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The central idea behind integration
and whole-building design is that with greater forethought
and understanding of how building systems relate to
one another, the design team can exploit inherent interdependencies
and tune the overall building’s sustainable performance.
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| A diligent
migration through passive design strategies in advance
of supplemental active design strategies assures a building
that responds to environmental changes (both internal
and external) with a minimum amount of active system
input. Passive strategies in the building’s selection,
massing, and envelope development are crucial in minimizing
reliance on supplemental active systems. Once passive
systems have been optimized, high efficiency active
systems can be designed to meet those loads that cannot
be met by the passive design strategies alone. In essence,
the building itself is designed to act as a moderator
between the desired indoor and existing outdoor environments,
letting as much interaction as possible occur naturally,
while maintaining the ability to balance conditions
actively when necessary. The development of an energy
efficient building requires a diligent migration through
design strategies; building orientation, massing, and
building envelope, and finally the building systems
themselves looking first at potentially passive strategies
then supplemental active systems and components. The
result of this green design strategy can have the combined
effect of limiting both capital and operating costs
while producing a highly responsive and comfortable
environment. This reduction in HVAC and lighting loads
(constituting the bulk of the building’s operational
costs and a significant portion of the building’s
construction costs) achieves significant savings in
both the short and the long term.
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Green designs place high
importance on what is valuable to the client, the community,
and the environment and what tangible and intangible costs
are incurred with respect to each. These must be tracked
in parallel with the dollar cost of the building and its
operations and maintenance. Decreased consumption and
maintenance requirements, a demonstration of responsible
practices and sustainable stewardship, as well as the
need for high quality useable area all demand hearing
by the project decision-makers. To accurately portray
the long-term benefit and cost relationships, Life-cycle
analysis has become an invaluable tool. Coupled with other
assessment tools such as decision trees, matrix evaluations
of value and benefit, and LEED® benchmark assessment
and tracking (all of which do not rely solely on monetary
impact), appropriate decisions can be made. |
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Daylight,
thermal comfort, air quality, and view all play a role
in creating a high quality built environment. Add to this
the benefit of an enhanced social interaction arising
from an open office plan that integrates team spaces with
increased amenities, increased interaction, communication,
and teamwork result. With quality comes longer life, higher
property values, urban revitalization, reduced environmental
impact, and a higher standard in which people can live,
work, and play. The combination of all these green
approach strategies is in an effort to create a more
pleasant, safe, and productive workplace that is less
expensive to operate, less damaging to the environment,
and of greater market value to both owner and occupant.
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