Sustainable Design Requires a Holistic Approach

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Sustainable Design Requires a Holistic Approach
Gary Gene Olp, AIA, NCARB, LEED
AP President GGOArchitects, Corp.
www.ggoarchitects.com
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The real innovation has to come at the other end
of the process . . . The approaches that we use
to convert waste to value
The U.N. estimates that every year, 20 to 50
million tons of electronic and electrical waste
are generated worldwide. In the U.S. some 50
million computers are disposed of every
year. Japan will have discarded 610 million cell
phones by the year 2010.
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Facts to Consider
Buildings consume 2/3 of all U.S. Electrical
generation and contribute over 1/3 of all
greenhouse emissions. Oil companies are not
planning to build new refineries because there
isnt enough oil resources or discoveries to
justify the investment. Hubberts curve predicted
that U.S. oil production would peak in 1972 - it
did in 1970. The same analytical data predicts
that global production will peak between 2010
2015 irrespective of the recent find in the deep
water of the Gulf of Mexico. Currently we
consume two barrels for every new barrel
discovered. Saving or conserving energy or a
valuable resource is always cheaper and more
economical than producing it.
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What is America but a Mephistophelean trade of
the potential of soul for pneumatic tennis shoes,
instant meals, and designer deodorants? Vapid,
soulless, bland, disconnected, disturbed,
disheartened, dis-spirited, disneyfied, diseased,
dys-topians. Clay Straus Jenkinson
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So what does a Tipi
have to do with LEED?
Plains Indian Tipi
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Passive Solar Design
Collected solar energy for warmth - winter
Cliff above shaded dwellings for cooling - Summer
Natural materials
Rainwater collection
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Passive Solar Design
Cliff above provides cut off angle to shade
dwellings
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Lisbon, Portugal
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Lisbon, Portugal
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Skiathos Harbor, Greece
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Zero energy consumption
Totally recyclable
Comfortable from 110 deg. to -20 deg.
Built from forest floor debris
Debris Hut Survival Shelter
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Builder conceived paradise
Unconscious design
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Unconscious design
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80 of our environmental problems directly
correlate to inefficient utilization of energy
and water resources
We dont have an environmental problem, we have a
design problem
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Natural Blasphemy
As a society weve stripped the plains, hills and
valleys of grassland and trees, exterminated the
wildlife, displaced native peoples, extracted the
minerals, paved everything that is close to being
level, and then thrown up the worst, resource
wasting, most shallow, most soul numbing homes
and communities that human vulgarity can
devise. Vernal, life giving grassland prairies
and fertile irreplaceable farmland is being
supplanted at an unconscionable pace with planned
communities boasting romantic neighborhoods such
as Eden Prairie and Richland Farms.
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LEED Addresses the complete lifecycle of
buildings
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What is also true about the LEED rating system is
that you can realize a Silver Certification level
for a Pig of a Building, simply by adding a lot
of Solar PV Panels, putting Bike Racks out front,
walk off mats at the doors and installing Green
Bamboo cut, manufactured and shipped in from
China.
The credits that have the most sustainable
impact Energy Optimization and Storm Water
Management are in nearly every project ignored.
Why? Short term cost considerations.
Effective Sustainable Design Requires a Holistic
Approach
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Environmental Education Building
Plano, Texas
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Environmental Education Building
Plano, Texas
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Hampton Illinois Library
Dallas, Texas
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Hampton Illinois Library
Dallas, Texas
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Hampton Illinois Library
Dallas, Texas
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McCommas Bluff EEB
Dallas, Texas
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McCommas Bluff EEB
Dallas, Texas
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McCommas Bluff EEB
Dallas, Texas
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McCommas Bluff EEB
Dallas, Texas
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Northwest Service Center
Dallas, Texas
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Northwest Service Center
Dallas, Texas
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Northwest Service Center
Dallas, Texas
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Northwest Service Center
Dallas, Texas
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Northwest Service Center
Dallas, Texas
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Northwest Service Center
Dallas, Texas
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Current State of Building
Can best be described as Auto Composting
Buildings are the most efficient renewable energy
resource we have available
Buildings are responsible for 40 of Co2
generated - 710 Million tons of Co2
Buildings consume 38 of all electricity
generated - 80 of which is generated by coal
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Building Options
Conventional
Structural Insulated Panels - SIP
Insulated Concrete Forms - ICF
Earth Sheltered
Underground
Adobe
Strawbale
Air Entrained Concrete - AEC
Cobb Waddle
Papercrete
Earthships
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The goal is a high performance building that is
appropriate for regional climate conditions!
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IF YOU REMEMBER ONLY ONE THING FROM THIS
PRESENTATION . . .
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SHADING
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green house effect
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green house effect
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Summer - Winter sun path
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Shading
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Shading
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Summer - Winter insolation
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Proper Shading
Low-E windows should never be considered a
substitute for the proper design of overhangs.
A home with single glazed windows that are
properly shaded for their orientation, will out
perform un-shaded Low-E glazed windows. www.sbse.o
rg/resources/sac/index.htm
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Daylighting
Full spectrum lighting is critical to emotional
health and mental acuity. Low-E glass cuts out
the blue spectrum and is suspected to be the
cause of some recently identified debilitating
human responses.
Today the average person spends 90 of their time
indoors. 100 years ago our ancestors spent 90
of their time outdoors. House plants display the
effects of a lack of the blue spectrum within a
few weeks.
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ORIENTATION
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Summer - Winter sun path
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Summer - Winter sun path
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Glazing considerations
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Building lay-out based on solar orientation
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ENVELOPE
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Heat gain
Prevailing winds
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heat gain / heat loss
Infiltration / exfiltration
water / moisture vapor
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Building Loads
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Walls
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Windows
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Infiltration
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Cooling
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Heating
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Lighting
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Thermal integrity is critical
Total window area should be within 15-20 of the
square footage of the air conditioned space to
achieve optimization of natural light and energy
consumption
Proper design and installation of vapor barriers,
drainage planes, flashing, windows, doors and
insulation all factor into a well designed
thermal envelope
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VENTILATION
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HVAC Systems
Conventional Air Cooled DX
Chilled Water
Ground Source Geothermal
Variable Speed Compressors
Ice Storage
Hydronic Heating
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Considerations
Ceiling Fans
Stack Effect / Operable Windows
CO2 Sensors / Fresh Air Management
Energy Recovery Ventilatiation
Ventilating Fans / Economizers Cycles
Over Capacity
Always insist on a detailed energy modeling. A
system that is too large will not maintain
healthy humidity ranges leading to poor IAQ,
impaired health of the occupants and building
deterioration
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Infiltration/Exfiltration
2/4 gaps in the insulation can reduce thermal
performance by 50. The purpose of insulation is
not only to stop heat flow, but also to eliminate
infiltration and exfiltration of unconditioned
air. 1.0 air changes per hour meet the Energy
Star criteria. A well designed green buildingw
ill exhibit only 0.15 air changes per hour.
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Proper sizing is Critical
Over capacity can support mold mildew growth,
leading to poor indoor air quality which will
ultimately compromised the structure and occupant
health.
Proper design and installation should require
between 750 to 1,500 sq.ft. per ton of A/C.
Relative Humidity Levels should be maintained
within the optimal range of 35 - 55 at all
times.
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Duct Location
Poorly installed duct work can leak and air loss
is often in the range of 25 - 35 or more
Proper duct design and installation are critical
to maintaining the design performance of the
system
Designing the placement of all ductwork within
the conditioned envelope eliminates most of these
concerns - if the ducts leak slightly the loss is
introduced directly into the conditioned space
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ENERGY
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What can we control?
Heating/Cooling Ventilation
Design for Efficiency
Off the Shelf Availability
Refrigerant Management
Long Term Durability
Hot Water Systems
Tankless
Solar
Lighting
Fluorescent - T2, T5, T8 types
12 Volt systems
Recessed can lights
Avoid incandescent lighting
LED Lighting
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What cant we control?
Plug Loads
Appliances
Electronic Components
Chargers, Back-up Devices
Computers, Servers, Monitors
Energy Vampires
Phantom Loads
Pool Filters, Pumps
Security and Night Lighting
What we should control?
Poor Control Systems
Malfunctioning Equipment
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Daylighting
Artificial lighting loads represent 15 to 20 of
the total energy consumption or base load of
every building.
Good building design can introduce natural
daylighting to the extent that artificial
lighting is eliminated during daylight hours
Shading devices and proper window orientation are
the most advantageous methodologies for this
region. Skylights can introduce large quantities
of unwanted solar heat gain.
Solatubes are very effective for lighting
interior spaces without adding additional solar
heat gain
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And Now A Word For The Environment
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We will never run out of oil, we will wean
ourselves off it long before then, because the
economic and social costs to extract, refine,
distribute and consume will be too high.
Dr. Emory Lovins The Oil End Game
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If we could achieve a comprehensive 15
improvement in building energy optimization
coupled with ultimately replacing 15 of our
annual energy consumption from renewable sources
the US could realize energy self sufficiency.
Isnt it curious that 2/3rds of the oil we
consume in the US comes from places that dont
like us very much?
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The new MCC Buildings
Classroom
Science
Emergency Services
Are all slated for Gold, LEED Certification. The
Emergency Services Building may well achieve
Platinum, LEED Certification. Over the next
twenty five years these buildings will reduce
accumulated emissions significantly due to the
energy optimization design measures Carbon
Dioxide 21,631,500 tons Nitrous Oxide
54,625 tons Sulfur Dioxide
174,800 tons Financial Savings 100,000.00 in
2008 Dollars / Annually
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WATER
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5,000 gal. tank
Building technology
Rainwater catchment
Dallas, Texas
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Environmental Education Building
Plano, Texas
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Environmental Education Building
Plano, Texas
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Environmental Education Building
Plano, Texas
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INDOOR AIR QUALITY
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Do you really enjoy sleeping with your SUV?
Attached garages probably represent the most
significant health compromising and toxic
methodology of conventional planning and building
practices
EPA studies have discovered that concentrations
of the very same toxic, cancer causing compounds
found in superfund sites existing in American
single family homes in concentrations that are
10-100 times greater than found in superfund sites
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Considerations
VOC Content
Household cleaning agents
Paints, Sealers, Adhesives, Carpeting, Furniture
Dry-cleaning
Artificial fragrances
New car smell
Building Design
Attached Garages, Parking Structures
Fresh air strategies
Supply and Exhaust Ventilation
Envelope Design
Humidity
Washing machines
Dishwashers
Showers
HVAC Equipment
Cooking
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BEYOND LEED
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Mega Trends
Security
Energy
Aesthetics
Environment
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Considerations
Messages on the Wind
Respect the natural character and spirit of the
landscape. Build to respond and embrace the
sense of place that has existed far longer than
our brief experience of it.
Durability
Construction Impact
Sustainability
Waste Management
Craft
Beauty
Enjoyment
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Aesthetics
Ugliness is not sustainable, people dont care
for ugly things!
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The Goal of Sustainable Buildings
Ultra efficiency both in use of natural resources
to build, heat, cool and light and in terms of
environmental efficiency They should be Healthy
and Restorative
Clean and purify the air Clean and purify the
water Produce energy Completely
recyclable Restore and enhance the surrounding
landscape
They should be Beautiful
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A good planet is hard to find!
When you look up into the sky tonight consider
this the earth is really a spaceship. Our ship
is 8,000 miles in diameter, hurtling through
space at a rate of 60,000 mph. All life and our
entire store of natural resources are contained
in a narrow band at the crust only a couple of
miles deep, comparatively as thin as a sheet of
paper. This mantle of life is wrapped in a 5
mile thick layer of atmosphere. On average the
life giving topsoil is 6 thick. The Van Allen
belt protects us from solar and other celestial
radiation. Solar energy is our ONLY TRULY
RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCE and it takes 8 min. 20
sec. to reach us from our nearest star - our
SUN! This fragile pale blue dot is the house we
all live in.