GREEN BUILDINGS
A term paper – Management Information Systems By Sampurna Rakshit Roll Number-10BM60077
Vinod Gupta School of Management, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur
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ABSTRACT In today‟s world, riddled with so many ecological hazards and constraints of natural resources, „ecofriendly‟ and „green‟ have become our buzzwords. Commercial and non commercial organizations, research agencies, academic bodies are now on a quest to find out how to reduce our carbon footprints, emissions and move towards a more green lifestyle. An important part of this movement is the move towards building „Green buildings‟. This paper will focus on the various processes that qualify as green building processes as well as energy efficient materials, both in natural and processed forms that are used in green architecture. The subsections examined in details will be: green design or architecture, energy efficiency, water efficiency, green building materials and efficient waste disposal. Not just these new technologies, we shall also go through some traditional methods followed in various regions across the world that have been prevalent for ages. These offer easy, low cost, natural alternatives that save energy and increase efficiency using locally available resources. We will see how these methods are integrated even in the aforementioned newer architectural designs. We will also take a look at the various regulatory bodies across various countries that set the standards and monitor them to certify buildings as „green‟. The legal aspects and international rules governing this emerging field are of great interest too. Also the cost structure and cost effectiveness of such buildings will be examined and accordingly we shall see the commercial viability of preferring them over conventional structures. Lastly, we shall proceed to find out how sustainable it is in the long run and whether it will be able to withstand the onslaught of energy intensive designs coming up these days.
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INTRODUCTION: Green Buildings are buildings and structures created by processes and materials that are environmentally responsible and resource-efficient throughout a building's life-cycle: from siting to design, construction, operation, maintenance, renovation, and deconstruction. This practice usually incorporates the classical building design concerns of economy, utility, durability, and comfort. To qualify as green buildings, the structures must conform to the following norms:
It must have efficient use of energy, water, and other resources
It should protect occupant health and improve employee productivity and
It should reduce waste, pollution and environmental degradation
Green building targets to reduce the environmental impact of new buildings. Buildings consume a large amount of land, energy and water. They also contribute heavily to air and atmosphere alteration. Considering the statistics, reducing the amount of natural resources these buildings consume and the amount of pollution they give rise to is crucial for future sustainability. This sector alone accounts for 3040 percent of energy consumption worldwide. Over 80 percent of the environmentally harmful emissions from buildings are due to energy consumption during the times the structures are being used. Green building does not typically include the concept of renovations since it is easier to built for scratch and also because the older homes are ill equipped for these changes. The environmental impact of buildings is rarely understood in its true magnitude, while the costs of green buildings are perceived to be high. A recent survey by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development finds that green costs are perceived up to 3 times higher than they actually are, as players in real estate and construction claim the additional cost of green buildings at 17 percent above conventional construction, which is more than triple the true average cost difference of about 5 percent.
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GREEN DESIGN OR ARCHITECTURE: Green design, also known as sustainable architecture is the field of architecture that deals with environment friendly and resource efficient design techniques. In this sector, instead of using external agents, the green technology is incorporated right in the design stage. Although the implications vary a lot, some common principles of sustainable design are: Low-impact materials: non-toxic or recycled materials which require little energy to process Energy efficiency: manufacturing processes to make products which require less energy Quality and durability: longer-lasting and more efficient products that will have to be replaced less frequently, reducing the impacts of producing and installing replacements. Design for reuse and recycling: "Products, processes, and systems that are designed for performance in a commercial 'afterlife'." Design Impact Measures for total carbon footprint and life-cycle assessment for all the resources used are increasingly becoming important. Many are complex, but some give quick and accurate whole-earth estimates of impacts. Sustainable Design Standards and design guides are also increasingly available that are being developed by a large number of private organizations and individuals. There is also a large number of new methods emerging from the rapid development of what has now become known as 'sustainability science' promoted by a wide variety of educational and governmental institutions. Healthy Buildings: sustainable building designs that make buildings that are not harmful to their occupants or to the larger environment. An important emphasis is on indoor air quality.
Some design styles that belong to this field of architecture include:
Passive Daylighting - Passive daylighting is a system of collecting sunlight using static, nonmoving, and non-tracking systems such as :
Windows
Sliding glass doors
Skylights
Light tubes and
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LightLouvers and
Collecting devices rely on their position the most to capture sunlight most efficiently. A building's position and architectural specifications are the most important factors in determining the efficiency of passive daylighting. Passive daylight systems are usually non-mechanical, and is practised by proper building and system orientation. A southern facing orientation is more efficient if a building or system is located in the northern hemisphere, and a northern facing orientation is optimal if located in the southern hemisphere.
Figure 1 A home designed with passive daylighting
Reflecting elements include:
light shelves,
lighter wall colors,
mirrored wall sections, interior walls with upper glass panels, and
clear or translucent glassed hinged doors and
Sliding glass doors take the captured light and passively reflect it further inside.
Active Daylighting- Active daylighting is the process of collecting sunlight using a mechanical device increasing the efficiency of light collection. They differ from passive daylighting systems in that passive systems are stationary and do not actively follow or track the sun
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Figure 2 An example of an active daylighting system
Green Roofs- These consist of a layer of vegetation or growing medium on the roof of a building completely or partially covering it. These are grown on a waterproofing membrane in order to protect the underlying strata. They usually also include layers such as a root barrier in order to prevent the roots from getting a hold on the concrete structure and drainage and irrigation systems to channelize the excess plant water in a proper fashion.
Figure 3 Green roof of City Hall in Chicago, Illinois
These provide environmental benefits like reduced heating and less stormwater runoff. Apart from acting as heat sinks, the also act as a sink for greenhouse gases, thereby improving the overall air quality and health of the residents. By increasing roof life span and real estate value of the building, it also provides economic benefits.
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ENERGY EFFICIENCY: Green buildings must include provision for energy efficiency, i.e, designs and contraptions that can efficiently perform the energy intensive activities using less energy than conventional structures. The processes included can be: High-efficiency windows Insulation in walls, ceilings, and floor Passive solar building design Skylights Superinsulation Windcatcher Trombe wall- It is a massive sun facing wall that is separated from the outside using glazing and a layer of air. It absorbs solar energy during the day and releases it selectively at night towards the interiors. It mostly does so using an extensive design of vents, insulating glass, exhaust vents, electric blowers, windows, shades and trellises.
Figure 4 A modified Trombe wall
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WATER EFFICIENCY: To conform to LEED specifications, green buildings must also be water efficient, i.e, minimize the wastage of water, collect water from natural sources and overall energy utilization in processing the water. Various methods and processes that help in this are: Rain water harvesting: This is the most significant part of water efficiency processes across the world due to its ease of installation and because it costs almost nothing to put it in place. These are the reasons it is widely popular across the developing world. In green buildings, the roofs come designed with the correct inclines, channeling systems and cisterns in order to channelize and collect rainwater. This water can be used for irrigation, washing cars and other such activities where a large volume of water is used, but it need not be potable. Rain Gauges- These are also used for collecting rainwater Intelligent sanitation design- Proper toilets, showers and faucets design can save gallons of treated water for each household everyday.
Figure 5 A green building exhibiting rainwater harvesting
GREEN BUILDING MATERIALS: There are certain kinds of material that are energy efficient, i.e, that consume less energy while being processed or installed. Some materials that are used popularly across the world are: Green Concrete- Making cement for concrete includes the process of heating pulverized limestone, clay, and sand to more than 1,000 °C with fuels like coal or natural gas. The process generates a lot of carbon footprint in the form of carbon dioxide:ex-one metric ton of commonly used Portland cement releases 650 to 920 kilograms of CO 2. Approximately 3 billion metric tons of cement produced across the world in 2009 contributed to about 5 percent of all carbon dioxide emissions. Companies like Novacem, a London based startup
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have started to manufacture concrete using alternative methods that generate less carbon footprint. In the words of Nikolaos Vlasopoulos, chief scientist at London-based startup Novacem, “I was investigating cements produced by mixing magnesium oxides with Portland cement, but when I added water to the magnesium compounds without any Portland in the mix, I found that we could still make a solid-setting cement that didn't rely on carbon-rich limestone, and as it hardened, atmospheric carbon dioxide reacted with the magnesium to make carbonates that strengthened the cement while trapping the gas.” Novacem is now refining the formula so that the product's mechanical performance will equal that of Portland cement. He also stated that if Novacem can produce 500,000 tons a year, it can match the price of Portland cement. Timber Framing Straw Bale Adobe Rammed Earth Earth Bag Cordwood Cob Mudbricks Compressed Earth Block
EFFICIENT WASTE DISPOSAL: Green buildings aim to reduce the wastage of energy, water and materials during construction as well as use of the building. More than 50% of the waste in any city comes from commercial buildings. The ways in which to achieve it are: Reduce the amount of matter going to landfills during construction Reduce waste generated by residents by providing on site contraptions like compost bins Proper collection and use of greywater
CREDIT RATING AGENCIES: The credibility and efficiency of green buildings are judged by the ratings and certifications they receive from credit rating agencies such as LEED and TERI. These agencies quantify the performance of such structures and give out globally acceptable recognitions. These credit rating agencies also conduct independent research and in general educate and encourage people and organizations to steer away from energy intensive forms of conventional architecture. Some important agencies are: LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design)- Developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), LEED was devised to provide building owners and operators a well defined framework for identifying and implementing practical and measurable green building design, construction, operations and maintenance solutions. According to its website, LEED was created to accomplish the following:
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Define "green building" by establishing a common standard of measurement
Promote integrated, whole-building design practices
Recognize environmental leadership in the building industry
Stimulate green competition
Raise consumer awareness of green building benefits
Transform the building market
Green Building Council members, representing every sector of the building industry, developed and continue to refine LEED. The rating systems address eight major areas:
Location and Planning
Sustainable Sites
Water Efficiency
Energy and Atmosphere
Materials and Resources
Indoor Environmental Quality
Innovation and Design Process
Regional Priority
LEED has evolved since its original inception in 1998 to more accurately represent and incorporate emerging green building technologies. LEED NCv1.0 was a pilot version. These projects helped inform the USGBC of the requirements for such a rating system, and this knowledge was incorporated into LEED NCv2.0. LEED NCv2.2 was released in 2005. Today, LEED consists of a suite of nine rating systems for the design, construction and operation of buildings, homes and neighborhoods. Five overarching categories correspond to the specialties available under the LEED Accredited Professional program. That suite currently consists of: Green Building Design & Construction
LEED for New Construction and Major Renovations
LEED for Core & Shell Development
LEED for Schools
LEED for Retail New Construction (planned 2010)
Green Interior Design & Construction
LEED for Commercial Interiors
LEED for Retail Interiors (planned 2010)
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Green Building Operations & Maintenance
LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance
Green Neighborhood Development
LEED for Neighborhood Development
Green Home Design and Construction
LEED for Homes
In 2003, the Canada Green Building Council received permission to create its own version of LEED, now called LEED Canada-NC v1.0, which was based upon LEED-NC 2.0. LEED also forms the basis for other sustainability rating systems such as the Environmental Protection Agency's Labs21. After four years of development, aligning credits across all LEED rating systems and weighting credits based on environmental priority, USGBC launched LEED v3, which consists of a new continuous development process, a new version of LEED Online, a revised third-party certification program and a new suite of rating systems known as LEED 2009. In response to concerns that LEED's requirements are cumbersome and difficult to learn, in 2009 USGBC supported the development by BuildingGreen, LLC of LEEDuser, a third-party resource that contains tips and guidance, written by professionals in the field, on applying LEED credits and the LEED certification process.
LEED 2009 In LEED 2009 there are 100 possible base points plus an additional 6 points for Innovation in Design and 4 points for Regional Priority. Buildings can qualify for four levels of certification:
Certified - 40 - 49 points
Silver - 50 - 59 points
Gold - 60 - 79 points
Platinum - 80 points and above
Note that the LEED for Homes rating system is different from LEED v3, with different point categories and thresholds that reward efficient residential design.
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ECONOMIC ANALYSIS: There is a widespread notion that green buildings are more costly to construct and maintain. That has been one of the major obstacles to the popularity of such structures. However, green buildings offer several economic benefits such as: energy savings water savings, reduced waste, improved indoor environmental quality, greater employee comfort/productivity, reduced employee health costs lower operations and maintenance costs.
As quoted in the paper ‘Green Buildings Costs and Financial Benefits’ by Gregory H. Kats, “On average, green buildings use 30% less energy than conventional buildings—a reduction, for a 100,000 ft2 state office building, worth $60,000 per year, with a 20-year present value of expected energy savings at a 5% real discount rate worth about three quarters of a million dollars. A detailed review of 60 LEED rated buildings, demonstrates that green buildings, when compared to conventional buildings, are: On average 25-30% more energy efficient Characterized by even lower electricity peak consumption More likely to generate renewable energy on-site More likely to purchase grid power generated from renewable energy sources (green power and/or tradable renewable certificates) Green building energy savings primarily come from reduced electricity purchases and secondarily from reduced peak energy demand. On average, green buildings are 28% more efficient than conventional buildings and generate 2% of their power on-site from photovoltaics (PV). (See Figure 2.) The financial benefits of 30% reduced consumption at an electricity price of $0.08/kWh are about $0.30/ft2/yr, with a 20year NPV of over $5/ft2, equal to or more than the average additional cost associated with building green. The environmental and health costs associated with air pollution caused by non-renewable electric power generation and on-site fossil fuel use are generally externalized (not considered) when making investment decisions. There is growing recognition of the large health and productivity costs imposed by poor indoor environmental quality (IEQ) in commercial buildings—estimated variously at up to hundreds of billions of dollars per year. This is not surprising as people spend 90% of their time indoors, and the concentration of pollutants indoors is typically higher than outdoors, sometimes by as much as 10 or even 100 times.6 The relationship between worker comfort/productivity and building design/operation is complicated. There are thousands of studies, reports and articles on the subject that find significantly reduced illness symptoms, reduced absenteeism and increases in perceived productivity over workers in a group that lacked these features. For example, two studies of over 11,000 workers in 107 European buildings analyzed the health effect of worker-controlled temperature and ventilation. The Report relies in large part on recent meta-studies that have screened tens or hundreds of other studies and have evaluated and synthesized their findings. Following are some relevant attributes common in green buildings that promote healthier work environments: On average 25-30% more energy efficient Much lower source emissions from measures such as better siting (e.g., avoiding locating air intakes next to outlets, such as parking garages, and avoiding recirculation), and better building material source controls (e.g., required attention to storage). Certified and Silver level green buildings achieved 55% and Gold level LEED buildings achieved 88% of possible LEED credits for use of the following: less toxic materials, low-emitting adhesives & sealants, paints, carpets, and composite woods, and indoor chemical & pollutant source control.
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Significantly better lighting quality which includes: more daylighting (half of 21 LEED green buildings reviewed provide daylighting to at least 75% of building space9), better daylight harvesting and use of shading, greater occupancy control over light levels and less glare Generally improved thermal comfort and better ventilation—especially in buildings that use underfloor air for space conditioning Commissioning, use of measurement and verification, and CO2 monitoring to ensure better performance of systems such as ventilation, heating and air conditioning”
Financial Benefits of Green Buildings Summary of Findings (per ft2) Category Energy Savings Emissions Savings Water Savings Operations and Maintenance Savings Productivity and Health Benefits Subtotal Average Extra Cost of Building Green Total 20-year Net Benefit
20-year Net Present Value $5.80 $1.20 $0.50 $8.50 $36.90 to $55.30 $52.90 to $71.30 (-3.00 to -$5.00) $50 to $65
CONCLUSION: According to the above discussions we can safely conclude that Green Buildings are here to stay. Not only do people want more eco friendly and sustainable solutions, but also these are cost effective in the long run. Also, with the increasing advent of new technologies, and the growing popularity of those, that might lead to mass production, it is possible for the prices to go down. They might also go below the conventional building costs. If credit rating agencies and the governments of various countries become more stringent about observing regulations and also provide incentives, green building construction can be executed on a widespread commercial scale and make the earth a cleaner, greener place to stay.
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REFERENCES: 1) http://www.usgbc.org/ The official website of the U.S. Green Building Council 2) http://www.teriin.org/index.php The official website of The Energy and Resources
Institute, India 3) http://www.technologyreview.com/ 4) http://en.wikipedia.org 5) „Green Buildings Costs and Financial Benefits‟ by Gregory H. Kats 6) http://www.spaenvis.nic.in/pdfs/monographs/green-building.pdf
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