One Silly Green Goose » Architecture

ACADIA 09: reForm() Building a Better Tomorrow

Poonam Sharma — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 22:38:04 +0000

I am attending the ACADIA conference in Chicago this week and am impressed by the both the city and the innovative projects presented there. ACADIA, the Association for Computer Aided Design in Architecture has held a conference in a different city and with a different theme each year for the past 29 years. This year’s theme was appropriately “Building a Better Tomorrow” and the projects demonstrate how hardware, software and middleware technologies can transform the way buildings perform, act and operate.

One thing that really stood out to me about the work was a nearly ubiquitous bottom-up approach where the designer started with the material, technology or unity, developed a mock-up to explore its potential, subjected it to various experiments and then made adjustments or second and third versions based on their findings in an iterative design process. This approach seems like a natural one for scientists, but also signifies a return to craft that has profound implications on both the way architecture is taught in schools and the relationship between architects and fabricators in practice. Ultimately, the prospect of architects actually making things is exciting. Well at it’s least more exciting than drawing lines on an Autocad screen. But this bottom up approach also seems like a much more fluid way to achieve innovation and makes me wonder if architects haven’t been swimming against the current for the past couple of decades.

I will showcase some of the innovative projects from ACADIA 09 in the next few posts so stay tuned…

The Best Free LEED Resources Online

Poonam Sharma — Sat, 09 May 2009 14:46:33 +0000

Thinking about taking the LEED exam but discouraged by the compounding cost of all the study materials required to take the test? While studying for the LEED AP for New Construction exam a few months ago, I discovered a bunch of free resources of LEED study materials. Of course I only discovered all this free stuff after I had already shelled out hundreds of dollars on study materials. But I guess that’s how it goes. I recommend scouring these free resources before investing in costly exam prep materials.

1) USGBC

Seems like a no-brainer, but you would be surprised at how much valuable free content is buried within the convoluted subpages of the USGBC website.

http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=220 contains links to past and present versions of the LEED Rating System, which is basically a condensed 100 page version of the 400+ page LEED Reference Guide. The LEED Rating System concisely outlines the intent, requirements and potential strategies related to each credit. However, it does not include the detailed calculations, referenced standards and submittal documentation information provided in the LEED Reference Guide.

Here is some more free content you need to know for the LEED exam from USGBC:

Candidate Handbook
Test Specifications & Sample Questions
LEED-Online Sample Credit Templates
PowerPoint Presentations
Credit Checklist
Registration Process
Registration Fees
Certification Process
CIR Guidelines
Guidance on ID Credits

2) In The LEED

InTheLeed.com is an invaluable site created and maintained by an architect who went through the process of studying and passing the LEED exam himself. The site is packed with free tips and advice from both the creator and users of the site. The active discussion forums are a huge help as well as give you the opportunity to be a part of a supportive community of other test takers. I honestly don’t think I would have passed the exam on the first try without the tips on this site.

Here is some of the content that I found the most useful:

WIMSEE chart
A Typical LEED Exam Question: A Closer Look
LEED AP Exemplary Performance / ID Credit Breakdown
Post-Test Evaluation & Brain Dump

3) University of Florida “Learning to LEED - Test Taking Resource”

This site contains essential summarized content, quizzes and test-taking tips.

Referenced Standards Spreadsheet
Exemplary Performance Spreadsheet
LEED Acronyms
Flashcards
Quizzes
Mini Quizzes
Test-Taking Tips

Cradle to Cradle Design

Poonam Sharma — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 21:02:24 +0000

I finally read the book Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things
by William McDonough and Michael Braungart. The book is a must-read on many levels, but I was particularly inspired and encouraged by the fact that unlike the previous generation of sustainability manifestos that pit the economy against equity & ecology, Cradle to Cradle “sees commerce as the engine of change” and allows one to embrace their inner capitalist by proposing a sustainable world of guilt-free growth, prosperity and abundance. Instead of viewing consumer waste through the austere lens of the 3 R’s (reduce, reuse and recycle a.k.a. downcycle), McDonough and Braungart, inspired by the abundance of nature, propose the visionary idea of designing consumer products as either biological nutrients or technical nutrients.

Biological nutrients are materials or products designed to be a part of a biological cycle, or in other words, designed to be consumed by animals and/or microorganisms and eventually return to the earth (think composting).

An example of a product designed to be a biological nutrient is a biodegradable upholstery fabric, containing no harmful chemicals, that can be torn off of a chair when no longer desired and thrown on the ground to biodegrade and provide nutrients for the soil.

Technical nutrients are materials or products designed to be a part of a technical cycle, or in other words, designed for a return to industrial use as a raw material that has not lost any value since its original form (think upcycling).

Currently, recycling forces the reuse of materials and products that were not originally designed for recycling. This often results in downcycling and toxicity problems. Downcycling, means the recycled material is not as valuable as the virgin material. For example, when cars are recycled, all the metals (high ductile steel, stainless steel, copper wiring, etc) in the car are melted down together, resulting in a metal of lesser quality that can never be used to make new cars. Secondly, toxicity problems occur when the harmful chemicals that are used to create the original product are disturbed through recycling and are released into the air through off-gassing and/ or abrasion of the new recycled product.

An example of a product designed to be a technical nutrient is a television designed for easy disassembly, so that its various components (copper, plastic, and even chemicals, etc) can be easily upcycled or reused to make new televisions. This strategy may even incorporate the concept of the product of service, whereby customers purchase the service of a television for a defined period of time after which they return it to the manufacturer for a new one, as opposed to the consumer buying the television itself and then being responsible for its disposal later.

I am curious to see what products out there are already implementing this visionary idea of designing for a positive impact on the environment (as opposed to designing to minimize the negative impact). If you know of any products that are designed as biological or technical nutrients I would love to know. I am going to do a little research myself and create a list of products to post.

Ecovillages and the Dancing Rabbit

Poonam Sharma — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 06:59:40 +0000

Diana Leafe Christian, author and activist, gave an enlightening presentation about ecovillages at the Brecht Forum early this month. She explained what an ecovillage consisted of and described the lifestyle and principals of various ecovillages around the world, including the one in which she currently resides, Earth Haven in North Carolina.

Earth Haven Ecovillage, North Carolina

Ecovillages are off the grid settlements of people who wish to live a minimal lifestyle in harmony with nature and each other. Residents find ways of making a living locally by owning or working for businesses established by other residents. Although some leave periodically to earn enough money to reside in their community most of the time, long daily commutes for employment are discouraged due to their negative effect on the environment. Ecovillagers implement various techniques to minimize their impact on the earth, including permaculture, hybrid and natural building techniques, solar power, passive solar strategies, rainwater collection, composting toilets, living machines, constructed wetlands, and rainwater collection and reuse.

Here is a great 3-minute video in which a resident of Dancing Rabbit, a sustainable community in Missouri, describes the spirit of the ecovillage.

“A human-scale, full-featured settlement in which human activities are harmlessly integrated into the natural world in a way that is supportive of healthy human development, with multiple centers of initiative, and (which) can successfully be continued into the indefinite future.” —EcoVillages and Sustainable Communities, a Report for Gaia Trust by Context Institute, Robert and Diane Gilman, 1991

At first glance, the idea of the ecovillage seems too far on the progressive left for most people. However, as Diana described the various settlements and their particular lifestyle and practices, I realized that each community is unique, existing at various points on the socioeconomic spectrum. For example, in one ecovillage in Europe, the inhabitants shared a business whose earnings went directly towards sustaining the community. No one got a salary, making a petty cash box the only source of money for small purchases such as toothpaste or bus fare. On the other hand, in an ecovillage located in the United States, members not only keep independent finances, but many even earn dividends by investing in local businesses such as a retail store located just outside of the community. It is also worth noting that not all ecovillages are located in isolated virgin landscapes. There are ecovillages located in suburbs and even in cities such as the Los Angeles Ecovillage. Although I don’t plan on moving to an Earth Haven or Dancing Rabbit anytime soon, I have to admit that there is a lot to be learned from these communities and their noble efforts towards economic, social and environmental sustainability.

Diana Leafe Christian is running a workshop in New York City on February 14-15 that teaches the fundementals of Starting a Successful Ecovillage or Intentional Community.

For more info about ecovillages check out http://www.ecovillagenews.org

To Be LEED AP or LEED AP plus?

Poonam Sharma — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 17:50:58 +0000

In simpler times there was only one credential that could be earned from the United States Green Building Council (USGBC), and once merited you were known as a LEED Accredited Professional (LEED AP).

However, there have been a few key changes since those early days of LEED.
For example, the Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI) now manages the exams while the USGBC focuses on education and exam prep. And more recent, there are now two possible designations that can be earned, known as “Green Associate” and “LEED AP+”. The new designations, what they are, who they are meant for and how to earn them can get confusing so I tried to clear it up a little here.

The new Green Associate credential is meant for people who desire an understanding of the core concepts and strategies of the LEED rating system, but do not require an in depth knowledge of the implementation process. Real estate brokers, city managers, college students, and facility managers are some examples of the types of people who may be interested in becoming a Green Associate. 200-level courses offered by the USGBC, which will be available online in the spring of 2009, are recommended for those who wish to pursue this designation. See www.greenbuild365.org for the full course catalogue. The exam required to become a Green Associate is also expected to be available in the spring of 2009.

The LEED AP+ credential is meant for professionals currently implementing LEED or who may in the future, and who therefore require an in depth knowledge of the core concepts, strategies and implementation process of the LEED rating system. Architects, design professionals, green home builders and legacy LEED AP’s are some examples of the types of people who may be interested in becoming a LEED AP+. A difference between the legacy LEED AP’s and the new LEED AP+ is that you must indicate in which area of specialty the accreditation was earned. Currently, the areas of specialty are the following:
• Commercial building design & construction (BD+C)
• Commercial operations & maintenance (O+M)
• Commercial interiors (ID+C)
• Residential design & construction (Homes)
• Neighborhood development (ND)

300-level courses offered by the USGBC are recommended for those who wish to pursue this designation. See www.greenbuild365.org for the full course catalogue.

Above is a diagram of the new credentials from USGBC.

Legacy LEED AP’s have 2 years (from June 2009) to convert to the new LEED AP+. Although retaking the exam is not required, you do need to agree to green building continuing education and comply with the USGBC disciplinary policy.

For those who wish to become a LEED AP+, it seems as if, for now anyways, you can proceed to prepare for your exam of choice in the usual manner, since no real changes to the LEED AP exams have been announced. However, according to GBCI the LEED AP+ credentials won’t be available until spring of 2009. So I guess this means that if you take the exam before then, you will earn a legacy LEED AP and will have the option to opt into the LEED AP+ once it becomes available, but it is still unclear. USGBC says that intends to launch the new 300-level course offerings before the LEED AP+ becomes available but it is unclear when they will actually do this, and if the courses and exam support resources will be very different from what is already available for the legacy LEED AP exams.

LEED Leads to Buildings that Burn More Energy

Poonam Sharma — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 07:26:26 +0000

I keep hearing that many LEED certified buildings actually burn more energy than those that claim no “green” status. While studying for the LEED AP exam, I came across at least one obvious reason for the energy glut of buildings prizing a LEED certification and thought I would share it here.

For those of you who don’t already know, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a rating system where points or credits are earned by complying with various criteria set forth by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC). A building earns a Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum Certification depending on how many credits earned.

So here is where some of the excessive energy consumption may be coming from. In the Indoor Environmental Quality section of the LEED rating system, one credit can be obtained by increasing the ventilation rate in the building, or in other words, increasing the amount of indoor air that is replaced with fresh outdoor air within a certain period of time. An increase of at least 30% above the minimum standard is required to earn this credit for buildings that are mechanically ventilated. Buildings implementing natural ventilation techniques (i.e. operable windows, stack effect, thermal mass, etc) must follow a different set of criteria for increasing ventilation levels to earn this credit. I won’t get into that here, since I am more concerned with the cause of the increased energy consumption and most natural ventilation techniques do not consume any energy. But as you have probably already guessed, increased ventilation rates in a mechanically ventilated building results in increased energy consumption.

Additional air ventilation improves the indoor air quality of the building and improves the comfort of its occupants. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, indoor pollutant levels are sometimes 2-5 times and occasionally even as high as 100 times more than outdoor pollutant levels. So I can see why increased ventilation should be integral to the design of an environmentally responsible structure.

But on the other hand, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, buildings consume about 37% of the energy produced in the United States, making the reduction of a building’s energy consumption, in my opinion, a high priority on the journey towards sustainability. The fact that many supposedly green buildings are actually heading in the wrong direction is quite shocking.

Although additional ventilation is nice, the USGBC should disqualify mechanical ventilation as a viable option to increase ventilation. Instead, they should require mechanically ventilated buildings to compliment their HVAC systems with natural ventilation techniques when possible, to increase ventilation and earn this credit without increasing their energy consumption. Besides, most people prefer opening a window than having a vent blasting air in their face anyways.

That being said, a measly one point earned for increasing ventilation hardly seems like it could be the sole culprit for the higher energy consumption of LEED buildings. So here are some useful links if you want to read more about the questionable energy efficiency of LEED Certified buildings:

http://www.energysavingscience.com/

http://www.buildingscience.com/documents/insights/bsi-007-prioritizing-green2014it-s-the-energy-stupid/?full_view=1

http://www.green-buildings.com/content/78357-henry-gifford

For more information about USGBC and the LEED Rating System go to www.usgbc.com.

Make 3D Texture Maps with the Acme Brick Masonry Designer

Poonam Sharma — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 02:21:15 +0000

The Acme Brick Company has a handy tool that architects and designers can use to see how various brick patterns, designs and colors may look. They call this tool the “Acme Brick Masonry Designer” and it is downloadable for free at http://www.brick.com/md/index.htm . Although not originally meant for this purpose, I have been using this tool for years to create my own custom brick texture maps for architectural 3D models. The Masonry Designer Tool allows you to build a custom swatch of bricks with just a few clicks. Choose the colors of bricks and mortar from the Acme brick palette and various other parameters such as the type of coursing (i.e. running bond, soldier, etc), and the size of the swatch, in an easy to use interface. When you have constructed the perfect swatch of brick, just save it as a jpeg so you can use it as a texture map for your 3D model. I have used this technique for Autodesk Viz models but I am sure it can be used for various other 3D programs. The only downside is that the Acme Brick Masonry Designer tool is not compatible with Macs.