green design at a glance

green design is design that goes beyond being just efficient, attractive, on time and on budget. it is a design that cares about how such goals are achieved, about its effect on people and on the environment.  the key is to successful sustainable design is to diminish the design’s impact on the world around us.

what makes a green building?  a sustainable approach to design should create buildings and interiors that:

• are healthier for people and enhance productivity
• can be built at market rate and cost much less to operate
• use less fossil fuels thus conserving energy, generating less global pollution and saving on operational costs by requiring less maintenance
• use less water
• manage waste at the highest productive level; reduce impacts on both developed and undeveloped land
• minimize the use of materials and use materials with the lowest environmental impacts

the USGBC & LEED:

the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is comprised of architectural and engineering firms, design firms, contractors and developers; federal, state, and local government agencies; and professional associations (like ASID, AIA, and IIDA).  green design needed its own standards so LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) was developed by the USGBC as a collection of national standards for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings and interiors. it is used as a complete framework for assessing building performance and meeting sustainability goals. there are currently four available LEED standards: LEED-NC (version 2.1) for new construction and major renovation projects; LEED-EB (pilot version) for existing building operations and maintenance; LEED-CI (pilot version) for commercial interiors projects; and LEED-CS (pilot version) for core and shell projects. LEED for Homes is expected to become available for pilot projects soon. USGBC also offers a comprehensive system of professional accreditation, training and practical resources.  I’m studying to take the LEED exam so within the next few months will be able to know the rules & regulations inside and out.

materials + resources:

i will be forever compiling a list of green materials and resources.  with all the new resources coming available to us at a very rapid rate, it is almost a full time job just keeping up.