Sustainability

The world we have created today has problems that cannot be solved
by thinking the way we thought when we created them - Albert Einstein

NON-INTRO

75% OF CARBON EMISSIONS

IMPACT OF BUILDINGS IN THE US:

ARE FROM BUILDINGS IN DENSE

URBAN AREAS

Electricity Consumption
by Buildings

+ Resource Generation

_
High Performance
Green Buildings
do less harm

Living Buildings

Regenerative
Buildings

do no harm

heal

Net Zero Resource Use

+ Resource Depletion

RESILIENCE

Regenerative Buildings

WHAT MAKES A BUILDING SUSTAINABLE

OR HIGH PERFORMANCE?
Wind Turbines?

PV?

Rainwater Recycling?

A Green Roof?

ITS NONE OF THOSE THINGS.

ITS PERHAPS ALL OF THOSE THINGS
STRATEGIES MUST BE INTEGRATED!

MUST ADDRESS:
CONNECTION TO LAND
CONNECTION TO PEOPLE
CONSERVATION OF RESOURCES

AND.
IT MUST DO ALL OF THE ABOVE IN AN
INTEGRATED WAY

SITING
MASSING
LAND USE
PUBLIC SPACE

LAND
STORMWATER
CONNECTION TO OUTDOORS

THERMAL/ VISUAL/
ACOUSTIC COMFORT

PRODUCTIVITY

CONNECTION TO LIGHT &

VIEWS

PEOPLE

AMENITIES

SOCIAL INTERACTION
CONNECTION TO NATURAL
ENVIRONMENT

ENERGY
WATER

RESOURCES
focus!
MATERIALS

SCALES OF IMPACT

HUMAN

BUILDING

REGIONAL/
GLOBAL

ENERGY

Lean Mean Green Approach.

Potential energy savings

LEAN:
Passive strategies

40%

MEAN:
Active strategies

20%

GREEN:
Renewable Energy

3%

LEAN.Passive Strategies
(Strategies that require no energy
to provide comfort while
minimizing energy needs)

solar shading

proper
orientation

thermal mass

CLIMATE
RESPONSIVE

natural daylight

Mean (Active Systems)

(Strategies that require energy to
provide comfort)
- Systems/ equipment efficiency
- Controls
- Measurement equipment (BMS)

HVAC
CLIMATE/ SITE
RESPONSIVE

More on this later..

Green Strategies (Renewables)

(Strategies that take advantage
of renewable energy sources to
offset energy needs)
- Solar
- Wind
- Geothermal

Renewable, Clean Energy in the US

Renewable energy resources: WIND

ISSUES:
Works best in open areas without dirty wind or
turbulence
NIMBY

Solar Technologies
in Buildings

CLIMATE
RESPONSIVE
faade

roof
electricity

Solar thermal: hot

water

shading

Renewable energy resources: SOLAR

ISSUES:
Not very efficient (PV)
Works best with direct solar radiation (no
cloud cover) DESERT
Expensive

Renewable energy resources:

GEOTHERMAL (**NOT GSHP.)

ISSUES:
Expensive
Balanced Cooling and Heating load

WATER

12.2% potable water used by buildings = 5 billion gallons Potable water / day
for toilet flushing

Water Technologies
in Buildings
rainwater
capture

waterless
fixtures

greywater
recycling

living
machines

rain gardens

on-site
water
treatment

MATERIALS

EMBODIED ENERGY OF MATERIALS

All processes of manufacturing, delivering and installing a
product use energy = it is called embodied energy
Stainless Steel
Steel
Aluminum
Copper
Timber
Plastic
Concrete
Masonry
Glass
Fabric
Plaster
Stone
Ceramics
0

50

100

150

200

250

HOW DO WE START??..........

MUST RESPOND TO LOCAL CLIMATE!

FIRST LINE OF DEFENSE

Assess resources available

RAIN

WIND
SUN

Determine requirements of project

ENERGY
THERMAL
COMFORT

WATER

TOOLS
CLIMATE ANALYSIS
ENERGY
THERMAL COMFORT/ CFD ANALYSIS
DAYLIGHT/SHADING ANALYSIS
WIND

LIFE CYCLE COST ANALYSIS

ETC.

Tools: climate analysis, energy simulation, etc

http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/tools_directory/
subjects_sub.cfm

WEATHER DATA
http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/energ
yplus/cfm/weather_data.cfm
http://eosweb.larc.nasa.gov/sse/

SOLAR PATH TOOLS

http://sunposition.info

RESULTS HELP INFORM THE DESIGN

vailing W inds

d Fre que ncy (H rs)

on: Lisboa, PRT (38.7, -9.1)

1st January - 31st December
00:00 - 24:00

hrs

50 km/ h

554+
498
443

40 km/ h

387

energy generation

332
277

30 km/ h

221
166
110

20 km/ h

<55

10 km/ h

winds
CFD analysis: thermal comfort

rain

HOW DO WE COMMUNICATE??

COMMUNICATING ENVIRONMENTAL
STRATEGIES
There are conventions for:
COLOR
ARROW TYPES
LINE TYPES
STRATEGIES FOR DIFFERENT SEASONS (PASSIVE)

STRATEGIES FOR DIFFERENT ORIENTATIONS

(PASSIVE)

buro happold

Winter Strategy

buro happold

Mid Season Strategy

buro happold

Summer Strategy

buro happold

Daylighting Strategy

CASE STUDIES

Bottomline:
Understand
your
impact

Questions ?