Archive for the ‘Green’ Category
Posted on July 18, 2008 - by Elliott
Finally, Weather Data!
Since graduate school, I have always liked having gigabytes of data thrown at me in graphical format. Colored heat maps, pie, line, and bar charts; my only desire is to graph everything that can be graphed. An example of this is the articles in the Environmental Design + Construction Magazine. Each article gives a summary of weather data for where the building is located.
That is why I was very excited to find ECOTECT. Through reading one of the Revit blogs, I came across an announcement that Autodesk had acquired ECOTECT. From the ECOTECT website:
ECOTECT is a complete building design and environmental analysis tool that covers the full range of simulation and analysis functions required to truly understand how a building design will operate and perform.
I downloaded a free trial for a number of their products. They have weather and analyzer tools, as well as a number of other visualization and modeling tools. I have been playing with the weather tool for a little bit. The tool allows a user to plot all sorts of weather related graphs for a certain region: temperature, wind direction, humidity, etc.
When I tried to find weather data for Reno, it wasn’t in the program. A quick look on the ECOTECT website gave me a link to the US Department of Energy website that houses loads of weather data. Now I have a way to not only find elusive weather data, but also a way to plot it. This kind of data is necessary for the next step in green design. Incorporating sun angles, temperatures, prevailing wind direction, etc. into building design is uber-green and something I would love to learn about.
If you have any references for this level of design, please share them in the comments.
As an example of the data, I have embedded average temperature data for the three BJG offices. As it is July, I am glad I am in Pleasanton and not Las Vegas; I can’t handle the heat! I plotted this in Excel.
Happy plotting!
Posted on July 10, 2008 - by Elliott
There is No Such Thing as a LEED Certified Product
I have been researching sustainable products for a project I am working on. I have noticed a number of products that make misleading or false statements. Here are some of the ones I have found.
Misleading statement #1: Automatic ID Credit
Nothing will give you an automatic ID (Innovation in Design) credit.
The following statement was taken from the U.S. Green Building Council’s website. (This document specifically):
LEED ID Credits are evaluated for each project. It is important to note that the award of an ID Credit for one project at a specific point in time does not constitute automatic approval for a similar strategy in a future project. Innovation credits are not awarded for the use of a particular product or design strategy if the technology aids in the achievement of an existing LEED credit.
USGBC does produce a catalog of ID credits awarded on past projects. But this document is meant as a “brainstorming tool only to assist project teams in the development of new ID credits. It does not set any precedent to be upheld during a LEED Certification Review.”
Misleading statement #2: LEED Certified Product
The USGBC does not certify, endorse or promote products, services or companies, nor do we track, list or report data related to products and their environmental qualities.
However, using green products and materials may contribute to a building’s LEED Certification. See our Green Building Links for information from other green building organizations.
Misleading Statement #3: LEED Qualified Product
The image below was taken from a carpet manufacturer’s website. The USGBC strictly prohibits using LEED in reference to a product. Refer to the Member Logos and Guidelines on the USGBC website.
The logo may not be placed on product packaging, ads, or be used as a visual reference to LEED claims in product literature. For example, the logo cannot be placed next to text that says, “Product A can help fulfill Credit X under the LEED Rating System”
Although the logo below does not use the actual LEED logo, the name still implies endorsement. This is wrong and misleading.
Further more, the language included in the image above is not clear. It is fantastic that their carpet contains 10% recycled content. However, is it post-consumer or pre-consumer? There is a difference when calculating your total project recycled content. LEED instructs us to only to take 1/2 of the pre-consumer content and all of the post-consumer content.
In addition, claims that because a product is 100% recycled, your project will earn points is incomplete. Your overall project needs to meet certain goals, not just a single product. If the only recycled content in your project was the carpet above, you would most likely get no recycled content credits.
Conclusion
LEED is a complicated guide to green building. It is complicated because it needs to be thorough. Here are some things you can do as an owner, developer, home owner or concerned tenant to help you through the green building process.
- Ask a LEED Accredited Professional. All LEED APs are listed at the Green Building Certification Institutue’s website. (The GBCI is the testing and certification arm of the USGBC, although it is completely independent from the standards writing USGBC.)
- BJG has 7 LEED APs and we would be happy to help you with your next proejct. Feel free to contact us: Reno (775.827.1010), Las Vegas (702.990.3532) or Pleasanton (925.251.9800).
- Ask questions. Many manufacturers will tell you that their product will give you 6 LEED points. (This happened to a coworker of mine today, in fact). As discussed above, this statement is not true. Ask them what points their product will contribute to. Ask them for literature and backup. Really press them on how their product is green.
- There are some directories out there for reference. Many cities, like Portland and Santa Monica, are starting to compile directories of products not only green, but also regionally manufactured. Buildinggreen.com and Builditgreen.com are reputable sources for green information.
Everyone wants a piece of the green building pie. Make sure to not get caught up in the marketing hype.
Posted on June 5, 2008 - by Pete
LEED meets BIM
Those of us who keep abreast of changes in the construction industry have been tracking two major trends over the last year or two. One has been the move of “Green Building” from the fringes of the industry into the mainstream. While not every project is going for US Green Building Council (USGBC) LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Certification, most of BJG’s clients are, at a minimum, talking about what it would take to get their project “Certified”. Once that conversation starts, the entire project team can, as a group, can make rational decisions as to whether the LEED Certification effort is economically or otherwise justifiable.
At BJG, we discovered that we can use BIM for our REVIT model, to help us determine appropriate strategies for achieving Green Design or LEED Certification. Through proper manipulation of the model, we can provide real time feedback on the cost and payback period of a variety of potential LEED Strategies including water use, insulation efficiency, glazing performance, etc.
When we decided to put the effort into moving into the BIM world, we hoped to be able to provide better coordinated drawings; calculate material quantities and budget pricing; generate construction schedules; and provide real time visual analysis of changes to the design program. Once we started down this path however, it occurred to us that we could also calculate recycled material content, water use, storm water runoff and perform energy analysis. Once the right data is associated to the model, the model will tell us what the cost to increase roof insulation would be and what the energy savings from the change will be. We are really excited by this combination of what we thought were two separate initiatives into a coordinated effort to improve our design and the opportunity it has provided us.
Posted on May 21, 2008 - by Teresa
Green Teams Presentation
I had the wonderful opportunity to speak on a panel of green team members at a Sustainable Silicon Valley event on April 30th. I enjoyed putting together a presentation on BJG’s efforts to green our company. It made me realize how much we have accomplished the last few years.
Our team was formed organically by two of our staff members who had a passion to change the way we did business. They started small. Double sided printing. Carpool to work week. Composting. These initiatives grew into our formal green team and company mission statement “We passionately enrich our environment through responsive design”. Our company is very fortunate that our president is passionate about the environment and he is an active and supportive participant of our green team.
Posted on May 13, 2008 - by Monica
Sony Reader
If you’re not familiar with the Sony Reader, you can download up to 160 books on the portable device. It weighs about nine ounces and is about the size of a large greeting card. You purchase the books from the on-line store; the prices could be cheaper, but they are certainly more reasonable than a book store. The battery lasts quite awhile because the display is not backlit. That also makes it easier to read and you get about 7500 page turns with each charge.
Posted on May 7, 2008 - by Elliott
Engaged Employee for May
Kara is the Engaged Employee for May. She not only designs sustainably, but brings that into her life away from BJG. She is an advocate for the environment. Also, thanks for Marshall for designing an awesome poster.
