Design of Green Buildings 

ENCE539: 

Chapter 1 & Chapter 2: 
Introduction and Background 

Abdulhamid Mimi
Design of Green Buildings                                                                                     Lecture 2 1
Today’s Presentation Outline 

• Revisit previous lecture 

• Green Buildings Impacts

• Green Buildings Progress and Barriers

• Concepts and Vocabulary

Design of Green Buildings                                                                                     Lecture 2  2
Revisit previous lecture 

Introduction to module

Introduction to Green Buildings 

Green Building Examples 

Design of Green Buildings                                                                                     Lecture 2  3
 Green Buildings Impacts 
Green buildings are achieving rapid penetration in
the US construction market for three primary
reasons:
1. Sustainable construction provides an ethical and practical
response to issues of environmental impact and resource
consumption.
2. Green buildings virtually always make economic sense on a
life‐cycle costing (LCC) basis, although they may be more
expensive on a capital, or first‐cost, basis.
3.Sustainable design acknowledges the potential effect of the
building, including its operation, on the health of its human
occupants.

Design of Green Buildings                                                                                     Lecture 2  4
 Green Buildings Impacts 
The impacts of green buildings on commercial 
construction in the United states (it can reduce):  

 72% of electricity consumption
 39% of energy use
 38% of all carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions
 40 % of raw materials use 
 30 % of waste output 
 14 % of potable water consumption 

Design of Green Buildings                                                                                     Lecture 2  5
 Green Buildings Progress and Barriers ( Table 1.4 page 15) 
Progress:
1. Rapid penetration of the LEED green building rating system and
growth of USGBC membership
2. Public and private incentives

Barriers:
1. Financial disincentives
a. Lack of LCC analysis and use
b. Real and perceived higher first costs
c. Budget separation between capital and operating costs
2. Insufficient research
a. Inadequate research funding
b. Insufficient research on indoor environments, productivity, and health

Design of Green Buildings                                                                                     Lecture 2  6
 Concepts and Vocabulary
Sustainable development: Meeting the needs of present without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet their
needs.

Greenfields: A site nor previously developed or graded that could 
support open space, habitat, or agriculture.  

Brownfields:  Real property whose use may be complicated by the 
presence or possible presence of hazardous substance, pollutant, 
or contaminant.

Grayfields: are urban properties that are underperforming or 
declining in value for technological, economic, or social reasons 
Design of Green Buildings                                                                                     Lecture 2  7
 Concepts and Vocabulary
Closed loop : Describes a process of keeping materials in
productive use by reuse and recycling rather than disposing of
them as waste at the end of the product or building life cycle.
Industrial Ecology :
The first major effort of industrial ecology was to reduce the
massive quantities of waste generated by traditional
manufacturing processes

Design of Green Buildings                                                                                     Lecture 2  8
 Concepts and Vocabulary
Construction Ecology :
Construction ecology also supports the design and construction of
a built environment that (1) has a closed‐loop materials system
integrated with eco‐industrial and natural systems, (2) depends
solely on renewable energy sources, and (3) fosters the
preservation of natural system functions.

Design for the Environment (DFE):

‐Disassembly
‐Recycling
‐Reuse
‐Remanufacturing

Design of Green Buildings                                                                                     Lecture 2  9
 Concepts and Vocabulary
Carrying Capacity: Is the number of people who can be supported
in a given area within natural resource limits, and without
degrading the natural social, cultural, and economic environment
for present and future generations
Ecological Footprint : land area required to support a certain
population or activity, could serve as a surrogate measure for total
resource consumption
‐If everyone on earth enjoyed a North American lifestyle, it would
take up to five planet earths.
‐Ecological Footprint Quiz:
http://ecologicalfootprint.com/

Design of Green Buildings                                                                                     Lecture 2  10
 Concepts and Vocabulary
The Biophilia Hypothesis: The Connection between humans and
other living things.
‐Various recent studies have shown that even minimal connection
with nature, such as looking outdoors through a window, increases
productivity and health in the workplace.
Eco‐efficiency:
1. Reducing the material requirements of goods and services
2.Reducing the energy intensity of goods and services
3.Reducing toxic dispersion
4.Enhancing materials recyclability
5.Maximizing sustainable use of renewable resources
6.Extending product durability
7.Increasing the service intensity of goods and service

Design of Green Buildings                                                                                     Lecture 2  11
 Concepts and Vocabulary
The Natural Step: Provides a framework for considering the effects
of material selection on human health.
‐ Many health problems result from materials we use in our daily
lives

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA): Is a method for determining the

environmental and resource impacts of a material, a product, or
even a whole building over its entire life.

Life Cycle Costing (LCC): The ability to model a building’s financial

performance over its life cycle is necessary to justify measures that
may require greater initial capital investment but yield significantly
lower operational costs over time.

Design of Green Buildings                                                                                     Lecture 2  12
 Concepts and Vocabulary
Embodied Energy: Refers to the total energy consumed in the acquisition and
processing of raw materials, including manufacturing, transportation, and final
installation.
‐Products with greater embodied energy usually have higher environmental
impact due to the emissions and greenhouse gases associated with energy
consumption.

Design of Green Buildings                                                                                     Lecture 2  13
 Concepts and Vocabulary
Factor 4 : Suggests that for humanity to live sustainably today, we
must rapidly reduce resource consumption to one‐quarter of its
current level
Factor 10: In order to achieve long‐term sustainability, we must
reduce resource consumption by a factor of 10.
Life Cycle Costing (LCC): The ability to model a building’s financial
performance over its life cycle is necessary to justify measures that
may require greater initial capital investment but yield significantly
lower operational costs over time.
Built Environment : Is the human‐made surroundings that provide
the setting for human activity, ranging in scale from personal
shelter and buildings to cities.
‐ The built environment contributes 67% of all greenhouse gas
emissions
Design of Green Buildings                                                                                     Lecture 2  14
Summary  
Green Buildings Impacts

Green Buildings Progress and Barriers

Concepts and Vocabulary

Design of Green Buildings                                                                                     Lecture 2 15
 Any Questions??

Design of Green Buildings                                                                                     Lecture 2 16