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"Green"
Design Strategies
The
LEED rating system for high-performance, sustainable
building and interior classifies the various design
strategies into six categories: Energy, Water, Site
Work, Indoor Environmental Quality, Innovation and
Design, and Materials.
Other helpful information on strategies and practices
can be found at the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
website for the U.S. Department of Energy: http://www.eere.energy.gov/
At Western Michigan University the majority of sustainable
practices and strategies used in recent project have
been in the areas of Energy, Indoor Environmental
Quality, and Materials.
- Energy
- Provide natural daylight to
majority of building spaces
- Install high efficiency T-5
indirect lighting*; separate ambient and task
lighting to reduce energy loads
- Minimize energy loads with
occupancy and daylight sensors
- Install high efficiency HVAC
with digital controls and economizer mode free
cooling
- Incorporate heat recovery unit
in mechanical system
- Install low-flow plumbing fixtures
- Install high performance windows
with optimal insulation values
- Control solar gain and reduce
cooling loads with solar screens and special
glazing
- Ensure correct programming
and operation of building systems through commissioning**
*T-5 refers to the size of the standard fluorescent
tube used in the lighting fixture. The number
5 is the width of the tube in centimeters. T-5's
are more energy efficient than their predecessors,
the T-8's, T-10's, and T-12's.
*Indirect lighting fixtures direct light upwards
to the ceiling instead of directly down onto
a work surface. If the ceiling is bright white,
the reflected light will be sufficient for normal
tasks and general usage, without the glare produced
by direct down-lighting.
**Building commissioning: the practice of confirming
and documenting that building systems
function as designed
- Site Development
- Provide natural daylight to
most building spaces
- Reduce solar glare through
solar shades and reflecting light shelves*
- Install both indirect and task
lighting; indirect lighting provides glare-free
illumination
- Install CO2 (carbon dioxide)
sensors to monitor indoor air quality; adjust
ventilation levels to provide fresh
air as needed
- Select materials with low VOC
(volatile organic compounds) off-gassing**: carpet,
paints, adhesives, sealants
- Provide “winter garden” /
building commons, with plantings, water feature,
view to natural site
- Enforce Indoor Air Quality
management plan throughout construction
*Solar shades allow a view outside while reducing
glare, solar gain, and UV rays.
*A light shelf is a
horizontal light-reflecting overhang placed above
eye-level. The shelf may be on the interior or
the exterior, although exterior shelves also
provide shade inside the room. Light shelves
improve daylight penetration and reduce
window glare.
**Off-gassing is the release of gases from a
solid or liquid as a normal part of the project
life cycle. Off-gassing may occur within minutes
or hours, as with paint, or may takes months,
as with carpet or manufactured flooring. Products
with a warning to "use in a well-ventilated area"
have off-gasses that may be hazardous when inhaled
or may hurt the eyes. Off-gasses may leave a
residue on nearby surfaces, such as the film
that covers the interior windows surfaces on
new cars.
- Materials
- Select materials with recycled content: rubber
floor tiles, carpet, toilet partitions, solar
screens, ceramic tiles, ceiling tiles
- Select materials from renewable
sources: such as cork, bamboo and linoleum flooring,
Forest Stewardship Council certified wood products
(http://www.fsc.org/en/)
- Select durable materials with long life spans
and minimal maintenance needs
- Salvage and reuse building materials and demolition
wastes
- Recycle construction wastes:
concrete, masonry, metals, and wood
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