Ghozlan, Ayah
Section : 03
PRMG 030
Project Budgeting & Financial Control Dr. Tarek Saker
CONTENTS
I. INTRODUCTION
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** EVALUATION
** SELECTION
* RECYCLED MATERIALS
* LOWER VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
VI. CONCLUSION
VII. REFERENCES
VIII. NOTES
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INTRODUCTION
In a time faced with an energy crisis, water shortages, soaring housing
costs, economic instability, dwindling natural resources, critical levels of air
pollution and an inordinate amount of waste produced each day it is essential
to begin taking steps to prevent this pattern from continuing down the road of
environmental destruction.
Buildings of the future need to take the step beyond shelter and work
places and perform as efficient, economic, environmentally sound spaces in
which we can thrive and endure.
Green Architecture began with the first Earth Day in 1970, and has
grown in popularity as awareness of the earth’s many ecological problems
became more wide spread.
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GREEN CONSTRUCTION
The "Green" refers to a method of design and construction that
minimizes burdens on our natural resources and the environment.
Sustainable or ‘Green Building’ design and construction is the opportunity to
use our resources more efficiently, while creating healthier and more energy‐
efficient homes. Although there is no magic formula, success comes in the
form leaving a lighter footprint on the environment through conservation of
resources, while at the same time balancing energy‐efficient, cost‐effective,
low‐maintenance products for our construction needs. In other words, green
building design involves finding the delicate balance between homebuilding
and the sustainable environment.
There are many certification organizations and rating systems for new
constructions. Such rating systems as the Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design (LEED), will review a building, its assembly,
materials, and how it exchanges with its environment. The selection of
materials is reviewed by its ability to be recycled or reused, its durability, and
its local availability. None of the systems available however, seem to devote
much importance on what is known as embodied energy.
“EMBODIED ENERGY”
Embodied Energy refers to the total energy required to procure a
material from its raw state, manufacture it, transport it and process it for its
intended use. Unfortunately at this time, there does not seem to be
standardized method for calculating a materials embodied energy; however,
its calculation would ideally include the total energy consumed during a
products life time. The calculation must be complete enough to include the
extraction of raw materials including the associated energy or fuels used for its
extraction to the end of the products lifetime; including removal and energies
required for its reuse. Other energies to be included in the calculation are
transportation, manufacturing, energy from manipulation and processing
equipment, and other processing requirements right down to the heating,
cooling and lighting of the processing facility.
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century being primarily based on carbon based fuels, if we reduce the total
embodied energy in the building, we are also reducing the effects of the use
these associated energy types.
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An EMS is a tool that helps companies from all industries manages their
environmental impacts. In the construction industry, an EMS would provide
the necessary framework for contractors to effectively manage environmental
obligations, build "green," and achieve certifications such as LEEDs or
participate in programs such as EPA's National Performance Track. Building on
the EMS template, a construction company will be able to identify company
actions that impact the environment, set improvement goals, and plan how to
achieve them. Some environmental impacts to address in an EMS include
controlling soil erosion and sedimentation, minimizing dust and noise, storing
and handling fuels, managing waste, preserving natural resources, protecting
wetlands and endangered species, and handling hazardous materials.
“ADVANTAGES”
There are numerous advantages to designing for sustainability that far
outweigh the up‐front construction costs. Reduced environmental impacts,
lower operating costs, higher productivity due to increased occupant comfort
and health (which also may lead to reduced insurance costs), reduced strain on
local infrastructure, and community stewardship are just some of the benefits.
More and more, owners from the public and private sector are attracted
to the concept of green construction and are starting to demand high‐
performance buildings. Some state and local governments have established
"green" guidelines and incentive programs, as well as requirements for their
own public‐sector buildings. As interest expands, the construction industry is
increasingly challenged to demonstrate its commitment to the environment.
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SUSTAINABLE ARCHITECTURE
Sustainable architecture is a general term that describes
environmentally‐conscious design techniques in the field of architecture.
Sustainable architecture is framed by the larger discussion of sustainability and
the pressing economic and political issues of our world. In the broad context,
sustainable architecture seeks to minimize the negative environmental impact
of buildings by enhancing efficiency and moderation in the use of materials,
energy, and development space.
“SUSTAINABLE ENERGY”
Energy efficiency over the entire life cycle of a building is the most
important single goal of sustainable architecture. Architects use many different
techniques to reduce the energy needs of buildings and increase their ability to
capture or generate their own energy.
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reduce the need for artificial cooling. In addition, low energy buildings typically
have a very low surface area to volume ratio to minimize heat loss. This means
that sprawling multi‐winged building designs (often thought to look more
"organic") are often avoided in favor of more centralized structures.
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“BUILDING PLACEMENT”
One central and often ignored aspect of sustainable architecture is
building placement. Although many may envision the ideal environmental
home or office structure as an isolated place in the middle of the woods, this
kind of placement is often detrimental to the environment. First, such
structures often serve as the unknowing frontlines of suburban sprawl. Second,
they usually increase the energy consumption required for transportation and
lead to unnecessary auto emissions. Ideally, most building should avoid
suburban sprawl in favor of the kind of light urban development articulated by
the New Urbanist movement. Careful mixed use zoning can make commercial,
residential, and light industrial areas more accessible for those traveling by
foot, bicycle, or public transit, as proposed in the Principles of Intelligent
Urbanism.
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Sustainable Materials will be fatherly discussed with more details later on.
“WASTE MANAGEMENT”
Sustainable Architecture focuses on the on‐site use of waste,
incorporating things such as grey water systems for use on garden beds, and
composting toilets to reduce sewage. These methods, when combined with
on‐site food waste composting and off‐site recycling, can reduce a house's
waste to a small amount of packaging waste.
Architectural design can play a large part in influencing the ways that
social groups interact. Communist Russia's Constructivist Social condensers are
a good example of this, buildings which were designed with the specific
intention of controlling or directing the flow of everyday life to "create socially
equitable spaces".
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“BENEFITS”
Green Building Materials offer specific Benefits to the building owner
and building occupants:
• Reduced maintenance/replacement costs over the life of the building.
• Energy conservation.
• Improved occupant health and productivity.
• Lower costs associated with changing space configurations.
• Greater design flexibility.
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RESOURCE EFFICIENCY
Resource Efficiency can be accomplished by utilizing materials that meet
the following criteria:
• RECYCLED CONTENT: Products with identifiable recycled content, including
postindustrial content with a preference for postconsumer content.
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ENERGY EFFICIENCY
Energy Efficiency can be maximized by utilizing materials, components, and
systems that help reduce energy consumption in buildings and facilities.
WATER CONSERVATION
Water Conservation can be obtained by utilizing products and systems that
help reduce water consumption in buildings and conserve water in landscaped
areas.
AFFORDABILITY
Affordability can be considered when building product life‐cycle costs are
comparable to conventional materials or as a whole, are within a project‐
defined percentage of the overall budget.
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1. RESEARCH
This step involves gathering all technical information to be evaluated,
including manufacturers' information such as Material Safety Data Sheets
(MSDS), Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) test data, product warranties, source material
characteristics, recycled content data, environmental statements, and
durability information. In addition, this step may involve researching other
environmental issues, building codes, government regulations, building
industry articles, model green building product specifications, and other
sources of product data. Research helps identify the full range of the project’s
building material options.
2. EVALUATION
This step involves confirmation of the technical information, as well as
filling in information gaps. For example, the evaluator may request product
certifications from manufacturers to help sort out possible exaggerated
environmental product claims. Evaluation and assessment is relatively simple
when comparing similar types of building materials using the environmental
criteria. For example, a recycled content assessment between various
manufacturers of medium density fiberboard is a relatively straightforward
"apples to apples" comparison. However, the evaluation process is more
complex when comparing different products with the same function. Then it
may become necessary to process both descriptive and quantitative forms of
data.
One tool that uses the LCA methodology is BEES (Building for
Environmental and Economic Sustainability) software. It allows users to
balance the environmental and economic performance of building products.
The software was developed by the National Institute of Standards and
Technology's Building and Fire Research Laboratory.
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3. SELECTION.
This step often involves the use of an evaluation matrix for scoring the
project‐specific environmental criteria. The total score of each product
evaluation will indicate the product with the highest environmental attributes.
Individual criteria included in the rating system can be weighted to
accommodate project‐specific goals and objectives.
“RECYCLED MATERIALS”
Architectural salvage and reclaimed materials are used when
appropriate as well. When older buildings are demolished, frequently any good
wood is reclaimed, renewed, and sold as flooring. Any good dimension stone is
similarly reclaimed. Many other parts are reused as well, such as doors,
windows, mantels, and hardware, thus reducing the consumption of new
goods. When new materials are employed, green designers look for materials
that are rapidly replenished, such as bamboo, which can be harvested for
commercial use after only 6 years of growth, or cork oak, in which only the
outer bark is removed for use, thus preserving the tree. When possible,
building materials may be gleaned from the site itself; for example, if a new
structure is being constructed in a wooded area, wood from the trees which
were cut to make room for the building would be re‐used as part of the
building itself.
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Green products are usually considered to contain less VOCs and be better for
human and environmental health. A case study conducted by the Department
of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering at the University of
Miami that compared three green products and their non‐green counterparts
found that even though both the green products and the non‐green
counterparts both emitted levels of VOCs, the amount and intensity of the
VOCs emitted from the green products were much safer and comfortable for
human exposure.
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Now more people and businesses opt for green buildings, I think it’s
because there's an awareness of the importance of efficiency, conserving
energy, and improving occupants' health. There's a push politically, and a lot of
the building codes are now going toward green. It has also kind of become the
cause to support in the entertainment industry.
Many people are interested in doing their part for the environment, as
well as improving their health. When they understand the benefits of low
volatile organic compounds (VOC) carpets and paint, and how much that
improves their home environment, there's a great deal of interest, especially
when the cost of doing so is not much more than purchasing products that
have those harmful chemicals in them.
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CONCLUSION
My sense is that green building is going to become standard building
practice. We need to be careful not to saturate green because people see it as
potentially increasing costs in these hard economic times. This is actually going
to save money, and it's not inherently more expensive. As long as that message
goes out, I think we'll be seeing more and more green homes.
I think it’s nice when you go into restrooms in businesses and airports,
that instead of noticing, "Oh, it's green," you notice when it's not green. It has
become so common that once you put your hands under the sink, the water
comes out and turns itself off, that when you have a manual sink, you start
thinking they are really behind the times. I don't know if I'm typical, but it is
interesting that I'm starting to notice companies that are not green.
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REFERENCES
1. http://www.ciwmb.ca.gov/
2. http://knowledge.allianz.com/en/globalissues/energy_co2/energy_effici
ency/
3. http://greenconstruction.ca/?p=40
4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainable_architecture
5. http://www.doityourself.com/stry/greenconstruction
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NOTES
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