Building and remodeling green, sustainable building
What is building green?
Building or remodeling green is a design and construction approach that promotes the health and well-being of your family, the community and the environment.
A green building, also known as a sustainable building, is a structure that is designed, built, renovated, operated, or reused in an ecological and resource-efficient manner.
Green buildings are designed to meet certain objectives such as protecting occupant health; improving employee productivity; using energy, water, and other resources more efficiently; and reducing the overall impact to the environment.
What are the economic benefits?
A green building saves homeowners money by lowering the operating costs of the building. Energy savings, water conservation and structural soundness contribute to monetary savings.
Some benefits, such as improving occupant health, comfort, productivity, reducing pollution and landfill waste are not easily quantified.
Certification
Mike Bennett has trained and received certification from Green Advantage® Residential and is a member of the US Green Building Council. Read more.
Principles of Green Design & Construction:
The precise definition of exactly what is a green and what isn’t a green home is still very much a moving target. A broad array of programs, rating systems and laws has described the requirements differently.
There does seem to be, however, six inter-related sustainability principles that are often present in the various programs and rating systems.
Optimize Site Potential:
This principle covers such aspects as proper site selection, consideration for existing buildings or infrastructure, orientation of streets and homes for passive and active solar features, location of access roads, parking, potential hazards, and any high priority resources which should be conserved such as trees, waterways and animal habitats.
Minimize Energy Use and Use Renewable Energy Strategies:
This principle covers aspects such as reducing the overall energy loads (through insulation, efficient equipment and lighting and careful detailing of the entire envelope of the home), limiting the amount of fossil fuels required, incorporating renewable energy systems such as photovoltaic, geothermal heat pumps and solar water heating whenever feasible.
Conserve and Protect Water:
This principle covers aspects such as reducing, controlling or treating site runoff and designing and constructing the home to conserve water usage on the inside and outside.
Use Environmentally Preferable Products:
This principle covers such aspects as specifying products which are salvaged, made with recycled content, conserve natural resources, come from renewable sources, reduce overall material use, are exceptionally durable or low maintenance, are naturally or minimally processed, save energy or water and reduce pollution or waste from operations. Improve Indoor
Environmental Quality:
This principle covers strategies to provide excellent indoor air quality and excellent thermal, visual and acoustical qualities which have a major impact on health, comfort and productivity. Items to be considered include: maximize daylight, provide appropriate ventilation and moisture control, use low or no VOC products and introduction of outside air into the built environment.
Optimize Operations and Maintenance Practices:
This principle covers aspects related to carefully incorporating O&M considerations into the design of the home. Consider materials and systems that simplify and reduce maintenance requirements, require less water, energy and toxic chemicals and cleaners to maintain, are cost effective, and have reduced life cycle costs. One thing is clear, to achieve a green home or remodel, proper design and integration of a multitude of disciplines and technologies have to be carefully planned in the design stage and carried out in the construction stage. In the end, it is your decision to decide what shade of green you want your home to be.
**The Principles of Green Design is from Green Building Guidelines, Meeting the demand for low energy and resource efficient homes, Fifth Edition, Sustainable Buildings Industry Council.