University of Alexandria, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Architecture

Postgraduate Studies, Internet Applications

Coarse Supervisor: Prof Dr Osama M. Abd Elrahman

Student's Name: Arch Ahmed M. Hesham

Paper Title: Green Architecture

Academic Year: 2010/2011

Content Table

1.0       Introduction

2.0       Topic

    2.1       Green Architecture Issues

                       2.1.a    Environmental Impact

                       2.1.b    Green Building Practices

                       2.1.c    Green Building materials

                       2.1.d    Reducing Energy Use

                       2.1.e    Reducing Waste

    2.2       Rating Systems for Green Buildings

                       2.2.a    Main International Rating Systems

                       2.2.b    Structure of Rating Systems

    2.3       LEED

                       2.3.a    LEED rating system

                       2.3.b    LEED 2009

                       2.3.c    LEED point rating

                       2.3.d    LEED & carbon trade

                       2.3.e    LEED accreditation

    2.4       Case Studies

                        2.4.a    The Orange Cube, Lyon, France

                        2.4.b    Museum of the Holocaust by Belzberg Architects, Los Angeles, USA

3.0       Conclusion

4.0       References

 1.0     Introduction

    Green building is the practice of increasing the efficiency with which buildings use resources energy, water, and the materials while reducing building impacts on human health and the environment during the building's lifecycle, through better siting, design, construction, operation, maintenance and removal. Green buildings are designed to reduce the overall impact of the built environment on human health and the natural environment by:

·         Efficiency using energy, water and other resources.

·         Protecting occupant health and improving employee productivity.

·         Reducing waste, pollution, and environmental degradation.

A similar concept is natural building, which is usually on smaller scale and tends to focus on the use of natural materials that are available locally. Other commonly used terms include sustainable design and green architecture.

The related concepts of sustainable development and sustainability are integral-to green architecture. Effective green building can lead to:

·         Reduce operating Cost by increasing productivity and using less energy and water.

·         Improved public and occupant health due to improved indoor air quality.

·         Reduced environmental impacts, for example lessening storm water runoff and the heat island effect.

2.0     Topic

2.1     Green Architecture issues

    There are 5 main issues in Green Architecture

    2.1.a    Environmental Impact

           2.1.b    Green Building Practices

           2.1.c    Green Building Materials

           2.1.d    Reducing Energy Use

           2.1.e    Reducing Waste

2.1.a Environmental Impact

    Green building practices aim to reduce the environmental impact of buildings. Buildings account for a large amount of land use, energy, water consumption, air & atmosphere alteration.

The environmental impact of buildings is often underestimated while the perceived costs of green bindings are overestimated.

A recent survey by the world business Council for sustainable development finds the green costs are overestimates by 300 %, as key players in real estate and construction estimate additional cost at 17 % above conventional construction more than triple the true average cost difference of about 5 %.

2.1.b Green building practices

    Green Architecture brings together a vast vary of practices and techniques to reduce and ultimately eliminate the impacts as building on the environment and human health.

It often emphasizes taking advantage of renewable resources e.g. using sunlight through passive solar, active solar and photovoltaic techniques and using plants and trees through greenrooms, rain gardens, and for reduction of rainwater run-off. Many other techniques such as using packed gravel for parking lots instead of concrete or asphalt to enhance replenishment of groundwater are used as well. Effective green mailing are more than just a random collection of environmental friendly technologies, however they require careful systemic attention to the full life cycle impact of the resources embodies in the building and to the resource consumption and pollution emissions ova the buildings complete lifecycle. On the aesthetic side of green architecture or sustainable design is the philosophy of designing a building that is in harmony with the natural features and resources surrounding the site. There are several key steps in designing green buildings:

·         scurfy green building materials from load resources

·         Reduce loafs

·         Optimize systems

·         Generate on site renewable energy

2.1.c Green Building Materials

    Building materials typically considered to be green include rapidly renewable plant materials like bamboo & straw lumber from forests certified to be sustainable managed, dimension stone, recycled stone, recycled metal and other products that are non toxic, reusable renewable and recyclable. (e.g. Tran, linoleum, sheep wood, panels mate from, Paper flakes, compressed earth black, adobe, baked earth, rammed earth, clay, sisal, Seagram, cork, expanded clay grains coconut tweed fiber plates, calcium sand stone…etc) . Building materials should be extracted and manufactured locally to the building site to minimize the energy embedded in their transportation.

2.1.d Reducing Energy Use

    Green buildings often include measures to reduce energy use, to increase efficiency of the building envelope (the barrier between conditioned & unconditioned space.) They may use high-efficiency windows and insulation panels in walk, ceilings and floors. Another strategy is passive solar building design is often implemented in low energy homes. Designers orient windows and walls and place awnings, porches and trees to shade windows and roofs during the summer while maximize solar gain in winter. In addition to effective window placement, day lighting can provide move natural light and lessen the need for electric lighting during the day. Solar water heating further reduces energy loads. Finally onsite generation of  renewable energy through solar power, wind power hydropower or biomass can reduce the environmental impact of the building.  Power generation is generally the most expensive feature to add to building.

2.1.e Reducing Waste

    Green Architecture abs seeks to reduce waste of energy, water and materials. During the construction phase, one goal should be to reduce amount of materials going to landfills. Te reduce the impact on wells or water treatment plants several options exist: gray water, waste water from sources such as dishwashing or washing machines can be used for irrigation or if treated for non potable purposes such as flash toilets and car wash. Rainwater collectors are used for similar purposes. Centralized waste water treatment systems can be costly and use a lot of energy. An alternative to thirteen is converting water and wastewater into fertilizer, which aside these costs and shows other benefits. By collecting human waste at the source and running it to semi centralized biogas plant with other biological waste. Liquid fertilizer can be produced. Practices like these provide soil with organic nutrients and create carbon sinks that remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere: offsetting greenhouse gas emission. Producing artificial fertilizer is also move costly in energy than this process.

2.2     Rating Systems for Green Buildings

    Rating systems have been developed to measure the sustainability level of green buildings and provide best practice experience in their highest certification level. With the given benchmarks, the design, construction and operation of sustainable buildings will be certified. Using several criteria compiled in guidelines and checklists, building owners and operators are given a comprehensive measurable impact on their buildings’ performance. The criteria either only cover aspects of the building approach to sustainability, like energy efficiency, or they cover the whole building approach by identifying performance in key areas like sustainable site development, human and environmental health, water savings, materials selection, indoor environmental quality, social aspects and economical quality. Furthermore, the purpose of rating systems is to certify the different aspects of sustainable development during the planning and construction stages. The certification process means quality assurance for building owners and users. Important criteria for successful assessments are convenience, usability and adequate effort during the different stages of the design process. The result of the assessment should be easy to communicate and should be showing transparent derivation and reliability.

2.2.a Main International Rating Systems

Table (1) : International Rating Systems

2.2.b Structure of Rating Systems

    The different aspects are sorted in over-all categories, like energy or quality groups ecology, economy and social demands. For each aspect, one or more benchmarks exist, which need to be verified in order to meet requirements or obtain points.

Depending on the method used, individual points are either added up or initially weighted and then summed up to obtain the final result. The number of points is ranked in the rating scale, which is divided into different levels:

The higher the number of points, the better the certification.

2.3     (LEED)

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design

    Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) is an internationally recognized green building certification system, providing third-party verification that a building or community was designed and built using strategies intended to improve performance in metrics such as energy savings, water efficiency, CO₂ emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality, and stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their impacts.

Developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), LEED is intended to provide building owners and operators a concise framework for identifying and implementing practical and measurable green building design, construction, operations and maintenance solutions.

Since its inception in 1998, the U.S. Green Building Council has grown to encompass more than 7,000 projects in the United States and 30 countries covering 1.062 billion square feet (99 km²) of development area. The hallmark of LEED is that it is an open and transparent process where the technical criteria proposed by USGBC members are publicly reviewed for approval by the almost 20,000 member organizations that currently constitute the USGBC.

The Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI) was established by USGBC to provide a series of exams to allow individuals to become accredited for their knowledge of the LEED rating system. This is recognized through either the LEED Accredited Professional (LEED AP) or LEED Green Associate (LEED Green Assoc.) designation. GBCI also provides third-party certification for projects pursuing LEED.

2.3.a LEED Rating System

    LEED has evolved since its original inception in 1998 to more accurately represent and incorporate emerging green building technologies. LEED NCv1.0 was a pilot version. These projects helped inform the USGBC of the requirements for such a rating system, and this knowledge was incorporated into LEED NCv2.0. LEED

NCv2.2 was released in 2005, and v3 in 2009. Today, LEED consists of a suite of nine rating systems for the design, construction and operation of buildings, homes and neighborhoods. Five overarching categories correspond to the specialties available under the LEED Accredited Professional program. That suite currently consists of:

Green Building Design & Construction

·         LEED for New Construction

·         LEED for Core & Shell

·         LEED for Schools

·         LEED for Retail: New Construction and Major Renovations

·         LEED for Healthcare

Green Interior Design & Construction

·         LEED for Commercial Interiors

·         LEED for Retail: Commercial Interiors

Green Building Operations & Maintenance

·         LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance

Green Neighborhood Development

·         LEED for Neighborhood Development

Green Home Design and Construction

·         LEED for Homes

LEED also forms the basis for other sustainability rating systems such as the Environmental Protection Agency's Labs21.After four years of development, aligning credits across all LEED rating systems and weighting credits based on environmental priority, USGBC launched LEED v3, which consists of a new continuous development process, a new version of LEED Online, a revised third-party certification program and a new suite of rating systems known as LEED 2009. In response to concerns that LEED's requirements are cumbersome and difficult to learn, in 2009 USGBC supported the development by Building Green, LLC of LEED user, a third-party resource that contains tips and guidance, written by professionals in the field, on applying LEED credits and the LEED certification process.

2.3.b LEED 2009

    In LEED 2009 there are 100 possible base points plus an additional 6 points for Innovation in Design and 4 points for Regional Priority. Buildings can qualify for four levels of certification:

·         Certified - 40 - 49 points

·         Silver - 50 - 59 points

·         Gold - 60 - 79 points

·         Platinum - 80 points and above

Note that the LEED for Homes rating system is different from LEED v3, with different point categories and thresholds that reward efficient residential design.

2.3.c LEED Point Rating

    Points have been distributed as follows

·         Sustainable sites -14 points

·         Water efficiency -5 points

·         Materials & resources -13 points

·         Energy & atmosphere -17 points

·         Indoor air quality -15 points

·         Innovative & design process -5 points

2.3.d LEED & Carbon Trade

    It is expected that LEED-NC 3.0 will include a requirement for a carbon footprint carbon building print & reduction of Green House Gases beyond a base line level. The reduction in carbon dioxide must be measured based on the direct & the indirect carbon dioxide & equivalent reductions. These include emissions related to consumption of grid delivered electricity, onsite consumption of fossil fuels, & fugitive refrigerant emissions.

The efforts to quantify emissions & reductions in emissions will minimize the climate change externality in the same way that Kyoto Clean & Development Project does.

2.3.e LEED & Accreditation

    Green building professionals can become accredited through the LEED Accreditation Professional exam. This accreditation enables an individual to facilitate the rating of buildings with various LEED systems. Professional Accreditation is administrated by the Green Buildings Certifications Institute. GBCI has an education provider program that provide seminars & lectures to prepare candidates to take & pass LEED exam. Lectures are provided in various cities by accredited providers.

2.4     Case Studies

2.4.a The Orange Cube, Lyon, France

    The architects’ brief was to accommodate rental office space in a scheme marking the transformation of the site. In response, they pushed the envelope to its allowable limits, so that the project has optimal physical presence on its former industrial site. This hypothetical or virtual Cartesian solid is then eroded by not one but three conical volumes. The primary excavation is angled inward from the corner overlooking the Saône. From the south, it appears to capture an adjacent crane like a giant Pac-Man. The mutation of this primary erosion with a conical incision through the Orange Cube’s roof creates the intriguing, crater-like void that addresses the river.

Each facade of the Orange Cube consists of a perforated aluminium skin, held forward of an inner membrane of translucent glass and solid orange panels. These inner walls extend with minimal interference to the exposed concrete ceiling in such a way that results in views of the exterior being filtered through the delicate orange scrim.

The erosions in this taut outer membrane are not circular but polygonal, and on occasion they merge, thus achieving a more nuanced - or more natural - effect than would have been created by a simplistic field of dots. The pattern is slightly denser to the south in order to facilitate shading, point out Jakob + MacFarlane. At the topmost level, complete with its penthouse pavilion, the orange skin of the building appears to dissolve or fade as it meets the sky.

Engineered in collaboration with RFR and TESS, the Orange Cube features open-plan floors with a regular grid of concrete columns. These floorplates fracture in plan, extending out into the principal void to become crescent-shaped viewing decks protected by sloping balustrades. Looking up from the quay, this aspect is dramatic. The vorticist effect is exaggerated by the striped balustrades, with aluminium panels that are slightly darker than the exterior scrim, and by glimpses of the

furthest recesses of light seeping in from above. The opaque triangular panels of this erosion to the sky are frequently nibbled away by clusters of small, if not tiny apertures.

2.4.b Museum of the Holocaust by Belzberg Architects, Los Angeles, USA

    Belzberg Architects was commissioned to design a building, but chose instead to embed the galleries within a corner of the flood-control berm that surrounds the park, separating the museum from the post office and shopping mall that flank the site. A path leads to the memorial across a roof planted with wild grasses and defined by low retaining walls that mirror the winding paths of the park. A ramp leads down from the drop-off point for school buses to the entrance and the story of a culture uprooted and extinguished unfolds in a succession of displays that loop round the ramp.

He wanted to provide a container that would subtly intensify the story, rather than abstracting camp architecture, as James Ingo Freed did in the US Holocaust Museum (AR February 1994). He achieves this by twisting and bending the structural columns, creating organic shapes that relate to the park, but also suggest a disordered world.

The monopitch roof over the first sequence of galleries pulls in natural light from a row of openings at the top and from the expanses of fritted glass to either side of the ramp. The roof tilts down almost imperceptibly, so that, as you reach the darkest part of the story, you feel confined within a low-ceilinged space. As you return along the other side of the ramp, compression gives way to release. These shifts of height and lighting reveal how Belzberg has integrated container and story in a cinematic fashion.

Belzberg was challenged to create the museum on a confined site and the tight budget had to cover the cost of excavating to a depth of 11m, mitigating emissions of methane gas, and constructing a vast concrete shell to withstand pressure from the high-water table. For the visible concrete structure, the builders sprayed shotcrete onto reinforcing rods and trowelled the surfaces, rather than pouring concrete into forms, to achieve fluid curved shapes. They are modelled in natural light that bathes the open and office areas, shifting through the day.

3.0     Conclusion

    Practitioners of green architecture often seek to achieve not only ecological but aesthetic harmony between structure and its surroundings natural and built environment, although the appearance and style of sustainable buildings is not necessarily distinguishable from their less sustainable counterparts.

4.0     References

Green Building-A guidebook for sustainable architecture (book)

LEED® Practices, Certification, and Accreditation Handbook (book)

The Engineering Guide to LEED–New Construction Sustainable Construction for Engineers (book)

www.architectural-review.com (web site)

www.wikipedia.com (web site)