List of figures
Figure 1: Energy concept for green building 7
Introduction
With the concern for reduction of global warming effects on the environment, focus is now shifting to how buildings can be built so that they need fewer mechanisms for cooling and heating. Buildings play an important role in the quest to reduce the heat that is being released to the environment. The buildings that have been put in place offer people protection from the extremes of the environment. Although this is the case, there are many ways in which buildings affect the environment in negative ways. They also affect the health of the occupants in many ways. This implies that buildings have an impact to the environment. This is the reason green building is gaining momentum and is becoming an issue of concern for many people who are concerned with the environment. Green building is the process of developing and making use of models which are healthier and use resources which are efficient during the process of construction, maintenance, operation, and demolition. Green building construction should be adopted by constructors because it has effects on the environment, the human health, also will affect the economy. With the integration of green building technology in building constructions, it will enhance the comfort of buildings and the sustainability of the buildings. The most important aspect when developing these buildings is to integrate the green initiative in the early stages of developing the building. This will be achieved if green building technology will be integrated into the design, construction, renovation, and deconstruction. It is important, therefore, to develop technologies that will be used to ensure that there is green building.
In the United States alone, the total energy that is used by buildings makes 39% of all the energy that is consumed by other objects in the country. The buildings also account for 12% of the water that is consumed in that country. The electricity consumption has 68% going to buildings. The emissions of carbon dioxide have 38% coming from buildings. This is reason enough to have green buildings in place as they are seen to account for a great percentage of energy consumption and impacts in the environment.
Rationale for green building
Some of the benefits that this initiative will bring to the environment include the protection of the biodiversity and ecosystems. These buildings will also enhance the quality of the water and air we get from the environment. The quality of the water will be improved because there will be no contamination from the environment. This will be the same case with the water that we get from the environment. The waste streams will also be reduced because the building stream forms a significant portion of the waste stream. After managing this stream, it will be possible to reduce the waste that is from buildings. The natural resources will also be conserved because the green building will reduce the waste and the damage they cause to the environment (Ries et al., 2006).
There are economic benefits that will be obtained with the attainment of green buildings. One of the benefits of this is reduction of costs that are used for operations. With the decrease in operating costs, a lot of savings will be realized with this strife. There is high costs of operating current buildings because of the fact that electricity is required to operate and manage the green buildings. With electricity and water costs shooting, this will affect the operational costs of buildings. Another economic benefit is that of expanding and shaping the markets for green building. With the development of green building, it will be an opportunity for the marketing of materials that will be used for green building. There will be policies developed that will require that contractors and building owners have buildings which are sustainable. This will mean that materials that are used for building green buildings will be available and well marketed. Another benefit is that there will be increased productivity for the occupants of the green buildings. This is because the operational costs will be increased resulting in other uses of the funds that could have been used for fining the extra expenses.
The social benefits include having occupants having enhanced comfort and productivity with the new buildings that have been designed. This is an important concept that will help the creativity and the need to have green building. The aesthetic qualities of the building will also be enhanced with the use of green building initiatives. With all these improvements and enhancements, the comfort and the general quality of life will be improved.
With these benefits, it is worth having a plan that will enable the building technicians to have a green building in place. It is important to have this development and aspect in place. This is the reason why this proposal is put forward. There is a need to have a plan and design that will be followed and will enhance the development of green buildings. This proposal comes with a design that should be followed when constructing green buildings that will sustain development and environmental conservation (Eichholtz, Kok, & Quigley, 2010).
Proposal plan
The proposal that is put forward in this paper is plans that will enable the developers have a sustainable plan that will enable the contractors to come up with green buildings. This will enhance the development of green technology. In general, when coming up with a green building, there are general considerations that should be put in place in order to have a building that will take into account the development and enhancement of the green environment. The design should take into consideration the environmental conservation concept. It should also ensure that there is high indoor air quality that will ensure the occupants have a high rate of comfort while using the building (Edwards, & Naboni, 2013).
This paper will propose the following elements that will be used to build green buildings. The first element is having a bioclimatic architecture. This is a plan that will ensure that the shape of the building and the way the building has been oriented will follow the requirements for the green building. This will include protection from solar radiation, and solar systems which are passive. There is also a need to have an envelope which is high-performing. This will be achieved by the use of insulation, glazing windows which have been developed and be performing highly. The construction should also be developed so that it is air-sealed (Kats et al., 2003).
Another aspect of this proposal is that the building should be designed so that it has good ventilation. The insulating should be mechanical and there should be a means that will enable recovery of heat from the environment or the heat which has been lost.
This proposal stresses the importance of having a building that will focus on minimal losses so that the energy sources will be focused on after constructing the building. This concept is illustrated in the following diagram.
Figure 1: Energy concept for green building
Objectives of green building design
This design will be guided by the following objectives:
Proposed parameters for the green building
The first step that should be considered in order to have a green building is to have insulation concept parameter improved during the design stage. There should be consideration of optimum design with the adoption of bioclimatic architecture. This will ensure that the building will benefit from the radiation from the sun and at the same time it will reduce the rate of heat loss from the building. The bioclimatic architecture will ensure that the conditions that come from the environment and also from the climate are taken care. This is in the quest to ensure that there is visual comfort from inside the building. The local climate will be integrated to the design of the building so that the maximum use of the sun rays will be used. The environmental conditions should be optimized with the building instead of designing a building that will work against the conditions (Leaman, & Bordass, 2007).
The first principle that should be followed when designing this that the thermal compact of the building should be assessed and steps to ensure that this is achieved is made possible with the design. The design should be done with proper assessment of the environment and the natural conditions of the local climate so that the process takes advantage of the environment. This way, any new design will have to follow the conditions of the local environment.
Another principle that is proposed in the bioclimatic architecture is the use of techniques which are appropriate and which will make use of the environment to make maximum use of the resources from the environment. This should be optimized and integrated into the green building construction process (Heerwagen, 2000).
Materials and equipment
Roofing - the roofing materials that should be used in this proposal for the green building is tiles that have been made from clay. There is also the use of concrete tiles for roofing.
Insulation - the insulation that is proposed for green building in this paper is the use of cellulose insulation. It is made from papers which have been recycled. They should be treated with fire retardants. Another proposal that is made for a green building that is proposed to be used in this paper is the use of rigid board insulations. They are known to provide the most insulation for most homes. Insulation materials are known to play a crucial role in coming up with energy efficiencies in buildings. This is an important aspect that should be taken into consideration. This is an important parameter and consideration in this proposal.
Floor – the proposal for the floor is the use of wood. This is the most effective method of undertaking the floor covering. To consider the environmental impact of wood as a floor covering, reused wood can be used to cover the floor. This is an important consideration that should be adopted.
Projected costs
The costs of constructing a green building will be cheaper as many of the materials will be achieved and got from within the location. From the description, most of the materials that will be used for building a green building will be obtained locally. The cost of transportation will be eliminated. There will also be eliminating of the cost of looking for the materials for building.
Expected results
Green buildings will be more efficient and will enhance the conservation of the environment. The proposed plan and design will help improve the green building achievement and will conserve the environment.
Conclusion
References
Edwards, B. W., & Naboni, E. (2013). Green Buildings Pay: Design, Productivity and Ecology. Routledge.
Eichholtz, P., Kok, N., & Quigley, J. M. (2010). Doing well by doing good? Green office buildings. The American Economic Review, 2492-2509.
Heerwagen, J. (2000). Green buildings, organizational success and occupant productivity. Building Research & Information, 28(5-6), 353-367.
Kats, G., Alevantis, L., Berman, A., Mills, E., & Perlman, J. (2003). The costs and financial benefits of green buildings. A Report to California’s.
Leaman, A., & Bordass, B. (2007). Are users more tolerant of ‘green’buildings?.Building Research & Information, 35(6), 662-673.
Ries, R., Bilec, M. M., Gokhan, N. M., & Needy, K. L. (2006). The economic benefits of green buildings: a comprehensive case study. The Engineering Economist, 51(3), 259-295.
