Worcester Polytechnic Institute
THE BAD NEWS: The Negative Impacts of Buildings on Environment
• According to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), buildings in the United Sates consume more than 36% of our total energy and 65% of our electricity annually.
• Five billion gallons of potable water are used to flush toilets daily. A typical
North American commercial construction project generates up to 2.5 pounds of solid waste per square foot of floor space.
• Real estate development appropriates land from other uses such as natural habitats and agriculture.
THE BAD NEWS: The Negative Impacts of Buildings on Environment
Buildings account for:
• 49% of sulfur dioxide emissions • 25% of nitrous oxide emissions • 10% of particulate emissions • 35% of carbon dioxide emissions Between 2002 and 2010, 38 million buildings are expected to be built.
THE GOOD NEWS:
Reasons people are going green:
• Reductions in operating costs
• Improvement in occupant productivity and health • Minimize strain local infrastructure
• Building marketability
• Reduces impact on natural resources
What is LEED?
LEED-NC: LEED for New Construction and Major Renovations/Additions
LEED-EB: LEED for Existing Buildings LEED-CI: LEED for Commercial Interiors LEED-CS: LEED for Core and Shell
LEED-H: LEED for Homes
LEED-NC: LEED for Neighborhood Developments (public release: 2006)
What is LEED?
Structured System to Measure Green
Building and Track Progress
Five Major Categories
for
Achieving LEED Points
Sustainable Sites Water Efficiency
Energy and Atmosphere Materials and Resources Indoor Environmental Quality Innovation in Design
What is LEED?
69 Available Points
Four Categories of Certification:
• Certified: 26-32 Points
• Silver: 33-38 Points
• Gold: 39-52 Points
• Platinum: 53-69 Points
Level 1 - Good Practice
Low or no cost
Known, reliable, readily available Owner/programmatic requirement
Can be implemented in almost any design
Level 2 - Design Integration
Influence overall design approach
High degree of integration and/or analysis Costs associated with modeling
Level 3 - Innovative Strategies
Depend on Budget/Funding opportunities
Costs associate with renewable energies and system design.
Prerequisites and Achievable Points
Sustainable Sites
• Erosion and Sedimentation Control • Site Selection (avoid sensitive site)
• Urban Redevelopment (increase site density)
• Alternative transportation (near public transportation) • Alternative transportation (parking capacity)
• Stromwater management (treatment)
• Landscape Design and Reduction of Heat island (green roof) • Light Pollution Reduction
Possible Points
Sustainable Sites
• Alternative Transportation (hybrid vehicle parking)
Prerequisites and Achievable Points
Water Efficiency
• Water efficient landscaping (potable water reduction) • Water efficient landscaping (no irrigation proposed) • Water use reduction (20% reduction)
• Water use reduction (30% reduction)
Prerequisites and Achievable Points
Energy and Atmosphere
• Building Commissioning
• Minimum Energy Performance • CFC Reduction
• Optimize Energy Performance (30% reduction) • Additional commissioning
• Ozone Depletion( non HCFC or Halons)
Possible Points
Energy and Atmosphere
• Optimize Energy Performance (50% reduction) • Green Power Purchasing
Prerequisites and Achievable Points
Materials and Resources
• Storage and collection of Recyclables
• Construction Waste management (divert 50%) • Construction Waste Management (divert 75%) • Recycled Content (Specify 5%)
• Recycled Content (Specify 10%)
• Local/Regional Materials (20% manf. locally)
• Local/Regional Materials (50% locally harvested) • Certified Wood (FSC wood 50%)
Prerequisites and Achievable Points
Indoor Environmental Quality
• Minimum IAQ Performance (Code requirement)
• Environmental Tobacco Smoke Control (no smoking required) • Carbon Dioxide Monitoring
• Construction IAQ Management Plan (during construction) • Construction IAQ Management Plan (before construction) • Low Emitting Materials (adhesives and sealant)
• Low Emitting Materials (paints) • Low Emitting Materials (carpet)
• Low Emitting Materials (composite wood)
• Controllability of Systems (airflow and lighting non-perimeter) • Daylight and View (daylight of 75% occupied space)
• Daylight and Views (views from 90% of occupied space)
Possible Points
Indoor Environmental Quality
Prerequisites and Achievable Points
Innovation & Design
• Innovation in Design (academic educational program) • LEED Accredited Professional (Design Team Professional )
Initial land and construction costs account for only 2% of a 20-year life-cycle cost of a building. Combine a 2% green premium on 2% of the life cycle cost of a building, and LEED® costs a tiny, almost insignificant 0.04% of the life cycle cost of a building! This tiny investment can produce great returns on the other 99.96%
The other 98% cost of owning a building for 20 years includes 6% for energy, operations and maintenance, and a whopping 92% for salaries. The tiny 0.04% investment will produce big returns on this 98% for the life of the building.
LEED® integrates several valuable services and design features that directly benefit the owners “bottom line”. The bottom line could be higher profits, higher test scores, lower energy and maintenance costs, higher employee retention, better recruiting leverage or more successful fund raising for non-profit organizations.
Financial Implications
With 92% of a building's operating cost applied to human capital, clearly building design elements that improve occupant performance are a great
investment and this is a huge part of LEED®'s return on investment. A survey from Capital E indicates that the higher $4 per square foot first cost saves $15 in operating costs and results in an overwhelming $35-$55 dollars per square foot of productivity improvement over a 20 year analysis period.
In 2003 the first LEED Silver Residence Hall at CMU was designed to be 20.3% to 24.2% more energy efficient than a similar non-LEED CMU
residence hall incorporating a heat recovery system on its main AHU. This equates to an estimated annual energy savings of $44 to $4,378.
Campus Sustainability – Nationwide
College Sustainability Report Card Released
LEED certification was one of several key factors used to grade colleges in the Sustainable Endowments Institute's new report card.
The Sustainable Campus Initiative (All New Jersey State and University Campuses)
The SCI is a comprehensive campaign to change curriculum, research, campus facility operations and community outreach through six consonant, interrelated strategies
including high performance green design: at a time of major spending for construction & renovation in education which can greatly reduce pollution, total life-cycle energy costs & emissions.
Higher Education Source: College Planning & Management
Higher education and the United States government were the first major adopters of LEED. Even more colleges and universities are participating as students demand it and administrators get behind the students.
Campus Sustainability – Nationwide
The Campus Climate Challenge is a project of more than 30 leading youth organizations
throughout the U.S. and Canada. The Challenge leverages the power of young people to organize on college campuses and high schools across Canada and the U.S. to win 100% Clean Energy policies at their schools. The Challenge is growing a generation-wide movement to stop global warming, by reducing the pollution from our high schools and colleges down to zero, and leading our society to a clean energy future.
Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) is a membership-based association of colleges and universities working to advance sustainability in higher education in the U.S. and Canada. Our mission is to promote sustainability in all sectors of higher education - from
governance and operations to curriculum and outreach - through education, communication, research and professional development. Businesses, NGO's, and government agencies can participate as AASHE partner members.
Greening of the Campus VII, Partnering for Sustainability: Enabling a Diverse Future
Bridging the culture and practices that support the environmental commitment of colleges and universities.
Campus Sustainability
Massachusetts Certified and Registered Projects
Certified
Mount Holyoke College Science Center Mount Holyoke College
Registered
MSCBA – Bridgewater State Residence Hall Sophia Gordon Hall – Tufts University
Mother Duster Renovations – Harvard University Simmons School of Management – Simmons College
Haberlin Hall Addition and Renovation – College of the Holy Cross Somerset Student Residences – Suffolk University
Other Facts
The General Services Administration requires LEED certification for its new
buildings, as does the Department of the Navy and the Army Corps of Engineers. New York, Washington, and Oregon have adopted green building requirements on new construction projects
Maryland has officially adopted the LEED system for all new state construction and renovations larger than 7,500 square feet.
Local governments have also adopted the LEED standard including Los Angeles, San Jose, and San Mateo, California; Portland, Oregon; and Seattle.
Other states and municipalities such as Connecticut, Minnesota, California, San Francisco.
New York City and Boston are considering requiring LEED certification for new construction and renovations.
Universities as Environmental Learning Labs WPI Workshop
January 24, 2007
• Appropriate density and mix of functions
• Mixed mode transportation, minimum paving
• Open space network & captured places
• Campus unified with neighborhood, city & region
• Sustainable infrastructures as amenities: energy, water, waste, transportation, material
• Thin, naturally conditioned buildings
• Environmentally dynamic facades
• Design for organizational & technological change
• Environmentally responsible materials
• Design for life cycle
The Health Potential of Buildings and Communities Sick Building Costs
Healthy Building Gains
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 1 Adjusted % Decrease Higher Vent. Rate in Barracks No Shared Office Larger Quarters In Antarctic Station Natural Vs. Fan Vent. in Classroom Higher Vent. Rate More space in Nursing Home Higher Vent. Rate in Jail Higher Vent. Rate in Office Respiratory Illness Absence Influenza
Resp. Illness Reduction of 9% to 20% from all ten studies, excluding outlier
(Fisk/LBNL 2000)
The Educational Potential of Buildings & Communities
Learning in School Buildings Innovative, Hands-on Learning The Next Environmentalists
In a cross sectional study of schools in California, Colorado and Washington, Heschong/Mahone identified 20% - 26% higher test scores in daylit classrooms
Dynamic Facades: Today’s buildings should react to their individual orientations and view. Each elevation should reflect its special character as it responds to its unique environment, modulating the interior spaces with natural energies
Campus buildings should be thinner to allow for daylight penetration and natural
ventilation when possible.
Reconnect building with nature.
Integrate innovative strategies in systems, façade treatment and materials choice.
Consider infrastructure as an amenity as it relates to storm water management or sewage
treatment.
Consider negotiable construction costs. Request the college or university provide for an additional 10% of the overall construction cost to cover first costs relating to systems or materials with appropriate LCA. A university perspective could mean accepting a payback with 40 years.
Encourage more walking on campuses. Better for the campus and student health!
Kresge Charette
• Define an Institute wide payback date. An institutional approach would suggest at least a 10 year window for payback.
• Consider setback thermostats, proven to have 20-30% energy savings. • Consider limiting thermostat fluctuation/change to 5 degrees.
• Consider solar hot water heating, WPI Student owns a company that manufacturers and installs the solar HW systems. Design team to review/investigate.
• Consider roof top wind turbines, designed and installed by WPI students.
• Consider varying the elevations at each orientation. Sun shading, mullion design and
amount of glass should reflect the changing faces of the building.
• Re-consider window types, hoppers, casements and single hungs are more efficient
than sliders. Consider bolted screens as necessary. Integrate shading and light
shelves into the design of the façade/window treatment. In large glazed areas, consider operable upper and lower sashes for air movement.
• Consider ceramic tiles in the large LR areas to act as heat sinks. • Consider bolted connections for the re-use of steel members
Kresge Charette
