Whether you are a believer in the GREEN movement or not, designing buildings that use strategies aimed at improving the performance of metrics that matter most: water efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction and energy savings makes sense. The last two years have been a wake-up call for not only Americans but for citizens of the world. We have all been faced with the rising cost of the natural resources we use every day and have come to understand the wisdom of conservation.
LEED is a certification developed by U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), "to promote design and construction practices that increase profitability while reducing the negative environmental impacts of buildings and improving occupant health and well-being." Architects and building professionals are increasingly adding this certification to their repertoire.
Michael Scott Anderson with Eaton Architecture located in Salt Lake City, UT, is LEED Certified and has been the lead architect on some very exciting projects. In one Salt Lake City home slated for construction this spring, Michael incorporates several design features that reduce its impact on the environment. He used water wise native plants, low flow fixtures, solar hot water, energy efficient mechanical system, energy efficient light fixtures; recycled content in the building material, FSC certified wood, low emitting materials in adhesives, paint, flooring and furniture.
The home is designed intelligent so that lighting systems and mechanical systems are controllable and monitored continually. The windows are oriented to maximize views while minimizing solar heat gain and loss. He further explains through the use of computer aided modeling they can analyze shadows and how they impact the design. This information can be useful in sizing and locating windows and overhangs. These features, along with other features not mentioned, have dramatically reduced the environmental impact of the building not just in construction but over the life span of the building.
Eaton Architecture has always been diverse in the projects they accept. They design high performance buildings: from residential design to local and federal government projects, to projects for Native Americans. Michael Anderson with Eaton Architecture has collaborated on the design of buildings for government projects. These projects have been invaluable to him because of the extensive requirements which include energy modeling of the building before any work can commence.
"Energy modeling has allowed us to play with various ways of achieving the goals set out by the federal government for their new generation of high performance buildings at the lowest possible cost, as most of these projects are cost competitive" he said. "The computer generated energy models we create illustrate how to best spend the client's money to achieve the greatest impact on the building performance. We take this knowledge into every new project we design and it is exciting."
Michael with Eaton Architecture designed a project for the federal government at Hill Air Force Base in North Davis County, Utah. The project is seeking LEED silver certification. It has many of the features described above but it has the added benefit of more extensive energy modeling.
"This energy modeling has given us great insight to how the building will perform; an understanding of the building in its totality, from the heat gained from the light fixtures, to heat gained from the occupants, to loss through the exterior envelope of the building combined with a myriad of factors that impact the performance of the building. The energy modeling allowed us to down size both the mechanical and electrical systems."
All these factors play into reducing the overall negative impact on the natural environment, economy, health and productivity. By taking advantage of these breakthroughs in building science and technology we are able to reduce our carbon foot print.
"It seems that whether it is a commercial project or residential project our clients have become more sophisticated in their understanding of GREEN architecture and the value of increasing the performance of their buildings" he explains. "I am seeing less need to convince clients of the validity of high performance buildings and more on how to use their money in the most efficient way to ensure maximum performance."
The last few years have seen a downturn in the quality of life that many have enjoyed. America is resilient and ever changing. GREEN building is perhaps that little flicker of light that ignites the start to a healthier, smarter, and more successful way of living.
[Note: You can contact Michael Anderson by email at arqui.tectonics@gmail.com.]