air pollution and they are replaced several times over the life of a building.
Name two sustainable raw materials for making carpet.
- Polyester and nylon-blended carpet from recycled soft drink containers
- Wool
Name a nylon that can be recycled easily.
Nylon 6
What are the ingredients in linoleum?
Linseed oil, rosen, cork powder, and pigments.
What is the main source of synthetic gypsum in North America?
Flue-gas desulfurization.
What percentage of gypsum wallboard core is made from synthetic gypsum?
7%
Sissel wallcovering is made from what plant? What are its advantages and disadvantages?
Henequen plant. It is fairly rough and not suitable for wet areas. But it is durable, low maintenance, and reduce his sound reflection and transmission.
What can affect absenteeism, productivity, creativity, and motivation?
IAQ, indoor air quality
What are volatile organic compounds (VOC)?
Chemicals that contain carbon and hydrogen and vaporize at room temperature and pressure.
Colorless gas with pungent order odor, used in preparation of resins and adhesives, found commonly in particleboard, wall paneling, furniture, adhesives, glue, and the furnishings industry.
Fromaldehyde
For IAQ with formaldehyde ASHRAE recommends a maximum continuous indoor air concentration of blank parts per million… But to be green guard certified a product cannot admit more than blank ppm.
0.1… .05
Name the three conditions mold needs to grow.
Moisture, a nutrient, and temperature between 40°F and 100°F
Hey condition in which occupants experience a variety of health related symptoms not directly linked to any cause, like irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat. Generally symptoms disappear after occupants leave the building.
Sick building syndrome
What is it called when there is a health – related symptoms of a building occupants that can be directly attributed to certain building contaminants?
Building – related illness
What is the condition brought on by exposure to VOC’s resulting in acute, long term sensitivity each time people are exposed to the chemicals?
Multiple chemical sensitivity
The four very basic ways to maintain good indoor air quality.
Eliminate/reduce sources of pollution, control ventilation, establish good maintenance procedures, control occupant activity.
What did the clean air act of 1970 decide?
Regulate emissions from area, stationery, and mobile sources, authorized by the EPA to establish the national ambient air quality standards
For the letter ASHRAE standard 62–2001 ventilation for acceptable indoor air quality compliance is blank
Voluntary but most building codes incorporate all or part by reference
The national VOC emission standards for architectural coatings implements part of the blank and set limits on VOCs
Clean air act
The California safe drinking water and toxic enforcement act was made law in what year?
1986
The ASTM D5116 standard Guide for small scale environmental chamber determinations of organic emissions from indoor materials and products it’s a guide that describes standards for what?
Equipment to measure indoor air quality
As far as indoor air quality goes the ASTM determines standards for what?
Measuring and the equipment for measuring it
Adaptive reuse means …
… reusing as much of the existing building as possible
A project can receive LEED credit for maintaining at least what percentage of the structure and shell? And what percentage of the non-shell (walls, doors, floor coverings, ceilings)?
75%, 50%
You can receive LEED credit for using what percentage of salvage, refurbished materials and furnishings?
5%, additional credit for 10%
Asbestos is… And can be found in hat types of existing construction?
A naturally occurring fibrous mineral found in certain types of rock formations. Pipe and blown-in insulation, asphalt flooring, vinyl sheet and tile flooring, mastics, paints, roof shingles, cement siding, caulking, etc
What is vermiculite? What is it used for on construction?
A laminar mineral (magnesium-aluminum-ironsilicate) that looks like mica. Can contain asbestos. our-in insulation, acoustic finishes, fire protection, etc.
Don’t try to remove lead paint by … Maybe you could just…
Sanding, scraping, or heat gun… Cover it up with a new layer of gyp
What is radon and where do you find it? How do you keep it from getting into buildings?
Colorless, odorless radioactive gas found in rocks, soil, and water all over the world….
Seal cracks, vent the soil, depressurization of voids in block walls, ventilating crawl spaces,
What are PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls)?
Mixtures of synthetic organic chemicals from liquids to waxy solids. Previously found in building transformers, fluorescent light transformers, paints, coatings, plastics.
In life cycle cost analysis what is the discount rate?
Used to convert future costs to their equivalent preset values
Name the types of costs calculated by life cycle cost analysis (6).
Initial, operational, maintenance, replacement, finance costs, and taxes.
What is residual value on life cycle cost analysis?
The remaining value of the element at the end of the study period (in terms of resale, salvage, value in place, or scrap value)… Any residual vale is discounted to its present value and added together
What is the difference between lifecycle assessment and lifecycle cost analysis?
Lifecycle assessment measures environmental impact whereas lifecycle cost analysis measures the cost of a project wing in operational maintenance and future costs.
What does LEED stand for?
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
What is the BRE and what is it’s BREEAM?
The British research establishment that is roughly equivalent to LEED and has the BRE environmental assessment method to evaluate buildings.
Green Seal is operate by…
It is an independent nonprofit that evaluates products
Greenguard specifically monitors what kind of products?
Emissions from indoor products… Measures total VOCs, formaldehyde, aldehyde, respirable particles, carbon monoxide, dioxide, nitrogen oxide…
What is the Scientific Certification Systems (SCS)?
Private scientific organization that certifies specific product attributes (I.e recyclability, biogradeability) and also products from flooring to adhesives to wall coverings to paint. Also certifies some forests.
The ISO is the international standards organization. Name the chapters that cover, respectively, environmental labeling and life-cycle assessments.
The guidelines are in ISO 14000. Environmental labeling is 14020. 14040 covers life-cycle assessments.
What act on 1976 gave the EPA the authority to track and regulate 75,000 industrial chemicals?
Toxic Substances Control Act
What is a coproduct?
A marketable by-product from a process (traditionally viewed as waste… But can be sold!)
What is demand control ventilation? How does it work?
System that adjusts ventilation air according to occupancy levels. Usually uses carbon dioxide sensors but can also employ air quality sensors.
What is detention?
Temporary storage of storm runoff in a detention facility to control peak discharge. It gradually releases stored water.
What is a Drainage easement?
Legal right (usually landowner to government entity) to use private land for stormwater management
What does embodied energy include?
Extraction, production, fabrication, and delivery
What is a Fee in lieu ?
Money a developer pays in place of meeting all or part of stormwater performance standards.
What is the Hydrologic soil group?
A classification system for soils. 4 types from A-high permeability and and little runoff potential to D-high runoff
What is infiltration?
Process of stormwater percolating into the soil.
Post consumer means…
… The material has already served it’s intended use
Post-industrial means…
…materials generated in manufacturing processes like trimmings and scrap (also sometimes pre-consumer)
What are recovered materials?
Waste or byproduct a saved from solid waste disposal (does not apply to coproducts or reused materials)
What is a renewable product?
Can be grown or naturally replenished
The definition of Sustainable is…
… The condition of being able to meet the needs of present generations without compromising future
What is the difference between a watercourse and a waterway?
A watercourse is any body of water and a waterway is a channel
That directs surface runoff to a watercourse or public storm drain.
Silent spring exposed the horrors of…
DDT
What is the area of the earths ecosystem? What is the ecosphere? What is the biosphere?
Area of atmosphere five miles high and crust five miles deep. The ecosphere is that 5 miles deep area of crust. The biosphere is that 5 miles high area of the troposphere of the atmosphere.
What are the 5 tenets of the Natural Step?
- Substance from the earths crust should not systemically increase in the biosphere
- Manufactured substances should not systemically increase in the ecosphere
- The productivity and diversity of nature should not be systemically diminished.
- But there should be a flair and efficient use of resources to meet human needs.
- Buildings account for 40% of worlds energy, 1/3 of emissions, 2/5 of acid rain - causing carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxides.
6 important factors in site selection
- Near public transport
- Not on flood plains
- Not causing erosion and landslides
- Not on high slopes and agricultural areas
- Site for solar orientation, wind patterns
- Landscaping for passive conditioning
The ahwahnee principles are mainly concerned with:
Human scale of communities… Differentiation of urban design… Keeping the scale of economy small, etc… Reminds me a bit of pattern language
Why matrix costing?
You have all the elements and can balance one thing against another. Plus super organized!
Name the six categories of LEED
- Sustainable SITES
- Water
- Energy & Atmosphere
- Materials & Resources
- IAQ
- Innovation and Design Practice
What is the DOE-2?
Department of energy’s building analysis program
What is benchmarking?
Standards for total energy consumption in BTUs per square foot for various kinds of buildings in the United States. The US Department of energy provides this info.
It can alert the design team to basic standards for a particular
Building type.
What green technology attempts to “flatten the curve” for the high demand for cooling?
Ice storage cooling systems …
How many times more and body energy is in aluminum than wood?
Approximately 100
Which country has the lowest per capita CO2 output
Bangladesh
A heat pump returns what percent of its electrical input as heat to a building when the outdoor air is above freezing?
Greater than 200%
Which of the following countries has the largest ecological footprint?
United States
Why does the typical building demolition process currently waste potentially recyclable materials?
Because the cost of labor to recycle them is higher than the cost of energy needed to produce new materials
What is an example of design intent?
Building will be green, with a focus on IAQ
What is an example of design criteria?
No building space will experience more than 1000 ppm CEO (1000 parts per million carbon monoxide)
What is an example of building requirements written in a prescriptive language?
Pipes in a roof drainage system show measure no less than 3 inches in diameter
What is the greatest energy end use in US buildings?
Space heating
What is an example of a characteristic in a smart building?
Photo electric controls turn off electric lighting when daylighting is adequate
When the gross resource demands of an area constitute an environmental footprint greater than 1.0, what does that mean?
The areas resource use is out of proportion with its population and requires resources from other places
Compared to a rural environment, a city receives how much less ultraviolet radiation in the winter?
30% less
In order to provide noise reduction of 20 dB for annoys shadow angle of 90°, how high would a wall have to be?
20 feet
Following the principles of naturalistic site design which they are of the building would be the best location for most mechanical equipment?
Subsurface there, below the ground
As air passes through a gap in a windbreak, what happens to it?
It accelerates in the direction of flow
Describe a building constructed within the boundaries of it solar envelope
It’s a slope would correspond to the altitude angle of the sun for about two hours before and after noon on December 21
The insulating value of clothing is measured in what kind of unit? And what is its equivalency in BTUs?
CLOs … Equivalent to you’re a .88 ft.² Fahrenheit/BTU… Or the equivalent of a typical American man’s business suit in 1941
What are the two things that determine ASHRAE’s comfort zones?
Relative humidity and dry bulb air temperature
Humphreys and Nichols equation for indoor comfort is different from other comfort models in that it does not include what?
Relative humidity
ASHRAE’s definition of acceptable indoor air quality is…
A condition in which there are no harmful concentrations of non-contaminated and in which 80% of people exposed do not express dissatisfaction
How much new air with an indoor space have after one hour of ventilation at the rate of 1 air change per hour?
63%
