Arkitectur3 & Art

High efficiency and performance can result in higher property values and potentially lower lenders’ credit risk. Lower operating costs associated with more efficient systems can lead to higher building net income. The value of a l00,000-square-foot office building increases by over $1 million through implementation of green building measures. These measures, associated with energy, water, waste, and labor, result in annual operating savings of $101,400. The increased building value is calculated by using a fairly conservative building market capitalization rate—a formula used by building appraisers, brokers, and lenders to calculate a building’s value—of 10 percent on the savings. A building’s value is derived by dividing its net operating income, or savings, by the market capitalization rate. In addition to increasing a building’s net operating income or value, green building measures may allow building owners to charge higher rents or achieve higher rates of building occupancy...

Local Economic Development Opportunities Promotion And Implementation Of Green Buildings Green building practices within a community can generate new economic development opportunities. These opportunities can take a variety of forms, including new business development to meet the demand for green products and services; resource efficiency improvement programs that enable existing businesses to lower operating costs; development of environmentally oriented business districts; and job training related to new green businesses and products. In Austin, Texas, the long-term existence of the city’s Green Builder Program has contributed to the growth of green building trades, including, companies to meet the demand for rainwater-harvesting systems and services. The city had also begun working with a non-profit organization to offer at-risk youths an opportunity to learn job skills while they build affordable green homes. On a national level, the EPA cites the potential creation of ov...

Today more than ever, it is imperative that we begin to be conscious about our water use. Reducing water usage also reduces energy use and the costs associated with building operation; transporting, treating or desalinating water are very energy intensive tasks that are necessary when water is not used carefully. The most sustainable way to manage water usage in a building is to reduce the amount of water used.  This can be done using more efficient washing machines, dishwashers, shower and water fixtures and toilets. More efficient shower fixtures mix air with water to produce a similar feel and effect as regular showers while using significantly less water. Along with low flow sinks and showers, water saving toilets can effectively reduce water consumption. There are a wide variety of options when it comes to toilets depending on one’s needs and willingness to break with one’s cultural influences. Toilets ( Non-renewable w ater ) Toilets similar to the classic flush, they still d...

The purpose of a building is not only to provide shelter for its occupants, but also to provide an environment conducive to high performance of all intended occupant activities. Recent studies have shown that buildings with good overall environmental quality, including effective ventilation, natural or proper levels of lighting, indoor air quality, and good acoustics, can increase worker productivity by six to 16 percent. An organization’s most significant financial commitment is usually to its employees. Many employers spend at least as much on salary related expenditures as they do on constructing an entire company building. In many organizations, salaries and associated benefits consume the majority of the annual operating budget. Based on, sample calculations, a typical employer could spend $233 per square foot annually for an employee.  Building construction costs generally fall below this level, often by 50 percent. In addition, annual employee salary related expenditures,...

 Of the 20,000 landfills located within the United States, more than 15,000 have reached capacity and closed. Many more are following this pattern each year. Construction-related waste constitutes more than 25 percent of landfill content and equals total municipal garbage waste generated in the United States. As a result of this volume of waste, an increasing number of landfills will not permit, or are charging extra for, the dumping of construction-related waste. In response, recycling of such debris is increasing at the job site. Materials such as gypsum, glass, carpet, aluminum, steel, brick, and disassembled building components can be reused, or, if that is not feasible, recycled. In addition to construction-waste recycling, the building industry is beginning to achieve significant waste reductions through more building reuse and adaptation, as opposed to demolition. In past decades, the trend has been to raze a building at the end of its first life (assumed to be the “usefu...

The past decades’ conventional office design, construction, and operational practices have decreased the quality of the indoor office environment, resulting in new health concerns and associated economic costs and liability. The introduction of a multitude of new contaminant pollution sources into the workplace, combined with tighter building construction, has intensified air-quality problems. Poor indoor air quality can result from such factors as faulty air conditioning systems, occupants related pollutants, construction materials that emit high levels of volatile organic compounds, and poor maintenance practices. The U.S ranks indoor air pollution among the top five environmental risks to public health. Unhealthy indoor air is found in up to 30 percent of new and renovated buildings. Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) and Building Related Illness (BRI) have become more common in the workplace, increasing building owner and employer costs due to sickness, absenteeism, and increased li...

The green building measures discussed in this manual can lead not only to lower building operating expenses through reduced utility and waste disposal costs, but also to lower on-going building maintenance costs, ranging from salaries to supplies. For example, in many buildings, maintenance staff collect recycled materials on each floor or even at every employee’s desk and carry the materials down to the basement for hand sorting. Recycling chutes A viable green alternative, allow direct discarding of materials from any floor in the building to the basement. The chute system, which ideally is installed during initial construction or renovation, can sort materials automatically, saving labor costs by eliminating the need to collect, transport, and sort recyclables. Other savings come in the form of lower waste hauling fees; reduced workers’ compensation insurance premiums due to lower claims for accidents from sharp glass and cans; reduced elevator maintenance; less frequent cleanin...

Construction Application of green building concepts can yield for savings during the construction process. Measures that are relatively easy to implement can result in savings to the contractor in the following areas: Lower energy costs, by monitoring usage, installing energy-efficient lamps and fixtures, and using occupancy sensors to control lighting fixtures; Lower water costs, by monitoring consumption and reusing storm water and/or construction wastewater where possible; Lower site-clearing costs, by minimizing site disruption and movement of earth and installation of artificial systems; Lower landfill dumping fees and associated hauling charges, through reuse and recycling of construction and demolition debris; Lower materials costs, with more careful purchase and reuse of resources and materials; Possible earnings from sales of reusable items removed during building demolition; Fewer employee health problems resulting from poor indoor air quality. This listing suggest...

Light is a very important aspect of human life; our bodies use it to create vitamin D. Studies have shown that laboratory mice living under a restricted spectrum of light become ill and develop antisocial behaviors. Lighting affects us on a psychological and physiological level. Thus it is very important to have good lighting in built spaces. As humans have evolved in daylight conditions, it follows that the human body is best adapted for the varied lighting conditions that are present in natural lighting. Therefore, Lighting a space with natural lighting is considered the best option. Of course caveats exist to placing as many windows in your building as possible. First of all, every window put into a building creates a hole in the building envelope, lowering the overall insulation value of the building. Also, lighting in space should be diffuse, glare from daylight or the sun, reflected or direct, can cause headaches and annoy people in a space. Lighting levels that are too low c...

Heating and cooling buildings contributes to more energy usage than any other aspect of a buildings use. A building which is well insulated will reduce the energy costs of heating and cooling.  There are many methods to keep a buildings environment comfortable while minimizing energy input including: Roof ponds Thermal mass walls Solar chimneys Solar rooms Green roofs. Passive Heating & Cooling All methods of passive heating and cooling rely directly on the sun for energy input.  Due to this reliance on the sun one of the most important aspects of a building is its solar orientation.  A building that is shaped like a rectangle (with side lengths having the ratio of 1.6 to 1, the golden ratio, being ideal) and elongated in the east-west direction is the optimum shape in all climates. Roof Ponds Roof ponds are a particularly effective method of keeping a buildings temperature constant.  To create a roof pond, water is stored in bags inside the actu...

Achieving sustainability requires us to live within the limits of the earth’s capacity to provide the materials for our activities and to absorb the waste and pollution that our activities generate. The built environment presents us with a major challenge. The construction, fit-out, operation and ultimate demolition of buildings is a huge factor in human impact on the environment both directly (through material and energy consumption and the consequent pollution and waste) and indirectly (through the pressures on often inefficient infrastructure). The built environment also has a crucial impact on the physical and economic health and well-being of individuals, communities and organisations. A good building is a delight and will enhance a community or organisation, enhance our ability to learn or increase our productivity. A poor building will do the opposite. Where buildings and built environments contribute to ill-health and alienation, undermine community and create exce...

Application of green building concepts can yield for savings during the construction process. Measures that are relatively easy to implement can result in savings to the contractor in the following areas: Lower energy costs, by monitoring usage, installing energy-efficient lamps and fixtures, and using occupancy sensors to control lighting fixtures. Lower water costs, by monitoring consumption and reusing storm water and/or construction wastewater where possible. Lower site-clearing costs, by minimizing site disruption and movement of earth and installation of artificial systems. Lower landfill dumping fees and associated hauling charges, through reuse and recycling of construction and demolition debris. Lower materials costs, with more careful purchase and reuse of resources and materials. Possible earnings from sales of reusable items removed during building demolition; and. Fewer employee health problems resulting from poor indoor air quality.  This listing suggests...

Approximately 50 percent of the energy use in buildings is devoted to producing an artificial indoor climate through heating, cooling, ventilation, and lighting. A typical building’s energy bill constitutes approximately 25 percent of the building’s total operating costs. Estimates indicate that climate-sensitive design using available technologies could cut heating and cooling energy consumption by 60 percent and lighting energy requirements by at least 50 percent in U.S. buildings. Returns on investment for energy-efficiency measures can be higher than rates of return on conventional and even high yielding investments. Participants in the Green Lights program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have enjoyed annual rates of return of over 30 percent for lighting retrofits. When participants complete all program related improvements, Green Lights could save over 65 million kilowatts of electricity, reducing the nation’s electric bill by $16 billion annually. ...

Governments own and maintain a wide range of buildings and facilities, including administrative and office buildings, park facilities, health clinics and hospitals, fire and police stations, convention centers, wastewater treatment plants, and airports. At their disposal are a variety of administrative, regulatory, and financing tools that can help local governments develop and operate these building resources in a sustainable manner. Local governments can create policies for municipal procurement, contract specifications, building performance, and building codes regulating community standards; enact resolutions, training and education programs, and ordinances that focus attention on sustainable development; create community boards and commissions to study local sustainable issues; and provide economic incentives for sustainable development. Many local governments have the experience and capability to create model programs and buildings, which set examples for resource-efficient ...

Sustainable buildings are those that can be an asset for many years to come. Buildings have potential lives spanning hundreds of years. What is being built now could affect the next ten generations. Not to build for maximum energy, water, materials and waste efficiency is to place an unacceptable burden on future generations. Sustainable technologies are available, sustainable design strategies have been implemented, and studies have proved that these approaches can contribute positively to reducing the ecological footprint of a society. There aren’t any practical or ethical reasons for not designing and building sustainable buildings. Buildings that are loved become part of the community’s own culture, have long lives and are economically sustainable. The concept of economic sustainability is well understood among architects, successful buildings make money, sell quickly, command more rent, have long lives or help induce the regeneration of an area. Also, making a positiv...

Sustainability is not an academic pursuit or even a professional activity it is a way of life affecting everything an individual does. Knowing what kind of a relationship we want to have with the global and local environment is the first consideration. Then we should address how to achieve this relationship. To move from theory into practice it is necessary to understand the impacts associated with our work- and life-related activities. Buildings, their construction, use and disposal, have a significant impact on the natural environment and social fabric of our society. Sustainable architecture can help put into practice and even encourage a sustainable way of life. But how can buildings be designed and built to contribute positively to the sustainability agenda, to achieve economically strong, socially inclusive, stable communities while minimizing the impact on the environment? There are perhaps two main aims for sustainable architectural design. First, sustainable ...