Week 10/11 - Environmental Aspects of Housing

Question 1

Environmentally friendly buildings focus on:

Answer 1

1. minimal energy consumption

2. minimal resource consumption

Question 2

Green buildings are designed for energy efficiency with:

Answer 2

• insulation; glass, roof, and walls
• air-tightness
• passive solar collection; one third to one half of the space heat required for a well designed home can be provided passively from the sun
• active solar collection; water pre-heating and photovoltaics (PVs)
• big windows with projecting horozontal sun shades, let in lots of light and cut need for lighting during the day

Question 3

Systems that reduce water use include:

Answer 3

• composting toilets
• aerated faucets
• landscaping with local plants that don’t need watering

Question 4

Define/exaplain: embodied energy, how does it relate to green buildings?

Answer 4

• the energy consumed by all of the processes associated with the production of a building
• ex. the mining and processing of natural resources, the manufacturing/transport
• natural materials have lower embodied energy than man-made materials
• green buildings make use of materials with a low embodied energy, where possible, ex. using locally produced materials saves on transportation

Question 5

Define/explain: 6 Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Categories

Answer 5

1. Sustainable Sites
   - urban/brownfield redevelopment; of sites considered undesirable to build on
   - access to alternative transportation other than a vehicle
   - reduced site disturbance
   - light pollution reduction
   - reducing heat islands, ex. white doesn’t soak up heat vs. black
2. Water Efficiency
   - water efficient landscaping, ex. local plants
   - water use reduction, low flush toilets, aerated faucets
3. Energy and Atmosphere
   - optimal energy performance, ex. high level of insulation,
   - renewable energy sources, ex. bullfrog energy
4. Materials and Resources
   - building re-use (where applicable)
   - construction waste management
   - local/recycled content
   - rapidly renewable materials, ex. bamboo grows quickly
5. Indoor Environmental Quality
   - Indoor Air Quality, how clean is air?
   - avoid “volatile organic compounds”; carbon-based chemicals used in products that evaporate/offgass or can easily get into the air at room temperature
   - low emitting materials
   - daylight and views, good for mental state, ex. landscape views
6. Innovation in Design

Question 6

U.S. Green Building Council’s list of the top 10 countries for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design

Answer 6

• ranks countries based on cumulative gross square metres (GSM) of LEED-certified space
• Canada tops the list

Question 7

Explain geothermal energy units:

Answer 7

• ground absorbs 50% of suns energy and stays at 55 degrees all year
• installing water underground to heat/cool house and keep it at 55 degrees all year