Green Building Construction

Green Building Construction

Kyle Chadwick

Blue Ridge Virtual Governor’s School

Abstract

Global warming is a serious problem facing the world today as well as the world in the future. In order to stop or reverse this problem, society must change, learning to alter what they use in order to be less harmful to the environment. Making buildings “green” would greatly impact this problem. There are many ways for this to be done and more ways are being developed rapidly. As these new developments arise, the cost reward for green building becomes more logical for the consumer.

Thomas Hartman, a heating, piping and air conditioning specialist stated that "a worldwide scientific consensus has established that potentially catastrophic changes in climate as a result of human contributions to greenhouse-gas emissions are likely within the next century if the current growth in emissions is not reversed"(Hartman). In order for greenhouse gas emissions as well as other harmful pollutants to be reduced, a great change must be made in the way everything is constructed. Green, or environmentally friendly, building construction is becoming a very popular topic in current culture and it should be. The possibilities of green buildingare headlining newspapers, challenging engineers, and becoming lead issues in government elections. According to Jeff Komblau, director of sales and marketing for Eagle Construction of VA, "We wanted to reach under the finishes of our homes to inject quality that is not visible but creates comfort and is seen in the savings created each month with a smaller carbon footprint" (Childers, 2008). Even local businesses such as Eagle Construction are beginning to see the benefits of green construction. Although, when most consumers look at green products, they see an environmentally friendly product with a hefty price.Mostgreen engineered products are meant to consume less energy, saving the consumer money in the long run.The bigquestion is whetherthe consumer gains back the cost of green buildings orgreen engineered productsfor the home in a timely manner, if at all.

New developments are made everyday in the field of engineering that are meant to save energy and protect the environment. This is a very important time to be conscious of energy consumption, due toglobal warming. Naturally there will be experts constantly creating new technologies in this field, but another big question is whether there should be rules and regulations that force people to create or use green engineered products. While green building construction may appear costly for consumers, new developments in the engineering field are providing increasingly cost-effective solutions.

Even though green engineering is coming to the forefront of society now, it has been around and developing for many years. Solar energy is most definitely the greatest known form of energy conservation. Solar panels can decrease the energy consumption of a building drastically by producing their own energy from the sun. In some cases, buildings can even give back excess energy to thepower grid. However, solar power is only ideal for certain regions. While some areas get lots of direct sunlight every day, like Arizona, others get less sunlight or are often cloudy, like Alaska. This technology has been around for quite a long time, but it is still growing in popularity, as well as quality (M.J. Sowick, conversation, January 28, 2009). An unusual and expensive technology ten years ago is now a cheaper, more common energy alternative.

As influential as solar energyhas been, the sustainable developments that are emerging today are numerous.The use of natural light is becoming very popular innew largebuildings. Buildingscan have many skylights and windows to get natural light deep into the interior. The artificial lights in thebuildingcould then dim or turn off when there is a sufficient amount of natural light. This use of light was used in The California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park (Green building incorporates). Another building that greatly utilizes light, more close to home, is the new corporate office building at Luck Stone in Goochland. There are many windows and skylights emitting natural light. Most of these windows face the north, when possible, for the least amount of direct light. Direct sunlight into a buildingcould lead tounwanted heating of the interior. There are also small overhangs outside the vertical windows in order to block direct sunlight as well as reflect sunlight onto the slightly angled ceiling. This ceiling then directs the light further into the building. Luck Stone is currently working on sectioning offceiling lightsto put separate sensors and dimmers on them so that theyadjust to different levels of natural light.

Green construction can be implemented through choice of building materials as well. Seeking quickly renewable resources to build with decreases the amount ofpolluting manufacturing and slows the depletion of non-renewable resources. It is also environmentally, economically, and energy efficient to use materials that are close to the building site, decreasing the amount of oil use as well as air pollution. It would actually be very green, not to mention economically beneficial, to renovate an existing building rather than build a whole new one. This would preventthe production of all new materials and save the ecosystem that the building would be destroying.

While most of these green engineering techniques give back to the environment by decreasing the amount of energy usage, some techniques can help the local habitat more directly. Green roofs are becoming more popular and effective.A green roof is one with a layer ofsoil andvegetation growing on top of it. It benefits the building as well as the habitat in many ways.It helps the environment,in that it provides a habitat for wildlife that was likely there before the building was built.Thewaterrunoff from the top of a greenroof also drains cleaner than it was before it hit the roof. Greenroofs alsobenefit thebuilding, in that they areagreat insulation, blocking out the hot sun in the summer, or keeping the heatfromleaving the building in thewinter(“Green building incorporates”). Green roofs have actually been around for about 5 years and are often put onto large city buildings. In 2005, Sun Trust Bank in Richmond "converted the top of a four-story building on Main Street downtown to an 11,800-square-foot 'green roof,' covered with drought-resistant plants that consume carbon dioxide and absorb storm water" (Springston, 2009). The Virginia Association of Counties also covered their 3,000-square-foot roof last year with a modular vegetative roof system (Springston, 2009).

One technique that is still developing is the conservation of cleanhot or cold air. The California Academy of Sciences building has vents that open on the domes to let out hot air as well as motorized windows to let in cool air (“Green building incorporates”). While this can control the temperature in a building efficiently, air quality is just as important, "since, on average,people spend 80-90% of theirtime in buildings" (Ries, 2006). There is a constant battle between keeping a constant temperature while using the least amount of energy and keeping the air fresh. Most home heating and air conditioning systems advertise providing accurate temperature control as well as filtering mold, moisture, dust, and pollen. There is not yet technology that can meet the same standards while using much less energy.

2.5% of the water on the Earth is fresh, 70% of this water is frozen, and less than 1% of it is accessible for human uses. This makes water an environmental issue and water preservation a green engineering goal. There are many simple ways to reduce the useof water. The corporate offices at Luck Stone use waterless urinals, low flow toilets, and a self-supplying irrigation system, technologies that could be utilized in almost any office building. The urinals use no water and the toilets have a 2-option lever for a light flush or heavy flush. The irrigation system gets its water from a man-made pond on the property that constantly collects rain water and run-off. By collecting all of this water in a pond and filtering it, pollution can also be removed. This system keeps Luck Stone from taking any water from the area to go towards irrigation (M. White, Personal Interview, November 17, 2008). Although most green technology must “fit” the building and location, most of these separate technologies that Luck Stone integrated can be incorporated into the planning of other large buildings or offices.

While most attention of green building groups is put on making large buildings green, homes and smaller buildings can also use green methods. Homes may not always find it efficient to use the same techniques as large buildings in order to be greener. For instance, it may not be worthwhile or even possible for a home on one acre of land to have its own run-off water filtration system. There are many ways that these homes can be greener, but most of the technologies are dependent on two factors. The region can affect what type of green technology would work because of varying climates. Solar panels, for example, are only substantially effective in areas with lots of direct sunlight. A willingness to take a risk is also a determining factor putting green technology in a home because most of the technology around is still new and has not stood the test of time to prove its durability and effectiveness. One simple area that could save energy in any size building is the lighting. Natural light is one approach that could be taken during the design process, but if that is illogical, the use of eco-friendly and energy saving light bulbs would help. There are also different ways that homes could be heated and cooledin an energy efficient way, such as a geothermal heating and cooling system. This type of system would use the earth's temperate conditions to regulate the temperature in the building (M.J. Sowick, conversation, January 28, 2009).

There is a level of chance that would be taken in setting up some of these larger new systems. Sustainable technology is a much better option than leading technology. Jorge A. Vanegas as well as others said in their Georgia Tech report that "sustainability is a relationship, or balancing act, between many factors (social, environmental and economic realities and constraints) which are constantly changing" (Vanegas). Leading technology, although unpredictable in resultsas well ascompatibility with different situations, is crucial, as it is the only way to reach a level of sustainable technology.

Although present day practicesin green building construction are important, the real success lies with thefuture. The future is what will transform the entire world into a place that is self-constructive, rather than destructive. Even more beneficial than new technologies arising is the improving of existing technologies to make them greener,more user friendly, and morecost efficient. Geothermal heating and cooling and water conservation techniques appear to be some technologies that will be making major steps to improvement in the near future.

Rules impact people’s lives, whether those people choose to comply with them or not;but,is it possible to be motivated enough to a point where rules are not needed? This is something that engineers and speculators debate. There are not currently many mandated rules and regulations to follow for green building construction, but the level is increasing. The decision to make a building "green" is primarily left up to the engineers and creators of the building. Sometimes it may simply come down to paying more for the building upfront in order to advertise that a building is "green," but there are many hidden benefits that can be overlooked at first (M. White, Personal Interview, November 17, 2008).

"In building design and construction, both green building and standard construction techniques are considered for many new building projects. Final decisions are routinely made based solely on schedules and budgets, and the long-term effects are often overlooked. The outcomes of these quick decisions can lead to short-term benefits; however, a careful comparison between the added first costs of construction against the recurring, long-term associated benefits and cost savings are needed to conduct a more thorough analysis" (Ries, 2006).

Robert Ries has pinpointed the problem with an easy transfer of technologies. It often does not seem economically effective for a company to make changes, but most of the time if the company looks at the larger picture they will feel differently. Still,somepeople believe engineers stillmust be forced to change their ways in order to revolutionize building construction. Engineers, however, are not too fond of this idea. They know that new technology is not always reliable and it must be tested and altered for a while in order to become sustainable. Engineers fear that a forceful approach to green engineering may not be safe or economically rational.Whileworrying aboutthese problems, engineers believethat green engineering is already progressing as fast as it safely can (M.J. Sowick, conversation, January 28, 2009).

There are currentlymany forms of accreditationexistent today that encourage green construction, andthat is what most of them do-- they encourage green construction,as opposed to mandatingit. The largest one of these is the LEED, or Leaders in Engineering and Environmental Development, Certification. Many buildings today are striving to gain one of the fewcategories of LEED Certification. Seventy percent of new LEED Certified buildings fall under the new construction or major renovations category. With each variety of certification, there come different levels: Certified, Silver, Gold, and Platinum. Any of the levels of certification would gain the accredited building acknowledgment as well as the obvious environmental and economic benefits. As stated on the LEED website, "LEED is a third-party certification program andthe nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings" (2008). A LEED certification is widely respected, creating anencouragement and acceleration ofthe adoption of green building techniques. LEED projects are encouraged by federal and state public buildings. There are also LEED buildings in 41 different countries (2008).The credentials of a LEED Certification for a new building are based off of six categories: sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality, and innovation and design process (LEED for new construction) (Yudelson).

LEED is even usedas a standard in mandatory ordinances. Boston was the first major city to mandate the use of green engineering in buildings. Starting in early 2007, any new building with over 50,000 square feet and any existing building over 100,000 square feet that is being renovated must obtain,at least, the minimum LEED Certification. Shortly after the implementation of Boston's plan, Washington, D.C. passed a similar law, which “creates a ramp-up period that ends on January 1, 2010, after which all new projects must meet the LEED-certification level" (Abair). To encourage as well as aid the mandatory green building construction, D.C. will provide funds from its newly established Green Building Fund,paid forby an increase in building permit fees. Even more recently, Los Angeles passed a law in July 2008 very similar to that of D.C. and Boston, with the 50,000 square feet limit (Abair).

One substantial proposed ordinance that is even more severe comes from San Francisco, California. The proposed ordinance "would require that all residential construction over 75 feet in height achieve LEED Certified certification effective within 90 days of the ordinance's effective date" (Abair). There would be a gradual increase in requirements until 2012,at which pointall major residential buildings will be LEED-Silver Certified and all major commercial buildings will beLEED-Gold Certified. This ordinance would create an example for other cities, as well as directly affect the construction industry in Northern California. This one ordinance in San Francisco alone would create a tremendous immediate impact. Jesse Abair, a construction and environmental lawyer, predicted that

"through 2012 the ordinance will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 60,000 tons, save 220,000 megawatt hours of power, save 100 million gallons of drinking water, reduce wastewater and stormwater by 90 million gallons, reduce construction and demolition waste by 700 million pounds, increase the valuations of recycled materials by $200 million, and reduce automobile trips by 540,000" (Abair).

Although the LEED Certification series backed by the US Green Building Council is by far the most recognized and used form of accreditation, there are others. Labs21 is an accreditation that is specifically for labs and high performance facilities. It is sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy (2008, September 24). Energy Star is another program sponsored by these two government agencies, although Energy Star is more involved with advertising energy efficient products and practices (About Energy Star). Although they vary in specific tasks, all of these organizations share the same challenging goal of making technologies more energy efficient and eco-friendly while still being cost efficient.