CVEN2101

ENGINEERING CONSTRUCTION

Week 12
Green Construction
ALI AMIN
 Introduction
Environmental issues have moved into
the mainstream of our culture

Growing environmental challenges face

each new generation

As we move towards greater awareness

of these issues, we are slowly building
a collective momentum not only toward
solving these problems, but towards
recognizing the opportunities they offer
us

These opportunities can lead us to a

new generation of buildings and
communities that are healthy,
productive, and enhance our quality of
life!
 Green Buildings
A green building is a high
performance property that
considers and reduces its impact on
the environment and human health.

A green building is designed to use

less energy and water and to reduce
the life cycle environmental impacts
of the materials used

This is achieved through better site

selection, design, material selection,
construction techniques, operation,
maintenance, removal and possible
reuse
 Sustainable Design
Sustainability represents a balance that accommodates human needs
without diminishing the health and productivity of natural systems

Sustainability can be defined as the ability of society to continue

functioning into the future without being forced into decline through
exhaustion or overloading of the key resources on which that system
depends

The term sustainability has become fashionable in recent times...

With rapidly rising world populations, increased demand on scarce

resources, and continued pollution, sustainability is quickly becoming
the dominant issue of our time

As engineers, it is an issue that each of us should address in our work

 Sustainable Design
Unfortunately, our current economic
accounting system does not
recognize the value of depleted
resources or the cost of pollution
and diminishing biodiversity

If it did, our current practices would

no longer appear to be economically
viable

The search of sustainability

highlights waste and lost
opportunities in our current
practices that can serve as the
engine for the development of
improved solutions
 Sustainable Design
Increasingly, people are realizing
that environmental and economic
sustainability go hand in hand

While environmental and economic

sustainability is the goal,
sustainable design is the means we
as engineers have to contribute to
that goal

Sustainable design moves away

from extractive and disposable
systems that are energy intensive,
resource inefficient and toxic toward
cyclical, closed-loop systems that
are restorative, dynamic and
flexible.
 Green Buildings

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLO_gI6tJLc
 Environmental Impacts of Building &
Construction
Buildings and construction processes contribute directly and indirectly
to most of our environmental problems

Buildings are tremendous consumers of resources and generators of

waste

The industrial processes used to manufacture building materials and

equipment contribute to waste and pollution as well!

Buildings and the infrastructure that supports them consume open

space and displace habitat

The quality of our indoor environment can inhibit productivity, and in

some cases can even threaten our health!
 Opportunities For Improvement
Despite all the negativity so far, the
good news is that there are many ways
to improve our work without increased
costs or program sacrifices!

By embracing sustainable land-use

planning, habitat can be preserved and
enhanced, and our communities made
more liveable

Sustainable design in buildings and

construction requires a holistic view of
land, infrastructure, and buildings in
order to use material, energy and water
resources efficiently, improve the
health of ecosystems, and address
health issues relating to the indoor
environment
 Sustainable Design Goals
Our current standard design practices work against sustainability and
fall short in terms of quality

Norms in our industry for thermal comfort, indoor air quality, access to
daylight, and long term durability can certainly be improved on

Sustainable design recognizes the interdependence of the built and

natural environments; it seeks to harness natural energy flows and
biological processes, eliminate reliance on fossil fuels and toxic
materials, and improve resource efficiency

Because sustainable design is concerned with the quality of our

environment as a whole, issues related to land use and community
planning are also of primary importance
 Sustainable Design Goals
Six overarching goals for the environmental improvement of facilities are:

Protect ecosystems and support restoration of natural systems

Promote development of liveable communities

Use resources efficiently (water, energy, land, materials etc)

Create healthy indoor environments

Move toward eliminating waste and pollution (production of material;

construction of project; use of project; deconstruction of project)

Move away from fossil fuels

Sustainable design goals are essential to guiding the design process,

because they define the challenge to the design team by holding up an
image of what success would be like
 10 Things Developers Can Do
1. Select and develop sites to promote liveable communities

Consider regional land use patterns and impacts to the wildlife habitat
when selecting sites

Give preference to options that redevelop existing sites and structures,

and make use of existing structures

Develop links to public transit and strategies to develop pedestrian

friendly, mixed use liveable communities

Encourage pedestrian circulation by animating streets with retail space at

street level

Provide parks, recreational areas, and conservation easements

 10 Things Developers Can Do
2. Develop flexible designs to enhance building longevity

Design for ease of expansion and reconfiguration

Consider future needs and design in flexibility to accommodate them

through the use of modular planning and flexible building infrastructures
for heating, ventilation, air conditioning, power and communication

Avoid the use of fixed cabling and ducting that are embedded into the
structure which can be costly to change

Consider the appropriate longevity of the proposed facility and design

accordingly.

If the anticipated life span is short, consider possible future uses for
the facility and/or design for disassembly

For facilities with a long anticipated life span, design to ease periodic
refurbishment and selective replacement of building systems
 10 Things Developers Can Do
3. Use natural strategies to protect and restore water resources

Design the site to limit disruption to

existing vegetated areas, and use
natural stormwater treatment
systems such as bio-retention,
pervious paving and vegetated
rooftops to purify runoff and
promote groundwater recharge

Consider the impact on water flows

on the site when locating buildings,
roadways and site infrastructure to
limit disruption to existing natural
site drainage patterns
 10 Things Developers Can Do
4. Improve energy efficiency while ensuring thermal comfort

Improve the building envelope and

develop passive solar strategies to
improve comfort and reduce
energy demands; then optimize the
energy efficiency of heating
ventilation and air conditioning
systems

Fluorescent lighting has

significantly improved over the
years.. These should be used for
all building lighting
 10 Things Developers Can Do
5. Reduce Environmental impacts related to energy use

Explore opportunities to reduce

reliance on fossil fuels and to use
cleaner sources of power.

Consider use of fuel cells,

photovoltaic's, solar hot water etc

Depending on whether the utility

uses coal, oil, natural gas or natural
energy sources, the environmental
impacts will vary substantially
 10 Things Developers Can Do
6. Promote occupant health and well being indoors

Consider opportunities to
enhance the indoor environment
by providing building occupants
with a connection to nature and
natural daylight, improved
lighting and acoustics and
improved air quality

Consider use of gardens,

landscaped courtyards, green
roofs, and views to landscapes
beyond

Use natural ventilation

 10 Things Developers Can Do
7. Conserve water and consider water reuse systems

Conserve water with the use of

low-flow plumbing fixtures and
water efficient appliances and
water efficient cooling towers

Consider the use of waterless

fixtures such as waterless
urinals and composting toilets
where appropriate

Consider collection of rainwater

and reuse of grey water for
non-potable uses
 10 Things Developers Can Do
8. Use environmentally preferable building materials

Evaluate the environmental impacts

and resource use of proposed building
materials over their full life cycle

Raw materials sources, production,

transport to site, installation, and
disposal should be questioned and
evaluated prior to making a selection

Seek out nontoxic materials from local,

renewable, sustainably acquired
resources that minimize pollution from
manufacturing installation and
maintenance
 10 Things Developers Can Do
8. Use environmentally preferable building materials - example

The binding agent of concrete, Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC), accounts

for approximately 5% of global industrial energy consumption, with water
consumption the only resource used more than concrete. The global OPC
industry consumes an estimated 2.9 billion tonnes of natural resources
each year and contributes to approximately 7% of all anthropogenic CO2
emissions. Australian production processes release about 800 kg of CO2
per 1 tonne of cementitious material produced.

Utilisation of industry waste products, such as fly ash and slag, in place
of cement is an alternative to reduce the carbon footprint of the concrete
industry without compromising performance. Geopolymers utilise such
waste products; they contain no Ordinary Portland Cement and behave in
a similar quasi-brittle fashion to that of concrete thus proving to be an
emerging sustainable material.
 10 Things Developers Can Do
9. Use appropriate plant material

Use plant material adapted to

the regions climate, soils and
water availability to ensure
survival while reducing
maintenance and irrigation
requirements

Limit the use of high

maintenance landscaping and
maximize the area of natural
settings

Overall, protect the natural

features of the site!
 10 Things Developers Can Do
10. Plan for recycling during construction/demolition and occupancy

It is a matter of experience and

perhaps of human nature that if
recycling is made easy and
convenient, it will probably
happen

Provide facilities for recycling

at the point of use on each floor
(e.g.. copy rooms)

Contact local waste authorities

to establish procedures to
accommodate the existing
recycling processes
 Economic Benefits
Sustainable design can lead to a variety of
economic benefits.

These include the economic benefits of energy,

water, and materials savings as well as reduced
maintenance and other operational costs

Environmentally friendly buildings provide

additional benefits to building owners and
occupants by limiting risks, such as liability due
to poor indoor air quality

Environmentally friendly buildings can

contribute to positive public relations public
concern about these issues will continue to
grow, and with it will come increasing demand
for solutions and support
 Economic Benefits
The reason we have seen such a tremendous surge of interest in
sustainable design is that it is the right thing to do, it improves building
performance, and it also makes sense economically

Integrated design solutions allow for cost shifting to occur within a

conventional budget envelope. For example, increased expenditures on
the building envelope and improved lighting can lead to reductions in
the size and therefore the cost of mechanical systems!

A design process that is more rigorous in seeking out efficiencies and

eliminating waste also provides economic benefits.

Many of these savings are small when considered in terms of the overall
budget; however they can allow for meaningful upgrades in other areas

For example, low-impact site development leads to reduced earthworks

and more balanced cut and fill, elimination of irrigation systems and
reduced stormwater requirements
 How Green is your Building?
Green Star is Australia's trusted
mark of quality for the design and
construction of sustainable
buildings, fit outs and communities.

Green Star has grown into a

comprehensive rating system for all
types of projects, from apartment
buildings to schools, university
buildings, hospitals, offices,
shopping centres and industrial
facilities.

http://www.gbca.org.au/
 How Green is your Building?
Ways to improve the green star rating of a buildings
Sustainable sites Develop only on appropriate sites, preserve open
space, manage stormwater etc

Water conservation Reduce use of potable water for irrigation and for
building water use and sewage conveyance

Energy efficiency and atmosphere protection reduce building energy

use, use less harmful chemicals for refrigerants, generate renewable
energy onsite, provide for ongoing energy savings, and purchase green
power for project use

Materials and resource conservation provide for recycling, reuse

buildings, reduce construction waste generation, use salvaged and
recycled content materials, source materials locally, use rapidly renewable
(agricultural) materials and certified wood products
 How Green is your Building?
Ways to improve the green star rating of a buildings
Indoor environmental quality
Improve indoor air quality, increase
outside air ventilation, manage air
quality during construction, use only
nontoxic finishes and carpets and
composite wood products, reduce
exposure to toxic chemicals during
building operations, maintain
thermal comfort standards, provide
day lighting and views to the
outdoors.
 Going Beyond the Minimums
Our communities have been formed by minimal and sometimes
nonexistent planning requirements that frequently ignore the complex
interrelationships between the built environment and the natural world;
or the long-term implications of the decisions that they influence

Building performance has also been measured almost exclusively by

minimum code requirements.. i.e. The minimum has also been seen as
the maximum!!

An inefficient building will put thousands of tons of pollutants into the

air, a site that doesnt manage its stormwater effectively will cause off-
site problems, and communities that do not offer transportation
alternatives will continue to suffer from automobile congestion and
pollution
 Going Beyond the Minimums
By going beyond minimum requirements, and
focussing instead on optimum performance,
we redefine our design problems in a way that
opens up many exciting possibilities

Once the shift has been made to a design

process based on optimisation instead of
minimum performance, the design task
becomes much more open ended.

It is now possible to think of buildings and

communities that are not only efficient but
energy neutral to the world around them; in
some cases, buildings and communities can
become net producers of energy!!
 Case Study Stadium Australia
The 110,000 seat Stadium Australia was the main venue for the Sydney
2000 Olympics
 Case Study Stadium Australia
Environmental goals The international Olympic Committee decided
that the Sydney games should be developed as the Green Games

The IOC requested that all new facilities for the games be designed to
high environmental standards

Within the established budget the design team was charged to explore
all opportunities to conserve energy and water resources and to
develop aggressive water reuse and recycling strategies
 Case Study Stadium Australia
Design Overview

The stadium was conceived of as an

amenity that would bring the
surrounding are to life 24 hours a day,
attracting people to the stadiums
entertainment precincts as well as its
restaurants and offices etc

After the Olympics, the stadiums upper-

end tiers were removed and end roofs
were added to convert it to an 80,000
seat venue.

Placing movable seating tiers on rails

allows it to be easily configured to $463 million
provide optimum spectator sightlines
for most events.
 Case Study Stadium Australia
Energy

The design teams designed Stadium

Australia to be much more energy
efficient than a typical stadium

Strategies included providing passive

ventilation to minimize air
conditioning, day lighting to reduce
the need for artificial lighting, ample
insulation to decrease energy
demand, gas for cooking

Openings in the roof and walls

promote ventilation, while the roof
itself will help reduce solar heat gain
to the seating areas
 Case Study Stadium Australia
Energy

The lighting strategy allows light to

penetrate the building through large
glazed walls

Microprocessor based lighting

controls (including passive infrared
occupancy sensors and photoelectric
cell day light sensors) ensure that
lighting energy is not wasted in
unoccupied spaces and during
daylight hours.

The electric lighting system uses

energy efficient high luminosity light
sources
 Case Study Stadium Australia
Energy

To reduce demand for off-grid electricity, Stadium Australia has a gas

fired cogeneration plant consisting of two 500kV gas fired generators

These on-site generators work in conjunction with the main grid

supply from 7:00am to 11:00pm, cutting the energy demand on the
supply authorities network
 Case Study Stadium Australia
Water
The stadium uses water conservation
techniques such as dual water
supply, in which toilets and urinals
are connected to a non potable water
supply.

The most notable water reclamation

measure involves collecting rainwater
that falls on the stadium roof. Roof
water is collected by a siphonic
drainage system that passes along
the main arch and down the thrust
blocks into four large basement tanks
with a total capacity of 3200m3. This
satisfies the irrigation needs of the
stadiums grass!
 Summary of Lecture

Green buildings

Green Star Rating

Sustainable Design

Stadium Australia