LEED Online Study Guide for LEED Green Associate or known as LEED GA.
US Green Building Council: What is green building
Our goal is to provide LEED online study guides that covers LEED AP BD C (LEED AP Building Design + Construction) and LEED GA (LEED Green Associate).
If you are not familiar with the LEED, please check our previous post that discussed about "what what is LEED, LEED definition, LEED certification, LEED AP BD+C, and LEED GA".
Click below link to see previous post:
Steps to get you the USGBC LEED Certificate: What is LEED and how you get to certification from LEED
In this LEED study guide, we are going to define green building and describe the whole building approach.
The Green Building definition:
Green building is the practice of creating structures and using processes that are environmentally responsible and resource efficient throughout a building's life cycle. That life cycle respectfully analyzes and integrates site selection through design, construction, operation, maintenance, renovation and deconstruction. The practice expands and also complements the classical building design concerns of economy, utility, durability, and comfort.
LEED Online Study Guide Facts:
The impacts from commercial construction in the United States include
- 72% of electricity consumption
- 39% of energy use
- 38% of all coarbon dioxide (CO2) emissions
- 40% of raw materials use
- 30% of waste output (136 million tons annually)
- 14% of potable water consumption
Defining Green Building
Green buildings are specifically designed structures that reduce the overall negative impact of the built environment of human health and natural environment by:
- Efficiently using energy, water, land, and materials
- Protecting occupant health and improving employee productivity
- Continuously looking for ways to improve performance.
Sustainable buildings are significantly better than standard buildings. They use less energy, save money over time, provide better occupant health and comfort, and are better for the environment.
To achieve the many benefits of green building, whole building design was developed.
Whole Building Design
In the traditional planning and design process, building systems were viewed as separate elements - site, structure, systems and use, and design decisions were each based on budget and/or schedule considerations. Changes to a design in order to meet a certain budget or follow an accelerated schedule did not take into account the final performance of the completed building.
Figure 1.1 The interdependent building considerations of whole building design
The "house as a system" model, a favored approach in the green construction industry today, illustrates interconnectedness. Whole building design views all of a building's systems together as they operate interdependently. Sustainable design begins when projects are first imagined and requires thinking 'green' at every stage in the life cycle. Owners, designers, engineers, and builders play vital roles in reducing the environmental impact of the built environment, starting with the decision to build new or renovate. An issue such as which way the building is oriented would have the project team asking such questions as:
- How is the sunlight going to enter the building?
- How will the orientation affect the heating and cooling loads?
- What impact will that have on the window glazing?
Whole building design is integrated design and uses and integrated team. It is this approach that will facilitate sustainable design for the future.
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