given time across the country.
THE CASE FOR GREEN DESIGN
The average American spends approximately
90% of his or her time indoors, so it stands to reason that the
quality of the interior environments we create is paramount
within the process behind their implementation. Spaces
for living and working that are designed with an elevated
regard for ergonomics, air quality, thermal comfort, balanced
lighting and, of course, function, are inherently more
conducive to lower absenteeism and higher productivity, studies
can be cited as proof, but there’s also a certain
intuitive logic at the heart of it. Furthermore, in order
to achieve at least some of these results inside a building, as
much (if not more) attention must be directed toward the
outside, or otherwise to those components or systems not
visible or exposed to its occupants. Strategic and
efficient use of materials, placement of windows, proper
ventilation and filtration, effective heating and cooling, and
appropriate landscaping are some of the implements of design
that have direct effect on the quality of life inside our
facilities, no matter the building type. This integration
and interconnection between inside and outside also represents
the entwinement of buildings with our environment at the macro
scale, though seemingly infinitesimal, every responsible
decision we make with respect to our immediate or local
condition reduces our impact on the planet as a whole. This is
ultimately the hallmark of green building, where the design
goals throughout the process are heavily driven by the
inextricable link between buildings and environmental concerns
such as climate change, species loss, deforestation, and human
health problems resulting from toxins in our environment.
Buildings built in a sustainable manner
consider both the upstream (i.e. how are a product’s raw
materials sourced?) and the downstream effects of choices
associated with their design, construction, renova
The author is an architect in a Richmond
design firm. He is a member of the American Institute of
Architects and its committee on the environment (COTE).
In addition, he is a founder and vice chairman of the
James River Chapter of the US Green Building Council, a LEED
Accredited Professional and serves as treasurer and secretary
of the Virginia Sustainable Building Network.
e live in times of
great change. Energy markets are increas- ingly
volatile, weather related natural disasters are on the rise
(attributed by a majority of the science community to human
induced global warming), and the presence of industrial toxins
in our air, water and soil is making for some intense discourse
from the coffee shop to Capital Hill as citizens become
progressively more aware of the ramifications. In no
other arena is the environmental correlation of these issues
more prominent than in the building industry. The
construction, operation and maintenance of buildings in the US
annually draws down roughly 40% of our raw materials and
energy, contributes about 35% of total atmospheric emissions
(NO2, SO2, & CO2), uses 25% of our wood, and close to 16%
of our water. When considered on a life cycle basis,
buildings not only dominate energy consumption, but exact a
toll on finite natural resources well beyond that of other
human endeavors. Moreover, the built environment impacts
not only personal health and well being but that of entire
communities, and therefore, the whole planet. Over the
past 30 years or so, and especially over the past decade,
awareness of these interconnections has taken hold in real and
meaningful ways, not just within the design and construction
professions, but across the broad spectrum of players involved
in the development of building projects. In particular,
government and its public agencies have taken on a significant
role in what is commonly referred to the
“sustainable” or “green” building
movement. The impacts to the positive are proving their
worth and giving further credence to the notion of stewardship,
a much needed shift, considering the size and complexity of the
typical public project multiplied by the shear number of them
occurring at any 