Sustainable Buildings
AE 790
Assignment #5
By: Mark Cartella & Carly Litofsky
Outline
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Sustainability Defined
Life Cycle
Design
Operations
Renewable Resources
Reflection
Conclusion
Questions
Sustainability Defined
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Sustainability – “The ability to provide for the needs of the world's
current population without damaging the ability of future generations
to provide for themselves. When a process is sustainable, it can be
carried out over and over without negative environmental effects or
impossibly high costs to anyone involved.”
www.sustainabletable.org/intro/dictionary/
Sustainable Design – “Sustainable design or building “green” is an
opportunity to use our resources efficiently while creating healthier
buildings. It provides cost savings to all through improved human
health and productivity, lower cost building operations, and resource
efficiency—and it moves us closer to a sustainable future.” http://www.ciwmb.ca.gov/greenbuilding/
Sustainable Building – “A sustainable building, also known as a green
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 more efficiently; and reducing the overall impact to
the environment.” http://www.ciwmb.ca.gov/greenbuilding/Basics.htm
Life Cycle
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Steps toward a sustainable building
are made in each phase of a
building’s life cycle
Design*
Construction
Operation*
Renovation
Etc.
Design
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The design process is crucial in the
creation of a sustainable building
The building must be designed with
the ability to help further the goal of
self-sustainability
Design Considerations
A designer must consider:
 Window size, placement, and type
 Floor to ceiling heights
 Aesthetics; efficiency can be
beautiful
Design Alternatives
A designers view on conservation:
 Ideas of using the “rubble” from a
destroyed building to give it new life
 Utilizing materials found on site
 Lebbeus Woods
Operations
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Statistics – Current Buildings
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Root of 30% of all green house
emissions
Produce 136 million tons of waste
annually
Consume 36% of total energy produced
in U.S.
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Consume 65% of total amount of
electricity produced
Operations
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Actions
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New ways to use current energy –
through new innovations of current
technology
Development of new energy sources
(i.e. hydrogen, biomass)
Use of renewable energy sources (i.e.
solar, hydro, wind, geothermal)
Hydrogen
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Most plentiful element on Earth
When isolated, can produce clean
burning fuel
Can be used for both electricity and
transportation
Viewed by many experts, on a large
scale, to be the only true
replacement to fossil fuels
Bioenergy
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Derived from stored biomasses
animal waste, plant matter,
agricultural residue, landfill
methane, and much more
Very versatile
Can be used in the energy forms of
steam, heat, or electricity, but also
can be converted to a fuel for direct
combustion, and co-firing.
Solar
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Derived from the sun to produce
clean burning fuel through
utilization of photovoltaics
Constantly replenished
Two forms
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Passive – windows, skylights
Active – devices such as boilers and
furnaces being ran off of electricity
produced by solar cells
Hydro
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Derived from natural movement of water
which is then converted into electricity
Accounts for 10% of United States’ total
energy production
Increase in utilization is unlikely due to
dwindling numbers of new available sites
and strong opposition from
environmentalists.
Wind
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Fastest growing renewable resource
Just until recently have wind
turbines and other energy
producing wind devices been
implemented into the actual
building design
Dependant on climate and weather
conditions
Intrusive to environment
Geothermal
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Originates from heat within the Earth
Obtained through thermal conduction
Energy can be harnessed in the form
of hot water or steam
Two uses
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Direct – heating of building or drying
food
Indirect - production of electricity
through a generator to distribute power.
Reflection
Wise energy choices are just the
beginning. A building must be:
 Aware of itself
 Aware of its environment
 Aware of its own effects on the
environment
Aware of itself
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Awareness of energy its energy
needs
Awareness of system capabilities
Such awareness can be achieved
through the use of technology
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Sensors
Databases
Robotics
Aware of its environment
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Understand external conditions in order to
make efficient system adjustments
Decrease the need to design all systems
for extreme conditions
Aware of how much energy is available to
it at any given time
Awareness achieved through
technology including innovative
software and sensor networks
Aware of effects of environment
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Take steps toward reducing impact
Note when more emissions are made
Note what positive impact it can have
on its neighboring community or
society at large
Can it produce extra energy and put
it to a humanitarian use?
Conclusion
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What is an intelligent building?
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An intelligent building is a self sustaining structure
independent of all outside variables in which appeases
all stakeholders’ needs in the most efficient manner
possible through out its entirety.
An intelligent building is one which utilizes various
methods (including technology) in order to improve
comfort, increase efficiency, reduce impact, and
improve the building process in order to effectively
serve its purpose as a structure.
Is a sustainable building an intelligent building?
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YES! A sustainable building, through adaptive
computer technology, would produce all required
necessities throughout its entire life cycle while
efficiently utilizing resources and having a minimal
impact on its surroundings; thus achieving
“Intelligence”!
Works Cited
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Green Building Design and Construction Home Page
http://www.ase.org/
http://www.advancedbuildings.org/
http://www.crest.org/
http://www.iisbe.org/iisbe/gbc2k5/teams/canada/ILC/I
LC_pg5.htm
http://www.intelligentsystems.info/wisan/Sensor%20network.jpg
http://www.realloghomes.com/showcasehomes/The_G
alaska_Home_10_6.html
http://www.nef.org.uk/Images/co2tonne.gif
Woods, Lebbeus. Radical Reconstruction. New York:
Princeton Architectural Press, 1997
Questions