Building
Technology 1
name : jana ahmed said Mohamed abouzeid
registration number : 241-001-300
Dr/ wael Mahmoud
Summarized papers chapter 2
Topic : the buildng site
From : 18 to 33
Source ; Ebook “Building Construction Illustrated”
1
• Sustainability, as defined by the United Nations World
Commission on Environment and Development in its 1987 report
"Our Common Future," is the concept of meeting present needs
without compromising the ability of future generations to meet
theirs. The increasing awareness of environmental challenges
such as climate change and resource depletion has made
sustainability a crucial aspect of the building design industry.
This issue requires a comprehensive approach that considers
social, economic, and environmental impacts, involving the
active participation of various stakeholders, including planners,
architects, developers, and governmental agencies. To minimize
negative environmental effects, sustainability promotes
efficiency and moderation in the use of materials, energy, and
space. Sustainable building practices focus on the long-term
implications of decisions made throughout a building's life cycle,
from design to maintenance and community development. Key
principles include reducing resource consumption, reusing and
recycling resources, protecting nature, eliminating toxins,
applying life cycle costing, and emphasizing quality.
• Green building and sustainable design refer to
environmentally sensitive construction methods, but
sustainability encompasses a broader perspective that includes
social, ethical, and economic issues within community contexts.
Green building aims to create healthy environments using
resource-efficient and ecologically-based principles. The
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) Green
Building Rating System™, developed by the U.S. Green Building
Council (USGBC), establishes standards for environmentally
sustainable construction. Initially created for the U.S., LEED is
now applied in over 135 countries, adapting to local standards.
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Various LEED rating systems are available to cater to different
building types, including new constructions, interior designs,
existing buildings, and neighborhood developments, with
specific variations for various uses such as schools, retail
spaces, and healthcare facilities. The LEED rating system for
new construction focuses on nine key development areas.
• Green building standards focus on two main areas: water
efficiency and energy and atmosphere. Water efficiency aims to
decrease the demand for potable water and minimize
wastewater generation through the use of water-conserving
fixtures, rainwater harvesting, gray water recycling, native
landscaping that requires less irrigation, and on-site wastewater
treatment systems. Meanwhile, the energy and atmosphere
component takes a comprehensive approach to energy
management by encouraging designs that lower overall energy
consumption, enhance energy efficiency, promote the use of
renewable and non-polluting energy sources, and reduce
emissions that contribute to ozone depletion and global
warming.
• Indoor Environmental Quality focuses on enhancing the
comfort, productivity, and well-being of building occupants by
improving indoor air quality, maximizing natural light in interior
spaces, allowing user control over lighting and thermal comfort
systems, and reducing exposure to harmful particulates and
chemical pollutants, including volatile organic compounds from
adhesives and coatings, as well as urea-formaldehyde resins
found in composite wood products. Meanwhile, Innovation
recognizes efforts that go beyond the standards established by
the LEED Green Building Rating System or that showcase
innovative building features and sustainable design strategies in
areas not specifically covered by the LEED criteria
•
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• Since its establishment in 2000, LEED has evolved from concentrating solely on new commercial
building construction to encompassing a wider range of building types, including neighborhoods and
communities. In an effort to align its objectives with the Paris Climate Accord's targets for 2030 and
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2050, the upcoming version, LEED v5, is reorganizing its framework around three key goals: climate
action, quality of life, and ecological conservation and restoration.
• Green Globes is a voluntary certification system that
assesses the environmental sustainability, health and wellness,
and resilience of various commercial real estate properties. It
was developed from the BREEAM system and is currently
managed in the United States by the Green Building Initiative
(GBI) and in Canada by its nonprofit subsidiary, GB Initiative
Canada. The Green Globes framework emphasizes life cycle
assessment across seven key areas: sustainable sites, energy
efficiency, water efficiency, materials and resource use, indoor
environmental quality, emissions, and project and environmental
management.
• Passivhaus is a European standard aimed at creating ultra-
low-energy buildings through exceptional thermal performance,
airtightness, and a heat-recovery ventilation system that ensures
good indoor air quality. The primary objective is to maintain high
occupant comfort while minimizing energy consumption for
heating and cooling. Although the name suggests a focus on
residential buildings, the Passivhaus principles are also
applicable to commercial, industrial, and public structures. The
standard sets a predictive design goal of a maximum energy
demand of 120 kWh/m2 (11.1 kWh/ft2) and an actual
performance target for infiltration of no more than 0.60 air
changes per hour at 50 pascals, necessitating precise
construction techniques to reduce energy usage caused by
infiltration.
4
• The Living Building Challenge (LBC), established in
2006 by the International Living Future Institute (ILFI), is a
comprehensive standard aimed at sustainable development
across various scales, including buildings, infrastructure,
landscapes, and neighborhoods. Unlike other standards, the
LBC mandates actual, measured performance validated by data
collected over at least 12 months of continuous occupancy and
operation. It encompasses stringent criteria in areas such as site
selection, material selection, and health, while also emphasizing
the importance of beauty and equity in green building design.
•
• The International Green Construction Code® is part
of the broader International Building Code® (IBC), which is a
detailed model code created and maintained by the International
Code Council (ICC). The IBC, along with its related codes,
includes various green provisions that address energy
conservation through the International Energy Conservation
Code®, ventilation standards set by the International Mechanical
Code®, and water conservation measures outlined in the
International Plumbing Code®.
• Resilient design focuses on creating buildings,
landscapes, and communities that can withstand natural and
manmade disasters, as well as adapt to long-term climate
changes such as rising sea levels and increased heat waves.
Defined by the Resilient Design Institute, it aims to ensure that
structures remain habitable during disasters and can sustain
livable conditions even during extended power or heating losses.
The strategies of resilient design consider the specific risks
associated with different regions, acknowledging that threats
like flooding, blizzards, or seismic activity vary by location.
Although there may be apparent conflicts between sustainable
design and resilient design, there is significant overlap between
the two fields.
5
• Climate change and global warming are significantly
impacted by greenhouse gases, particularly carbon dioxide,
which is primarily emitted through the combustion of fossil fuels.
Architecture 2030, an environmental advocacy organization
founded by architect Edward Mazria, highlights that buildings
account for about 30% of U.S. energy consumption and
greenhouse gas emissions, with a global figure of 75% attributed
to urban environments. A key strategy for mitigating these
emissions involves focusing on the operational energy use of
buildings, mainly for heating, cooling, and lighting, rather than
just material production or construction processes. The
organization initiated the 2030 Challenge in 2006, calling for new
buildings and major renovations to be carbon-neutral by 2030.
This includes reducing fossil fuel energy consumption by over
50% and renovating existing buildings to meet similar standards.
Two main approaches to reducing greenhouse gas emissions in
buildings are the passive approach, which utilizes the local
climate for energy efficiency, and the active approach, which
emphasizes generating renewable energy. Both strategies aim
to minimize energy use as a critical step in combating climate
change. Additionally, site analysis is essential in architecture,
involving the examination of contextual factors that affect
building design, layout, and relationships with the surrounding
landscape, starting with the collection of physical site data.
• Site analysis involves examining the contextual factors that
affect the placement, layout, orientation, design, and
relationship of a building to its surrounding landscape. It begins
with collecting physical data about the site.
6
• The text outlines the steps necessary for assessing a construction site, starting with the need to draw
the site's shape and legal boundaries while indicating setbacks, easements, and rights-of-way. It
emphasizes estimating the area and volume required for building programs and potential future
expansions. A thorough analysis of ground slopes and subsoil conditions is necessary to identify
suitable construction areas and outdoor activities, while also locating areas with steep slopes that may
hinder development. The assessment includes mapping existing drainage patterns, determining the
water table's elevation, and identifying areas prone to excessive runoff or flooding. Preservation of
existing trees and native plants is crucial, along with protecting water features like wetlands and
streams. The text stresses the importance of mapping climatic conditions, including solar paths and
prevailing winds, to evaluate their impacts on energy potential. Finally, it calls for determining access
points from public roadways and transit stops and studying circulation paths for pedestrians and
vehicles to ensure efficient movement to building entrances.
• The liquid limit (LL) is defined as the water content,
represented as a percentage of the dry weight, at which a soil
transitions from a plastic state to a liquid state. This concept is
an important aspect of soil mechanics.