Weaver 1
Dan Weaver
ENG 101
November 13, 2012
Green Building
Green building refers to a structural building process that is environmentally
responsible and resource-efficient throughout a building's life cycle. From construction,
to operation, to maintenance, to renovation, green building makes every phase of a
building’s life more efficient. Green building is an effective way to construct buildings; it
helps mainly by saving energy and water for future generations. The next generation will
struggle with saving energy and water because our generation is wasting them more
every year. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has estimated that construction
waste accounts for 24% of all municipal solid waste; this means that a good size portion
of wasted energy and water comes from construction (Betts). In being conscious about
energy conservation, water consumption, indoor air quality operation, construction waste
management, material usage, site selection, and future planning, the construction industry
will fully embrace green building and change the world for the better.
The entire construction process causes huge amounts of wasted energy; therefore,
building green can conserve energy and minimize the amount that is wasted during
construction. Building “green” all starts with using clean energy. Clean energy is
defined as energy that is efficient and does not pollute the atmosphere like coal and oil
does. Construction accounts for forty percent of all energy used in the United States. Of
that forty percent of energy used in construction, about sixty-six percent is waste in the
construction of the building and the building itself (Rodica). These numbers are very
Weaver 2
high and at this rate, the next generation will struggle. In order for the next generation to
be worry-free, green construction needs to become a normally practiced building
technique. Out of the sixty-six percent of energy wasted in a construction project, twenty
percent is wasted in commercial and residential building, while the rest is in
transportation (Zeiler). With green building, people can save energy for their kids and
grandkids.
How do people save energy? When a green building is complete, it will be
outfitted with solar panels, efficient MEP systems, and systems to harness wind power.
The solar panels are positioned on the roof; they are mainly used for outdoor and indoor
lighting and for heating water. The drawback is that these high-performance systems
have a high front-end cost. Solar panels can cost anywhere from forty thousand dollars to
sixty thousand dollars. Along with solar panels being able to save energy, an efficient
MEP system can save energy in the long run as well. MEP systems, also known as
mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems, are a main reason why so many houses and
commercial buildings waste energy. Some of the modifications to make more energy
efficient MEP systems include using natural insulation, building management systems,
toilets that are energy star rated, and new technology that reduces the electricity used
throughout the building. Most MEP systems cost anywhere from forty to sixty percent of
the entire cost of construction. This huge percentage means more money is required to
make these systems energy efficient. For example, The Way Station is an institutional
building created for mental health care in Frederick, Maryland. The integrated building
design used in creating it included careful siting, climate-responsive building form,
energy- efficient envelope design, day lighting, passive solar heating, cooling-load
Weaver 3
reduction strategies, high-performance glazing, high-efficiency lighting and HVAC
equipment, and healthy building design strategies. The net increase in construction cost
for this package was $170,000, and the annual energy savings total $38,000, a return-oninvestment of twenty-two percent (Rodica). Although such systems do have a high frontend cost, the average life cycle payback of these systems is seven years; this means that it
takes seven years for the customer to recover the higher initial cost of the system through
reduced operating costs. With these high rates of returns on an efficient MEP system, it
would be crazy for anyone not to invest in these systems.
Along with efficient MEP systems saving energy for a green building, harnessing
wind power can also help with conserving energy. Wind turbines are only used in certain
construction projects due to the fact that not all places have enough wind to make a
significant amount of energy. Harvesting energy from wind is expensive; it usually
produces and saves the least amount of energy for a building or buildings (Betts) For this
very reason, there are not many wind turbines in green buildings; but in the near future,
technology will advance, which will make it easier to harness wind. If all buildings
became green and are built with energy efficient systems, then the next generation would
never have to worry about energy. If people do not see the need to begin to build green,
then the next generation of people could find themselves using massive amount of money
renovating buildings and making them green (Zeiler).
A green building will rank conserving energy as their number one goal and their
next most important goal would be water management. In 1993, National Geographic
published, “All the water that will ever be, is right now.” This quote means that all of the
natural springs of fresh water have been discovered. If this generation does not try and
Weaver 4
conserve the water it is using, then there might not be fresh water for future generations.
Future generations will not have fresh water because our normal toilets use anywhere
from three to five gallons of water per flush. This number is a ridiculous amount of
potable water that is wasted on our bodily fluids. Buying low flush toilets, which only
use a little over one gallon of water every flush can reduce this superfluous amount of
water used per flush. This number is still high, but is much lower than the average
toilets. Studies by LEED Green Associates have found out that when tenants have to pay
for their own water bill, they reduce the use of water by fifteen percent (Rodica). Simply
encouraging all apartment complexes to do this would help significantly reduce water
consumption.
A way to reduce water consumption in high-rise buildings is to install rainwaterharvesting systems on the skin of the building. These systems collect rainwater and direct
it to a cistern in the basement of the building; it can then be used to supply the building
with water or to irrigate the land around it. Another way to reduce water consumption is
to install energy star efficient appliances; energy-star appliances include washing
machines, faucets, showerheads, and toilets. These appliance usually save around one
thousand dollars per year. It is estimated that in nine to ten years, all the energy saving
appliances in a house will be paid off completely (Robichaud) This should motivate
anyone to buy energy star appliances considering after a period of time they pay for
themselves.
The last way to save water for a household is by being cautious about landscape
and irrigation. The new innovation in irrigating a yard with water is to use pond water
that is not potable. Many neighborhoods that have ponds or are by water have systems in
Weaver 5
place that take water from ponds or a body of water and use it in sprinklers for the yard.
This water is cheaper and it also does not use potable water. People need to begin using
this way of watering their yards in order to save good potable water for future
generations.
Another way LEED building improves normal construction is by enhancing the
indoor air quality. One of the most effective ways to improve indoor air quality is to set
out to eliminate individual sources of pollution and to reduce their emissions. For
example, if asbestos is in a house, the best thing to do is to get it out or at least contain
the asbestos. Having monthly checks on the gas lines can also reduce the chance of
harmful fumes from coming in the house. Along with gas being harmful in a house, so is
pollen in certain cases. Pollen can cause people to swell because they are highly allergic.
The best way to limit pollen in a house is to limit the number of pollen producing flowers
in a yard. This will help because most pollen enters homes through a person’s clothing.
The next way to improve indoor air quality is to improve ventilation. Ventilation can be
improved by installing certified ventilation in wall and ceiling spaces. This can reduce
the power bill and help keep clean air inside the house. Another way to reduce a person’s
power bill is to open windows and doors to allow fresh air to flow throughout the house.
This can reduce a bill by as much as twenty percent per month, depending on how long
the air conditioning system is off (Scofield). Along with proper ventilation, LEED
building also requires that a building have special carpets and paint throughout the
building. These special carpets and paint can reduce the amount of dust and aliments by
repelling them. The carpets are earth friendly and can be recyclable; the paint usually
requires fewer amounts of coats, which saves money and time. These small changes to a
Weaver 6
building can improve air quality and save resources for generations to come.
The next important goal of LEED construction is minimizing construction waste.
Construction waste consists of unwanted material produced directly or incidentally by the
construction or industries. This includes building materials such as insulation, nails,
electrical wiring, and rebar, as well as waste originating from site preparation such as
dredging materials, tree stumps, and rubble. Construction waste may contain lead,
asbestos, or other hazardous substances. The most wasted material on a construction site
is wood. Out of all the materials wasted, wood accounts for about fifty percent, whereas
drywall accounts for thirty percent, and brick accounts for fifteen percent. In rural areas,
most wood is wasted on roofs. This is because many times roofs are weird shapes and
have many different pitches. The best way to eliminate wood waste is to build a predesigned house or a model house. A model house has been built many times, making the
construction process limited on the amount of waste it produces (Betts).
The best way to limit waste during construction is through education and
technology. Construction industry professionals need to educate themselves on how to
limit waste and how to build green. If they do not, the future generations of people could
suffer greatly because of our generation’s negligence. Through the use of technology, the
amount of wasted construction materials can be minimized. The best way to do this is
through BIM. BIM, or building information modeling, is a new technology that lets the
architect or contractor construct a three-dimensional model of a building online. The
famous saying for using BIM is design it twice, build it once. BIM allows for contractors
to find mistakes in the design of a building before it is actually built, and also to limit
wasted material and time. This saves money for the contractor and subcontractors, and
Weaver 7
also saves materials for future generations (Scofield).
Green building is not just cautious about construction waste, but also about the
materials used during construction. Most of the time in a normal building, the materials
will be brand new straight from the manufacturer, but in green building, some materials
are recycled, natural, non-toxic, or salvaged. In order to be LEED-building certified, the
building must have five percent recycled materials. Along with using five percent
recycled materials, the green building must also have recycling bins next to all the
trashcans in it. This allows for people to have easy access to recycle bins and to increase
the amount a building will recycle per month. Along with green buildings having to
partake in recycling, they must also use natural, non-toxic items and savaged items. The
items that are natural or non-toxic can vary from the paint on walls to the carpet on the
floors (Zeiler). These products are usually more expensive but help the environment and
preserve materials for future generations. In normal construction, there are rarely any
natural paints or carpets; this can lead to many ailments to workers and occupants down
the road.
Along with using natural, non-toxic materials in green buildings, there are also
salvaged items that must be used. Not many items in a green building are salvaged but
the things that are save materials for future generations. These salvaged items might be
an old air unit or even back-up generators from a previous building. These items save
money up front for the owner and can save down the road if the items are efficient. In
normal construction, people believe that used is bad but in reality used can be just as
good as new if not better. Because many new items or new technology usually has
problems or needs maintenance; salvaged, used items can sometimes be more reliable
Weaver 8
and function longer than the brand new items (Betts).
Along with a green building being cautious about the materials used in
construction, green building is also cautious about the site selection for construction.
What is the purpose of carefully choosing a site? The purpose is to avoid development of
inappropriate sites and reduce the environmental impact from the location of a building
on a site. For example, do not plan to construct a building on prime farmland, a habitat
for special animals, or public parkland. These sites should be left alone and another spot
should be considered for construction. In LEED building, they encourage people to
construct buildings on what is know as brownfield sites; brownfield sites are sites that
have already been developed, but the building is no longer in use. This is also another
name for the reuse of the land that is already developed and the saving of the
undeveloped land for future generations (Robichaud).
LEED construction is cautious in site selection, materials, construction waste,
indoor air quality, saving water, and energy conservation. All of these are concerned
with preserving construction for future generations. There are a limited number of
resources on Earth, and today’s high-maintenance world is depleting them exponentially.
Thankfully, there are tangible solutions to help slow down this resource depletion; green
building construction is one of those things. The consequences of constructing normal
buildings will prohibit our generation’s grandkids and their grandkids from seeing the
beautiful earth that God has blessed them with. People should care enough about their
kids and grandkids to preserve the earth that God gave us and build environmentally
friendly buildings that will preserve materials for future generations. Becoming educated
or LEED certified is the best way to understand how to save God’s environment.
Weaver 9