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GREEN BUILDINGS An Approach towards Pollution
Prevention
Abhilash Vijayan Charanya Varadarajan Department
of Civil Engineering University of Toledo
Air Pollution Research Group
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Introduction

• Since the Industrial Revolution the world has
  witnessed
• incalculable technological achievements
• population growth
• corresponding increases in resource use
• Side effects of all the activities and
  achievements include
• pollution, landfills at capacity, toxic waste,
  global warming, resource
• and ozone depletion, and deforestation
• All these efforts are straining the limits of
  the Earths carrying capacity its ability to
  provide the resources required to sustain life
  while retaining the capacity to regenerate and
  remain viable.

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Building Industry- Facts
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Compiled fromWorldwatch Paper 124
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Building Industry in US

• Represents more than 50 percent of the nations
  wealth
• New construction and renovation activity amounts
  to approximately 800 billion
• Represents 13 percent of the GDP
• Employs over ten million people
• CD debris comprise approximately 15 to 30
  percent of all waste disposed of in landfills
• The resources required to create, operate, and
  replenish this level of infrastructure and income
  are enormous, but diminishing
• To remain competitive and continue to expand and
  produce profits in the future, the building
  industry has to address the Environmental and
  Economic consequences of its actions

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Sustainability

• SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
• Development that meets the needs of the present
  without compromising the ability of future
  generations to meet their own needs
• (The Brundtland Commission,1987)
• SUSTAINABLE BUILDINGS
• A Cradle-to-Cradle Approach

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Working Principles
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Application of Sustainability
Pre-Design
On-Site
Design
Construction
OM

• Material Selection
• Building Program
• Project Budget
• Team Selection
• Partnering
• Project Schedule
• Laws, Codes
• Standards
• Research
• Site Selection

• Site Analysis
• Assessment
• Site Development
• Layout
• Watershed
• Management
• Conservation
• Site Material
• Equipment

• Environmentally
• Conscious
• Construction
• Preservation of
• Features
• Vegetation
• Waste Mgmt
• IAQ Issues
• Source Control
• Practices

• Maintenance Plans
• Indoor Quality
• Energy Efficiency
• Resource Efficiency
• Renovation
• Housekeeping
• Custodial Practices

• Passive Solar
• Design
• Materials
• Specification
• Indoor Air
• Quality

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Application of Sustainability A Superior
Technology
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Effect of Sustainability
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Advanced Features of a Sustainable Building

• Best Building Form
• Solar Energy Efficient Design
• Improved Indoor Air Quality
• Usage of Green Materials
• Proper Mechanical Systems
• Efficient Lighting
• Proper Testing Maintenance

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Green Materials

• Materials, production, use and disposal must be
  safe for the planet. Most of the materials have
  specific range of conditions in which they best
  work
• Sustainable building materials have the following
  features
• Durable and easily maintained
• Less processing required
• Low odor
• Low emitting
• Cost-effective
• Aesthetic

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Economics of Green Buildings

• Reduction in lighting energy requirements by at
  least 50 percent
• Cut heating and cooling energy consumption by 60
  percent
• Reduced water consumption by up to 30 percent or
  more
• Lower building operating expenses through
  reduced utility and waste disposal costs
• Lower on-going building maintenance costs,
  ranging from salaries to supplies
• Increase worker productivity by six to 16
  percent
• Higher property values and potentially lower
  lenders credit risk
• Higher building net income
• New economic development opportunities

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Benefits of Sustainable Construction

• Sustainable construction makes wise use of all
  the natural resources and a 50 reduction in
  energy use
• Improves occupant health, comfort, productivity,
  reduces pollution and  landfill waste that are
  not easily quantified
• A sustainable building may cost more up front,
  but saves through lower operating costs over the
  life of the building
• Building is designed as one system rather than a
  collection of stand-alone systems with the help
  of the integrated system approach

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Future of Sustainable Buildings

• Further research
• Successful examples of Sustainable buildings
• Newer, efficient and healthier technologies
• Availability of computer software programs to
  identify and evaluate options for a building
  project
• Governmental support
• An active participation from every sector of the
  society

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Case Study- The Dalles Middle School
(Oregon)(Source http//www.energy.state.or.us/sc
hool/thedalles.pdf

• Problem
• Poorly built middle school in a landslide area
• In 1955, to meet the sudden influx of students,
  temporary facilities were constructed with an
  expectant life of 20 years, but were used for 45
  years
• By 2000, the State Fire Marshall closed down the
  facility with the decision to build a new school

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Building Design

• Heating and cooling are a large part of the
  energy use of a school building
• The high temperature ground water from the
  landslide area was used to provide both heating
  and cooling using geothermal principles
• It is one of the first schools in the nation that
  is heated and cooled with the very ground water
  that caused the landslides

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Lighting

• Daylighting Skylighting- Incorporated lots of
  natural light to reduce the need for electric
  lighting and the associated increase in the air
  conditioning load
• Energy efficient fluorescent T5s installed in
  classrooms

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Natural Ventilation

• Operable windows pull fresh air into one side of
  the classroom, while ventilation stacks pull the
  air out on the opposite side of the classroom
• At extreme temperatures, automatic backup
  mechanical ventilation systems used

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Application of Concepts of Sustainability

• Use of paints and sealers with low or no-volatile
  organic compounds (VOCs)
• Reclaimed ground water to irrigate the ball
  fields.
• Exterior lighting directed downward to reduce
  night light pollution
• Mechanically zoned science classrooms to avoid
  exposure to hazardous chemicals
• Stained the concrete walls to blend with the
  colors of the natural landscape
• Use of ceiling tiles produced from 75 percent
  post-consumer recycled waste

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Results

• High performance school building emerged that
  will prevent pollution, save energy, natural
  resources and money
• 60 percent cost reduction in energy expected
• Students performed better with the skylights and
  windows that bring natural, non-glare light
  inside the classroom
• Improved Indoor Air Quality and occupant comfort
  due to no-VOC emissions from building materials