ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY BUILDING

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 efficiently, and reducing the overall impact to the environment.

A green building may cost more up front, but saves through lower operating costs over the life of the building. The green building approach applies a project life cycle cost analysis for determining the appropriate up-front expenditure. This analytical method calculates costs over the useful life of the asset. These and other cost saving can only be fully realized when they are incorporated at the project's conceptual design phase. Green buildings cost, on average, less than 2 percent more to build than conventional non-green buildings, according to a study of 150 green buildings across the US and in 10 contries. Roughly 50 percent of green buildings in the study saw the initial "green premium" paid back by energy and water savings in five years or less.

BENEFITS:

Energy Saving:

- Passive design strategies can dramatically affect building energy performance. These measures include building shape and orientation, passive solar design, and the use of natural lighting.

- Develop strategies to provide natural lighting. Studies have shown that it has a positive impact on productivity and well being.

- Install high-efficiency lighting systems with advanced lighting controls. Include motion sensors tied to dimmable lighting controls. Task lighting reduces general overhead light levels.

-Use a properly sized and energy efficient heat/cooling system in conjunction with a thermally efficient building shell. Maximize light colors for roofing and wall finish materials; install high R-value wall and ceiling insulation; and use minimal glass on east and west exposures.

-Minimize the electrical loads from lighting, equipment, and appliances.

-Consider alternative energy sources such as photovoltaics and fuel cells that are now available in new products and appliances. Renewable energy sources provide a great symbol of emerging technologies for the future.

Health Benefits:

Recent studies reveal that buildings with good overall enviromental quality can reduce the rate of respitory desease, allergy, asthma, sick building symptoms, and enhance occupant performance and health. The potential financial benefits of improving indoor environments exceeds costs by a factor of 8 to 14(Fisk and Rosenfeld, 1998).

Choose construction materials and interior finish products with zero or low emissions to improve indoor air quality. Many building materials and cleaning/maintainance products emit toxic gases, such as volatile organic compounds(VOC) and formaldehyde. These gases can have a detrimental impact on occupant's health and productivity.

Provide adequate ventilation and high efficiency, in-duct filtration system. Heating and cooling systems that ensure adequate ventilation and proper filtration can have a dramatic and positive impact on indoor air quality.

Prevent indoor microbial contamination through selection of materials resistant to microbial growth, provide effective drainage from the roof and surrounding landscape, install adequate ventilation in bathrooms, allow proper drainage of air-conditioning coils, and desing other building systems to control humity.

Other Resources:

http://www.commonfire.org/community/greenwelcome.html

http://www.masstech.org/cleanenergy/greenbuilding/impactmain.htm

http://www.epa.gov/tribalcompliance/prevandpurch/ppenconomicdrill.html