The legal and economic landscape for building and development have fundamentally been altered by the country's major environmental problems - climate change, deforestation, loss of biodiversity, ozone depletion, pollution, and unsustainable natural resource consumption rates. The editors provide practical information for lawyers to assist their clients in fully understanding green building and sustainable development concepts so they can operate successfully in the evolving economic and regulatory environment while minimizing the potential cost penalty of business-as-usual practices.

An important consideration for energy-efficient buildings is their primary energy requirements over the entire life cycle. How to determine this? What integrative factors influence the performance of a healthy and sustainable building? This, while it may be important for clients and architects to know, is frequently not very transparent. This book has been written to assist with clarifying target criteria and expanding horizons when it comes to ecological buildings. It is meant as a handbook and source of reference for clients, architects, planners and building operators, to provide them with pertinent information about their design, construction and operation: how to do this in the most energy-efficient and economical manner? Also, there is feedback and documentation about prominent buildings like the Hamburg Dockland or the Landesbank Baden-Wuerttemberg in Stuttgart. They provide excellent architectural examples for detailed construction and design solutions. Further, there are insightful interviews with architects and clients about many important buildings, which help turn this book into an integrated source of reference for sustainable architecture. - A Guideline for Planning, Construction and Operation of sustainable Buildings - A source of reference for clients, architects, planners and building operators - Innovative architectural examples with sustainable concepts and design

Examining the most important issues in achieving the goal of building more efficient and less damaging buildings, this book highlight the significant statutes and regulations as well as other legal issues that need to be considered when advising clients in the development, construction, financing, and leasing of a green building. Topics include federal incentive programs, financing, alternative energy, site selection, land use planning, green construction practices and materials, emerging legal issues, and the effects of climate change on planning and architectural design.

In his Moving to Sustainable Buildings. Paths to Adopt Green Innovations in Developed Countries, Umberto Berardi explores the transition of the construction sector to sustainable building through the adoption of green innovations. Applying methods ranging from theoretical discussions to interviews and field studies, Berardi describes how organisational models among stakeholders are changing as the sector moves towards a green economy. Berardi’s book should prove valuable to engineers, architects, environment researchers and policy makers alike, as it successfully weaves together different aspects of green building to create a multidimensional matrix through which sustainable architecture can be understood. Umberto Berardi, an assistant professor at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute (MA, USA), teaches courses on sustainable construction, architectural engineering systems and building physics. He was awarded an MSc from the Politecnico di Bari, an MSc from the University of Southampton (UK) and a PhD from the Scuola Interpolitecnica in Italy. His research areas are related to building acoustics, sustainable constructions and energy saving technologies for buildings. Berardi is also a passionate pianist and a strong proponent of interdisciplinary cooperation between the arts and engineering.

Handbook of Green Building Design and Construction: LEED, BREEAM, and Green Globes, Second Edition directly addresses the needs of building professionals interested in the evolving principles, strategies, and concepts of green/sustainable design. Written in an easy to understand style, the book is updated to reflect new standards to LEED. In addition, readers will find sections that cover the new standards to BREEAM that involve new construction Infrastructure, data centers, warehouses, and existing buildings. - Provides vital information and penetrating insights into three of the top Green Building Codes and Standards applied Internationally - Includes the latest updates for complying with LEED v4 Practices and BREEAM - Presents case studies that draws on over 35 years of personal experience from across the world

The classic reference for high-performance green building delivery systems No longer just a buzzword, sustainable construction is going mainstream and soon will be the norm. Revised to reflect the latest developments of the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system and other tools, Sustainable Construction: Green Building Design and Delivery, Third Edition guides construction and design professionals through the process of developing commercial and institutional high-performance green buildings in today's marketplace. Charles Kibert provides an introduction to green building, covering the theory, history, and state of the industry as well as best practices in building procurement and delivery systems. From green building and Green Globes assessments to building hydrological systems and materials and product selection, this comprehensive text covers all of the factors involved with sustainable construction. In a clear and accessible writing style, Kibert addresses issues so that the reader can think critically and independently as part of the cutting edge in green building. The Third Edition includes up-to-date coverage of: The latest developments leading up to LEED version 4 Carbon neutral design and carbon accounting Green Globes and international building assessment systems The Living Building Challenge Environmental product declarations (EPDs) as the norm for green building products The trends in net-zero energy building design and policies Broad enough to cover the needs of faculty and students and detailed enough to serve as a professional reference, Sustainable Construction, Third Edition is a must for the builder/owner and construction manager looking to take advantage of the opportunities in this rapidly evolving field, the designer looking to be LEED certified, or anyone interested in sustainability.

With superior fire resistance, strength, and a long service life, concrete is the most widely used construction material in the world. A sustainable material, concrete is also easily and affordably reused and rehabilitated. The first book to provide an overview of sustainability and concrete, Green Building with Concrete: Sustainable Design and Construction surveys the material’s history in the green building movement and presents state-of-the-art methodologies and best practices. From the manufacturing of cement to the rehabilitation of concrete, this comprehensive book explains how concrete can be used for sustainable design and construction. It offers insight into new technological and social developments guiding the introduction of green buildings and examines the attributes that concrete has to offer the green building movement. The text also highlights research on economic analysis—particularly life cycle costing—to provide a full picture of the economic benefits of concrete. Expert contributors from around the world offer diverse viewpoints on global sustainability. Topics covered include: Principles of sustainable design Benefits of concrete’s thermal mass Mitigation of urban heat island effects Surface runoff and the application of pervious concrete for sidewalks and parking areas Reduction of construction waste Leadership in energy and environmental design (LEED) standards Emphasizing environmental impact and occupational and consumer health and safety, this book explains how to make the most of concrete in sustainable design. Written for university and concrete industry continuing education courses, it also serves as a reference for building owners and industry professionals who recognize the value of green building.