Transcript Building Science

What is Building Science?
Building science is the study of how
buildings function under various
environmental conditions. Building
scientists study how heat is generated
or lost in a house and how to make
houses more comfortable and healthy.
Source: www.healthyindoorair.org - a partnership program of the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency; Indoor Environments Division, Montana State University Extension
Service, Housing Program; and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative State
Research, Education, and Extension Service.
What Is Indoor Air Quality?
•
Indoor Air Quality is listed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as
a top environmental threat. The major cause of indoor air pollution are the
particles released into the air that come from a variety of sources. The key
factors to "healthy air" is it must be clean, fresh and have the proper
relative humidity.
•
Our environment’s fresh air is constantly mixed with pollution. We are
exposed on a daily basis to organic chemicals found in the ingredients of
common household products also known as volatile organic compounds.
These toxins build up in our environment to unhealthy levels that stay in the
air long after the activity is completed. Many building products and
furnishings in our interiors "off-gas" harmful toxins over a long period
of time.
HOW DOES INDOOR AIR QUALITY DETERIORATE?
• If one or more of your office or home ventilation processes is inadequate,
due to poor building design, inappropriate occupant activities, or
improper maintenance or operation, the quality of indoor air may
deteriorate. When that happens, occupants may suffer from Sick Building
Syndrome (SBS) or Building Related Illness (BRI).
Source: www.healthylivingfoundation.org and www.epa.gov/iaq
What Is Green Building?
Green building practices offer an opportunity to create environmentally sound
and resource-efficient buildings by using an integrated approach to design.
THE INTENT OF GREEN BUILDING PROGRAMS IS TO
• promote resource conservation, including energy efficiency, renewable energy
and water conservation features;
• incorporate environmental impacts and waste minimization;
• create a healthful and comfortable environment;
• reduce operation and maintenance costs; and
• address issues such as historic preservation, access to public transportation,
and other community infrastructure systems.
The entire life cycle of the building and its components is considered as well as
the economic and environmental impact and performance.
Source: U.S. Department of Energy Resources
U.S. Department of Energy, Smart Communities Network, www.sustainable.doe.gov
U.S. Green Building Council, www.usgbc.org
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, www.epa.gov/greenbuilding
Austin Green Building Program, www.ci.austin.tx.us/greenbuilder (An Internet search will take you to other green
building programs around the country)
What is LEED?
LEED™ (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), a rating
system for new and existing commercial, institutional, and high-rise
residential buildings, designed by the US Green Building Council
using an extensive peer review process.
Four levels of green building certification are awarded based on the
total credits earned in each of five categories: Sustainable Sites,
Water Efficiency, Energy and Atmosphere, Materials and
Resources, and Indoor Environmental Quality.
Source: www.usgbc.org
What is Natural Building?
• Natural building is any building system which places the highest
value on social and environmental sustainability. It assumes the
need to minimize the environmental impact of our housing and
other building needs while providing healthy, beautiful, comfortable
and spiritually-uplifting homes for everyone.
• Natural builders emphasize simple, easy-to-learn techniques
based on locally-available, renewable resources. These systems
rely heavily on human labor and creativity instead of on capital,
high technology and specialized skills.
Source: Michael G. Smith, leader in the cob and natural building community
Resources
www.thelaststraw.org (strawbale)
www.econest.com (light straw/clay)
www.cobcottage.com (cob)
www.livingpaper.com (papercrete)
www.ecocomposite.com (fiber and two other materials)
What is Sustainability?
Webster’s definition:
1 : capable of being sustained, 2 a : of, relating to, or being a method of harvesting or
using a resource so that the resource is not depleted or permanently damaged
<sustainable techniques> <sustainable agriculture> b : of or relating to a lifestyle
involving the use of sustainable methods <sustainable society>
•
Sustainability in our day-to-day lives means reducing our consumption –
sensible quantities, good quality and healthy choices; recycling and
reuse of everything possible; less use of all chemicals in all forms and
uses as well as gas-and-oil-based products, converting to ag-based
and natural products. It means getting off the grid and converting to
solar and wind energy, using rainwater catchment and grey water
methods to conserve this precious resource, and turning to
permaculture approaches and xeriscape plantings in our surroundings.
•
It means using what we have at hand as basic materials for building –
as the prairie pioneers and many others did long ago. It means approaches
for farming that are sustainable and natural rather than overuse of the land,
chemical fertilization, weed control and pesticides, and irrigation levels that
deplete the available resources; improved methods of forestry (coppicing,
for example), less high energy use manufacturing and a movement toward
small cottage industries creating products from local resources distributed to
regional outlets; control of packaging–one of the highest sources of waste.
• Sustainability requires lifestyle
changes. There is an element of
drawing from the past to study what
worked and what didn’t or won’t.
Accepting the existence of an
industrialized world while attempting
to apply agrarian and pre-industrial
ways to manufacturing needed goods
and products. And accepting that we
probably will not see a sustainable
society in our lifetime yet dedicating
ourselves to moving in that direction.
What is Appropriate
Technology?
• To be appropriate, technology must be connected to the
place, resources, economics, culture and impacts of its
use.
Source: Development Center for Appropriate Technologies, Tucson, Arizona, USA
• Appropriate technology is small-scale technology. It is
simple enough that people can manage it directly and
on a local level. Appropriate technology makes use of
skills and technology that are available in a local
community to supply basic human needs, such as gas
and electricity, water, food, and waste disposal.
Source: http://lsa.colorado.edu/essence/texts/appropriate.htm
• Appropriate technology is decentralized.
Today, many of our basic needs are handled by huge, complex
systems. These systems are managed centrally by large private
corporations or the government. A simpler technology tends to be more
reliable, and the effects of breakdowns do not disrupt as many lives.
• Technologically sophisticated, though simple
in design.
It is important to realize that use of appropriate technology does not
mean turning the clock back to the 18th or 19th century. Although the
technology involves simple, easy-to use and repair designs, it is based
on sophisticated, 20th-century technologies. One example is the
invention of photovoltaic or solar cells that convert solar energy, a
renewable energy source, into electricity.
• Environmentally friendly.
Appropriate technology emphasizes the use of renewable resources,
like the energy from the sun, wind, or water. These energy sources
are available almost everywhere and need only the right technology to
capture them. Unlike burning coal and oil, these local energy sources
do not contribute to air and water pollution and they do not need
to be transported over long distances. Food, energy, water, and
waste disposal are also handled locally by ecological systems. These
are systems that conserve resources by recycling organic nutrients
back into the soil and reusing manufactured goods in innovative ways.
Appropriate technology makes it possible to satisfy our
basic human needs while minimizing our impact on the
environment.
• Social problems.
Many people are beginning to realize that neither our economy nor our
population can continue to grow forever. We are running out of the
Natural resources necessary to sustain ourselves. In addition we are
limited in our ability to deal with the social and environmental problems
that result from continuous growth. There seems to be a growing
dissatisfaction with the complexity and hectic lifestyle of 20th-century society.
Many people would prefer to return to a simpler way of life.
Appropriate technology is attractive because it makes households and
industries more self-sufficient, and most things can be managed at a
local level. We may have to do more hand labor instead of depending
on automation to satisfy our basic needs. However, there are many
advantages to simplifying our lives. By growing more of our own food
and producing and buying goods in our own communities, we spend
less time and money on transportation, produce less waste and
consume fewer environmental resources.
Resources
Development Center for Appropriate Technologies, Tucson, Arizona. www.dcat.net
The Center for Maximum Potential Building Systems, Austin, Texas. www.cmpbs.org
Ecological Building Network, Sausalito, California. www.ecobuildnetwork.org