• Sustainability include the same considerations, but referring to the United States Environmental Protection Agency,

the importance of sustainability lies in the “future” factors, which set a higher standard than those used to define
green building. –
• Sustainable design reduce the impact on the environment by using responsibly- sourced materials or products,
which are either renewable or sustainably harvested. Sustainably harvested materials is gathered in a way that does
not affect the surrounding area, pollute the air or permanently reduce the supply. –
• For humans, sustainability results in the potential for long-term well-being, which in turn depends on the well-being
of the natural world and the responsible use of natural resources
• Bamboo flooring…. –
• Wood is generally ….. –
• FSC is the abbreviation of Forest Stewardship Council. It is an international and independent
organization established to promote the responsible management of the world's forests.
• FSC -controlled Wood is known from where it is harvested, and that it is harvested in an acceptable
way. –.
• Jong-Jin Kims document about Sustainable Architecture comprises fundamentals
about the relation of economic growth, resource consumption, environmental
pollution and the role of architecture. Beyond it include principles and methods
for sustainable architecture, both are here summarized.
• Economic success is traditionally measured by referring to the Gross National Product (GNP) –
• The GNP is the total value of goods produced and services provided by a country during one year. –
• It refer to any economic activities and production, including consumption, demolition, and waste that require
further production, independent of its environmental impacts and it effects on long-term social well-being.
• However, environmental threats to the quality of life are realized and environmental movements occur in all
sectors of industrialized countries, including business, manufacturing, transportation, agriculture, and
architecture.
• The table presents the CO2 emissions per person, which ranges from Australia’s
27 tons per person a year, to and India’s almost 2 tons and below.
• The width of each column presents the population and the height the emissions
per person. The area represents total emissions.
• Jong-Jin Kim mentioned that developing countries have the tendency to model their economic
infrastructure after those of industrialized countries. –
• All quantitative economic measures, such as per capita income, GNP, amount of foreign trade, and the
amount of building construction indicate that their economies are strong and rapidly growing. –
• BUT - Measuring a country’s GNP does not account for the loss of environmental quality and quality of
life, attributed to industrialization.
• The table presented here is from a study by the world bank in 2006. They found that the curves for
GDP and the amount of precipitation mirrored each other. If precipitation decreases in Ethiopia, GDP
is following.
• Resource consumption and economic status have a strong relation, because as the income level of a
society increases, so increases its resource consumption. This is similar for families, communities,
cities or entire countries.
• Industrial countries with higher incomes consume more energy and water per capita, and produce
more environmental pollution than developing countries. –
• An exception is Japan, with high income, but lesser energy consumption as Canada (highest), USA,
Germany or UK.
• It is an example which shows, that it is possible to establish resource-efficient social and economic
infrastructures, while raising the economic status.
• Also architecture and economic growth have a strong relation. –
• With economic development, also the need for more factories, office and public buildings and
residential buildings grow.
• For a household, the growth of incomes will lead to a desire for a larger house with more expensive
building materials, furnishings and home appliances. It will lead to more comfortable thermal
conditions in interior spaces; and a larger garden.
• As the economic status improves, the demand for architectural resources, such as land, buildings, and
energy will increase. This in turn increases the impact of architecture on the global ecosystem
• The goal of sustainable architecture is to find architectural solutions that minimize the impact of
architecture on the global ecosystem –
• Principles of sustainable architecture include: Economy of Resources, Life Cycle Design, and
referring to Kim, the Human Design –
• Economy of resources and Life Cycle Design deal with efficiency and conservation, the humane
design is concerned with the livability of all constituents of the global ecosystem, including plants
and wildlife
• The ECONOMY OF RESOURCES is concerned with the reduction, reuse, and
recycling of the natural resources used for construction. –
• t comprises principles for Energy Conservation, Water Conservation, Material
Conservation
• The environmental impacts of energy consumption by buildings occur primarily away from the building site, through
mining or harvesting energy sources and generating power. –
• The energy consumed by a building, including energy for heating, cooling, lighting, and equipment operation cannot
be recovered. –
• The environmental impacts of energy consumptions in buildings differ depending on the type of energy delivered.
• For example, Coal-fired electric power plants emit polluting gases into the atmosphere.
• Nuclear power plants produce radioactive wastes.
• Hydropower plants require a dam and a reservoir, resulting in disruption of river ecosystems and the loss of habitats
for animals and plants.
• Cities and neighborhoods that are energy-conscious, are planned around public transportation and pedestrian
walkways.
• These cities have zoning with mixed-use developments, which makes it possible that people live near their
workplaces.
• Urban sprawl can be avoided by the redevelopment of existing sites and the reuse of buildings. And the
climatic conditions determine the orientation and clustering.
• For example, a very cold or very hot and dry climate might require buildings sharing walls to reduce exposed
surface area.
• A hot and humid climate would require widely spaced structures to maximize natural ventilation.
• Energy-Conscious Site Planning, include to maximize the use of the natural resources on the site. –
• The building should be appropriate oriented, according to the climatic conditions, -
• Trees and evergreen plants can be used for shading and as protection from strong winds –
• Energy-Conscious Site Planning consider the application of Passive Heating and Cooling principles. –
• Shading by plants or overhangs, prevents heat gain and reduce costs of air- conditioning. –
• The wind should be used to provide cooling effects, and the prevailing winds have long been a major factor in urban
design.
Insulation:
• High-performance windows and wall insulation prevent both heat gain and loss, create more
comfortable thermal environments, and reduce noise. Reducing heat transfer reduces the heating and
cooling loads and therefore its energy consumption. Reduced heating and cooling loads require
smaller HVAC equipment, and results in less costs. –
• The use of alternative Energy sources should be considered and integrated as much as possible –
• The application of daylighting principles by building and window design conserve electrical lighting
energy, increase the luminous quality of indoor environments, and enhance the psychological
wellbeing and productivity of occupants
• Additional considerations include the use of Energy-Efficient Equipment & Appliances This comprises
the careful selection of high-efficient heating, cooling, and ventilation systems.
• Appliances, from refrigerators to computers, not only consume energy, they also give off heat as a
result of the inefficient use of electricity. More efficient appliances reduce the costs of electricity and
air-conditioning. –
• Also the overall choice of Materials with Low Embodied Energy contribute energy- conscious site
planning.
• By choosing materials with low embodied energy, the overall environmental impact of a building is
reduced. The use of local materials over imported materials of the same type save transportation
energy.
• large quantity of water are needed for drinking, cooking, washing and cleaning, flushing toilets, irrigating
plants, etc..
• All this water requires treatments and delivery, which consume energy. Also the water that exits a building as
sewage must be treated. –
• Water conservation include the reuse of Water Onsite.
• Water consumed in buildings can be classified in greywater and sewage. Greywater is produced by activities
such as from the shower and bath, from cleaning, cloth washing and handwashing, and it must not be treated
as sewage.
• Greywater can be recycled within a building and used to irrigate plants or to flush toilets. To do so, it needs a
well-planned plumbing systems to enable such reuse. –
• Also the collection of rainwater to irrigate plants or to flush toilets contribute to water conservation. –
Reduce Consumption
• Can be done by the use of consumption reducing water supply systems and fixtures. Also bio-
composting toilets, which treat sewage on site are eliminating the need for energy-intensive
municipal treatment.
• Indigenous landscaping by using plants native to the local ecosystem contribute to reduce water
consumption. These plants are adapted to the local rainfall levels and eliminate the need for
additional watering.
MATERIAL CONSERVATION
• Can be done for example, by the adaption or reuse of existing Buildings to New Uses Most buildings which outlive
the purpose for which they were designed can be converted to new uses at a lower cost than new construction.
• Also the incorporation of reclaimed or recycled Materials from demolished buildings as resource for new structures
contribute to material conservation.
• Many building materials, such as wood, steel, and glass, are easily recycled into new materials, an some, like brick
or windows, can be used as is in the new structure. Also partition systems can easily be moved from one location
to another.
• During the design process and material selecting, decisions should be made for materials that can be recycled.
• Important is also to size buildings and systems properly.
• A building that is oversized for its designed purpose, or it has a oversized systems, consume unnecessary materials.
• Also, if a building is too large or too small for the number of people, its heating, cooling, and ventilation systems
will be inadequate or inefficient.
• The conventional model of the building life cycle is a linear process, which consists of four major
phases, -
• including design, construction, operation and maintenance, and demolition
• The problem with this conventional model is that it does not address environmental issues related to
the obtaining and manufacturing of building materials, or waste management in terms of reuse and
recycling of architectural resources.
• The sustainable building life cycle design model includes to analyze the building process and its impact
on the environment, and it is based on the idea that a material should have no end to its usefulness. –
• The LCD can be categorized into three phases - the Pre-Building Phase, the Building Phase, and the
Post-Building Phase, which are all interconnected and cannot clearly been demarcated.
• From these phases can life cycle design strategies be developed to minimize the environmental
impact of a building.
• The pre –building phase includes the site selection, building design, and building material processes, up to but
not including installation. –
• It comprises to examine the environmental consequences of the structure’s design, orientation, impact on the
landscape, and from the materials used. –
• The obtaining of building materials impacts the environment. So for example, the harvesting trees can result in
deforestation,
• The mining mineral resources, like iron for steel, bauxite for aluminum, or sand, gravel, and limestone for
concrete, disturbs the natural environment, And the transportation of these materials can also be a highly
polluting activity, depending on their weight and distance from the site.
• Also the manufacturing of building products also requires energy and creates environmental pollution. –
• The Material selection should comprise the following considerations: Use materials made from renewable
resources Use materials harvested or extracted without causing ecological damage Use recycled materials
• Use materials with long life and low maintenance
• The Building Phase refers to the construction stage and the operation of a building’s life cycle.
• The construction and operation processes are to examine to reduce the environmental impact of
resource consumption and to consider long-term health effects of the building environment on its
occupants. –
• Considerations include:
• To Minimize Site Impact and the use of Nontoxic Materials for the health of the building’s occupants
• To Minimize the impact on Site,
• With a careful planning, the use of heavy equipment can be minimized and therefore the damage of the sites
ecosystem reduced
• Excavations should not alter the flow of groundwater through the site. - Finished structures should respect site
topology and existing drainage. - Trees and vegetation should only be removed when absolute necessary. –
• For sensitive sites, the use of materials that can be hand-carried to the site reduce the need for roads and heavy
trucks.
• The Post-Building Phase Starts with the end of the buildings useful life. –
• The building materials used become resources for other buildings or waste, which will be returned to
nature. –
• The sustainable design strategy focuses on the reduction of construction waste. –
• At this point are three options possible - reuse, recycling of components, and disposal.
• Reuse and recycling create resources for new buildings or consumer goods, disposal contributes to
landfill and waste.
• Referring to Kim, the 3th principle of sustainable architecture, the HUMANE DESIGN focuses on the interactions
between humans and the natural world.
• It is a fundamental aspect, because the environment is shaped and increasingly affected by human societies. –
• In the modern society, more than 70% of a person’s lifespan is spent indoors, and it is the role of architecture to
provide a built environment that sustain occupants’ safety, health, physiological comfort, psychological well-being,
and productivity.
• Also, the following considerations are to include.
• When a product saves energy, does it perform as well as what it is replacing? And how does it affect the
performance of building occupants? –
• The three strategies for humane design focus on enhancing the coexistence between buildings and the greater
environment, and between buildings and their occupants, including the Preservation of Natural Conditions, Urban
Design and Site Planning, and Human Comfort
• Preservation of Natural Conditions include that the architect should minimize the impact of a building on the
local ecosystem, for example considering the existing topography, plants and maybe even wildlife. –
• Respect Topographical Contours
• The existing contours of a site should be respected. Radical changes are more expensive and impact the
microclimate negatively. Alteration of contours affect the drainage of water drains and the wind movement
through a site. –
• Beyond, the Groundwater Table should not be disturbed.
• This means, by selecting sites and by designing building to bear in mind that no excavation below the local
groundwater table is required. Placing large buildings into the groundwater disturb the natural hydraulic process,
and groundwater exposed during construction, is more susceptible to contamination from polluted surface
runoff. –
• And existing Flora and Fauna should be accepted as part of the building site.
Urban Design and Site Planning
• Neighborhoods, cities, and entire geographic regions can benefit from the implementation of an
integrated design and holistic planning approach to reduce energy and water demands, which in
turn can result in a more pleasant urban environment. –
• Human Comfort is also not excluded in a sustainable design. It should contribute to enhance the
work and living environments, which also improve productivity, reduce stress, and affect health and
well-being positively.
• Buildings have direct and indirect impacts on the environment, during their construction,
occupancy, renovation, repurposing, and demolition.
• Buildings also use energy, water, and raw materials, generate waste, and can release harmful
atmospheric emissions. –
• These facts resulted in the creation of green building standards, certifications, and rating
systems, with the aim to reduce the impact of buildings on the natural environment through
sustainable design.
• A building code or standard is a set of guidelines and criteria against which a building can be judged. –
• Green building codes seek to push the standard of building design and construction to enhance sustainability and
performance. –
• The difference between building codes and building rating systems is that codes are mandatory. If green codes
become adopted worldwide, the building environment can be changed rapidly and extensively.
• The International Green Construction Code (IgCC) establishes minimum regulations for building systems and site
considerations to reduce the negative impact of buildings on the natural environment.
• It is the first model code that includes sustainability measures for the entire construction project and its site, this
means from design through construction, certificate of occupancy and beyond.