Whole Building Design Guide

• 

  Your Email: *

  Your Name: *

  Send To: *

  Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.

  You are going to email the following: Whole Building Design Guide

  Message Subject: (Your Name) has forwarded a page to you from GreenBiz.com®

  Message Body: (Your Name) thought you would like to see this page from GreenBiz.com®.

  Your Personal Message: *
  
• 
• 

  Digg
  Del.icio.us
  Reddit
  Stumble Upon
  
• 
• 

GreenerBuildings.com and Whole Building Design Guide have teamed up to facilitate the sharing of resources and best practices between the private, public, and federal sectors.

As economy and population continue to expand, designers and builders face a unique challenge to meet demands for new and renovated facilities that are accessible, secure, healthy, and productive while minimizing their impact on the environment. Recent answers to this challenge call for an integrated, synergistic approach that considers all phases of the facility life cycle. This "whole buildings" approach supports an increased commitment to environmental stewardship and conservation, and results in an optimal balance of cost, environmental, societal, and human benefits while meeting the mission and function of the intended facility or infrastructure.

The online Whole Building Design Guide (WBDG) provides government and industry practitioners with up-to-date information on a wide range of building-related guidance, criteria, and technology from a whole buildings perspective. A collaborative effort among federal agencies, private sector companies, nonprofit organizations, and educational institutions, WBDG houses a library of resources reflecting the knowledge and experience of an array of building design experts. Each section features informative summaries of key topics, as well as practical guidance, tools, and related building codes and standards.

WBDG's Sustainable section addresses the design principles fundamental to green building: to avoid resource depletion of energy, water, and raw materials; prevent environmental degradation caused by facilities and infrastructure throughout their life cycle; and create built environments that are livable, comfortable, safe, and productive.

Here is a rundown of the section's six main topic areas, plus a sample of available resources.

1. Optimize Site Potential Creating sustainable buildings starts with proper site selection, including consideration of the reuse or rehabilitation of existing buildings. The location, orientation, and landscaping of a building all affect the local ecosystems, transportation methods, and energy use. Siting for physical security has also become a critical issue in optimizing site design; the location of access roads, parking, vehicle barriers, and perimeter lighting must be integrated into the design along with sustainable site considerations.


2. Minimize Energy Consumption
   On an annual basis, buildings consume over 40% of America's energy and produce nearly 40% of our greenhouse gas emissions. Currently, the vast majority of this energy is produced from nonrenewable, fossil fuel resources. With America's supply of fossil fuel dwindling, concerns for energy security increasing, and the impact of greenhouse gases on world climate rising, it is essential to find ways to reduce load, increase efficiency, and utilize renewable fuel resources in federal facilities.


3. Protect and Conserve Water
   In many parts of the country, fresh water is an increasingly scarce resource. A sustainable building should reduce, control, or treat site-runoff, use water efficiently, and reuse or recycle water for on-site use when feasible.


4. Use Environmentally Preferable Products A sustainable building should be constructed of materials that minimize life-cycle environmental impacts such as global warming, resource depletion, and human toxicity. In a materials context, life cycle includes raw materials acquisition, product manufacturing, packaging, transportation, installation, use, and reuse/recycling/disposal.


5. Enhance Indoor Environmental Quality The indoor environmental quality of a building has a significant impact on occupant health, comfort, and productivity. Among other attributes, a sustainable building should maximize daylighting; have appropriate ventilation and moisture control; and avoid the use of materials with high-VOC emissions. Additional consideration must now be given to ventilation and filtration to mitigate chemical, biological, and radiological attack.


6. Optimize Operational and Maintenance Practices
   Incorporating operating and maintenance considerations into the design of a facility will greatly contribute to improved working environments, higher productivity, and reduced energy and resource costs. Designers are encouraged to specify materials and systems that simplify and reduce maintenance requirements; require less water, energy, and toxic chemicals and cleaners to maintain; and are cost-effective and reduce life-cycle costs.

The WBDG is offered as an assistance to building professionals by the National Institute of Building Sciences through the funding of the NAVFAC Engineering Innovation and Criteria Office, the U.S. General Services Administration, the Department of Energy (through the National Renewable Energy Laboratory), and the assistance of the Sustainable Buildings Industry Council.

Web Site:www.wbdg.org/

• 

  Your Email: *

  Your Name: *

  Send To: *

  Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.

  You are going to email the following: Whole Building Design Guide

  Message Subject: (Your Name) has forwarded a page to you from GreenBiz.com®

  Message Body: (Your Name) thought you would like to see this page from GreenBiz.com®.

  Your Personal Message: *
  
• 
• 

  Digg
  Del.icio.us
  Reddit
  Stumble Upon
  
• 
•