By Beatrice K Otto

• SUSTAINABLE OFFICE DESIGN & BUILDINGS
• WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?
• WHAT SHOULD I LOOK FOR?
• AIR
• LIGHT
• ENERGY
• WATER
• MATERIALS
• GOVERNMENT RESPONSES
• OVERVIEW OF SUSTAINABILITY
• WHERE CAN I DIG DEEPER?
• GLOSSARY

• Want your own copy of our white paper on sustainability? Download it as a PDF

SUSTAINABLE OFFICE DESIGN & BUILDINGS

WHAT'S IT ALL ABOUT?

Technology and the growth of computers allows you a much freer palette as an architect. Also, the study of nature and the way plants grow is more and more available. Bring these things together and there is quite a strong human response. Combine with a better understanding of materials, then we are in for a much richer phase of architecture.

Nicholas Grimshaw

People & Planet

Sustainable design creates products, places, processes and systems which optimise human well-being now and in the future without compromising the well-being of the planet.

Architecture is one of the most exciting, visible and burgeoning areas for sustainable design with a rich array of techniques, systems, technologies and materials already in place that can drastically reduce the effects buildings have on the environment while bringing about a step change in comfort and efficiency. Buildings can be mini ecosystems, self sufficient in energy, purifying their own air, and treating at least some of their own waste.

Performance & Productivity

Sustainable office design can deliver higher performance in energy and other resource use, and higher productivity in human terms. People simply work, see and think better in offices that have more natural lighting, fresher and cleaner air, and where they have more control over their immediate lighting or temperature levels. At a practical level, it simultaneously minimises the:

• number
• amount
• volume
• weight
• toxicity
• and use of materials, energy and water

while maximising the use of materials, energy and other components that are:

• clean and safe
• renewable
• easy to repair, reuse, recycle or refurbish
• and benign towards the environment

FIRST PRINCIPLES

Health, Wealth & Happiness

Optimising well-being involves thinking about the personal, physical, social, cultural and economic effects of buildings. Hospitals can consider the curative effects of light, colour, and air quality on human health and spirit. Residential and public buildings can reduce crime and social isolation or disaffection. Schools can improve the concentration and commitment of pupils by responding to their human needs. Workplaces can hugely enhance productivity by designing with occupants in mind.

Slow the Flow

Currently, materials tend to flow down a one-way street. We extract, process, use, throw away. Most things we use (including buildings) come with serious baggage in energy, materials and emissions. By using materials that have been reclaimed or recycled, and by designing for durability and adaptability (the two go hand in hand), we can slow the flow, ideally to a trickle.

'We can reduce our energy use by 80 percent with no reduction in our quality of life.'

Paul Hawken, author of The Ecology of Commerce

Reduce the Use

Water, energy, materials, components. Find ways to lighten your footprint materials. For example, you could use a lighter material, or consider lightweight structures that retain strength but reduce material density; particleboard with a honeycomb structure has a high strength to weight ratio; metal can be produced in a foam structure rather than a solid state.

Loop the Loop

Conventional life cycle analysis looks at 'cradle to grave' (extraction to disposal), but this is shifting towards closed loop thinking, what McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry (MBDC) calls 'cradle to cradle'. This includes renewable materials or energy, such as plastics based on plants rather than petroleum (bioplastics or biopolymers), or materials that are easily recycled; recycled aluminium uses 95% less energy than the virgin stuff.

From Product to Performance

Sustainable design takes a step back and considers results or benefits rather than products. Most products are a means to an end; by focusing on the end, we can rethink the means. BP was an oil company until it decided that it wanted to deliver energy, of which oil is only one form. Amory Lovins, a champion of improved performance in office buildings, talks about buying 'coolth' (the opposite of warmth) instead of air-conditioners.

A synonym for 'sustainable building' is 'high performance building'. Keep that in mind, it's where all sustainable design roads should converge.

Total financial benefits of green buildings are over 10 times the average initial investment required. Energy savings alone exceed the average increased cost of building green. The relatively large impact of productivity and health gains reflects the fact that the direct and indirect cost of employees is far larger than the cost of construction or energy. Even small changes in productivity and health translate into large financial benefits.

The Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory and Capital E Group cost benefit analysis of green building for 40 Californian government agencies

Of Systems & Simplicity

Sustainable design integrates systems and functions and designs out duplicating or conflicting elements. It works best where it optimises a whole system by designing 'out' things that don't need to be there. Optimising parts of a system would mean buying a more energy-efficient air conditioner. Optimising the system would create a simplifying cascade which might look like this:

• lighting provides a large part of the demand for 'coolth'
• improve natural lighting, both in quality and quantity
• install dimmable lighting and individual controls
• reduce artificial lighting (and, incidentally, energy use)
• plant deciduous trees outside - their summer leaves prevent direct sunlight heating up the building, their winter shedding lets sun contribute heat
• reassess the demand for coolth
• install some passive ventilation systems
• now decide if you still need air conditioning; you might, but probably a great deal less than if you had upgraded existing equipment without looking at the whole system.

The Master Designer

Biomimicry is the study of nature applied to design and innovation. Nature has been trying things out for millennia and scientists and designers are learning how to apply these lessons from the molecular level to entire systems.

In materials, spider silk has more tensile strength, relative to its weight, than steel. It's been said that if you expanded a spider web to the size of a fishnet, its resilience and strength would allow it to stop a Boeing in mid-flight. FTL Studio mimics the tensile strength of spider silk in its elegant, flexible, lightweight structures.

Fun with Factoids

• According to the DTI, non-renewable energy consumed in building services accounts for about 50% of UK carbon dioxide emissions.
• Construction generally accounts for about 45% of the total global flow of raw materials (China uses 47% of the world's cement).
• Envirowise has found that as much as 10% of construction materials on sites were never used.

WHERE CAN I FIND OUT MORE?

http://www.advancedbuildings.org/

A superb source of briefings on a range of sustainable building topics such as lighting and daylighting, finishes and furnishings, heating and cooling, water use and heating, building automation systems, energy efficiency, stormwater management, and air quality. A great place to start learning.

http://www.hosted-fabermaunsell.com/sdc/

Sustainable Construction: Practical Guidance for Planners and Developers is a great introduction to sustainable building, covering key drivers, the planning framework, measures, costs and benefits of sustainable design, and training materials for mixed planning and development groups.

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WHERE CAN I SURF MORE?

GENERAL

subscribe-greenclips@listserv.energy.wsu.edu

Greenclips is an excellent clippings service from the world of sustainable architecture.

http://www.rmi.org/sitepages/pid97.php

RMI Solutions is the newsletter of the dynamic and influential Rocky Mountain Institute (itself housed in a sustainable building). Their website is full of delights on the topics of energy efficiency, retrofits and sustainable architecture in general.

http://www.time.com/2002/greencentury/enarchitecture.html

'Buildings that breathe', by Richard Lacayo, is an inspiring article on how the 'best of the new architecture uses nature rather than fighting it'.

http://www.metropolismag.com/cda/sustainable.php

Metropolis Magazine has a section devoted to sustainable design, with often excellent articles.

http://www.greenbuildings.santa-monica.org/mainpages/pdf.html

Provides an index of PDF files on a wide range of sustainable building topics.

http://www.architecture2030.org/

Launched by Edward Mazria, Architecture 2030 provides a challenge and an impetus for making all buildings carbon neutral by 2030. Yes, it can be done.

http://www.greenblue.org/about.html

GreenBlue promotes the cradle to cradle approach to sustainable design, whereby everything from buildings to the economy function on a circular basis, without generating waste, and even restoring previous degradation. A pleasure to navigate, this site simplifies the concept of closed loop thinking.

http://www.ccc.govt.nz/TargetZero/ResourceAndWasteSpecific/

Before the First Pour: Energy efficient design for commercial buildings is a superb, short introduction to the subject. It is part of a series, including design guides for commercial building fit-outs, retrofits and new build, both large and small. Very short, these guides help create a suitable design brief.

http://www.greenbuilder.com/sourcebook/

A clear guide to several key aspects of sustainable buildings, such as water, energy, materials and solid waste.

http://www.wbdg.org/

The down-to-earth Whole Buildings Design Guide provides an outline of sustainable building concepts and products.

http://www.nrel.gov/buildings/highperformance/about.html

A brief introduction to the concept of sustainable design as being about high performance, particularly when approached in an integrated way ('whole building design').

http://www.dti.gov.uk

Building Better Quality of Life: A strategy for more sustainable construction gives the government's eye view of what is needed to make buildings sustainable.

http://www.bre.co.uk/

The authoritative Building Research Establishment is a key player in making the UK building sector more sustainable. It does research, dispenses advice, disseminates information and develops tools.

http://www.dti.gov.uk/sectors/construction/sustainability/page13691.html

The DTI's web-page on sustainable construction provides clear information on key government initiatives.

http://www.BuildingGreen.com/go/suite

A subscription based on-line resource that provides practical information with a database of high performance case studies.

http://www.sbicouncil.org/

Website of the Sustainable Buildings Industry Council.

http://www.greenbuilding.ca/

The International Initiative for Sustainable Built Environment includes an annual Global Conference on Sustainable Building and Construction.

http://www.aecb.net/

The Association for Environment Conscious Building is a member-based organisation, providing training, articles and conferences. It has a straightforward Eco Fact Sheet which can be downloaded, covering energy, pollution, water and biodiversity.

http://www.cabe.org.uk/

The Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) website has a section on sustainability.

TOOLS

http://www.msdg.umn.edu/MSDG/guide2.html

This clear and easy-to-use design guide from the University of Minnesota takes you through a process of selecting sustainable design strategies and documenting your actions.

http://www.hosted-fabermaunsell.com/sdc/

Sustainable Construction: Practical Guidance for Planners and Developers is a great introduction to sustainable building, covering key drivers, the planning framework, measures, costs and benefits of sustainable design, training materials for mixed planning and development groups.

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

The tool of tools, with a directory of hundreds of tools on building performance, materials, components, equipment, HVAC and lighting systems, air quality, you name it. You can search by subject or country. All you ever wanted to know about tools, but were afraid to ask.

http://www.sust.org/gateway/

The Ecological Design Gateway provides information on all aspects of sustainable design for buildings and access to about 400 websites.

http://www.sbis.info/

The Sustainable Building Information System provides knowledge and links to relevant other sources. You can search websites for technologies, buildings, documents, methods and tools, people and organisations, projects, policies and programmes.

http://www.breeam.org/
http://www.breeam.org/offices.html

The Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) can be used to assess both new and existing buildings. Its widely used BREEAM for Offices specifically assesses the environmental performance of office buildings.

http://www.usgbc.org/

Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED(TM)) Green Building Rating System. LEED is one of the leading systems for rating sustainable buildings, devised by the US Green Building Council. It has several levels depending on the number of credits achieved in various categories:

• LEED New Construction (LEED-NC) aimed at new buildings
• LEED Commercial Interiors (LEED-CI) is for the design of tenant fit outs in leased office space
• LEED Existing Buildings (LEED-EC) concerns the performance of existing buildings and can cover upgrades in the systems and operation of buildings even if the building is not substantially changed

http://archrecord.construction.com/features/green/archives/0506edit-1.asp

How is LEED faring after five years in use is a good overview of where LEED is leading.

http://www.bfrl.nist.gov/oae/bees.html

Building for Environmental and Economic Sustainability (BEES) helps assess about 200 building products, both generic and branded.

http://www.greenseal.org/

Provides some very clear and concise guides to specifying a range of materials and products, including particleboard and medium density fibreboard, carpet, lighting, occupancy sensors, office supplies and other office relevant products.

http://www.building.co.uk/

The magazine Building has a section on sustainability, including a SutainableToolkit with guidance and reports on legislation and other issues, as well as a 'carbon coach' to help you assess your carbon reduction needs.

INCENTIVES

www.thecarbontrust.co.uk/

Quantifying the UK's Incentives for Low Carbon Investment , by the Carbon Trust, provides a guide to the incentives, worth about £1.3 billion, provided by government to encourage business and consumers to tackle carbon emissions.

http://www.eca.gov.uk/etl/homepage.asp

The Enhanced Capital Allowance Scheme permits you to claim 100% first year capital allowances for investments in energy saving technologies and products which are on the Energy Technology List. This website gives the list, together with tools and criteria to help with applications.

CONFERENCES

http://energyefficiency.jrc.cec.eu.int/html/IIECB06.htm

International Conference on Improving Energy Efficiency in Commercial Buildings.

http://www.bp-congress.de/

Building Performance Congress.

http://www.greenbuilding.ca/

Global Conference on Sustainable Building and Construction.

AWARDS

http://www.building.co.uk/

The magazine Building has a section on sustainability, including an annual award for sustainable building design, including Sustainable Designer of the Year, Sustainable Client of the Year, Sustainability Innovation Award, Sustainable Building of the Year and others.

http://www.eu-greenlight.org/Notice-Board/news.htm

An annual award from the EU's GreenLight programme.

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