Extremely practical, this book reveals how to develop an environmentally sustainable office building in a cost-effective way. Not only does it teach about the business case for green buildings, but it also explains the nuts and bolts of site planning, design, sustainable construction, facilities management, financing and leasing, and government policies and trends.

This book brings together concepts from the building, environmental, behavioural and health sciences to provide an interdisciplinary understanding of office and workplace design. Today, with changes in the world of work and the relentless surge in technology, offices have emerged as the repositories of organizational symbolism, denoted by the spatial design of offices, physical settings and the built environment (architecture, urban locale). Drawing on Euclidian geometry that quantifies space as the distance between two or more points, a body of knowledge on office buildings, the concept of office and office space, and the interrelationships of spatial and behavioural attributes in office design are elucidated. Building and office work-related illnesses, namely sick building syndrome and ailments arising from the indoor environment, and the menace of musculoskeletal disorders are the alarming manifestations that critically affect employee satisfaction, morale and work outcomes. With a focus on office ergonomics, the book brings the discussion on the fundamentals of work design, with emphasis on computer workstation users. Strategic guidance of lighting systems and visual performance in workplaces are directed for better application of ergonomics and improvement in office indoor environment. It discusses the profiles of bioclimatic, indoor air quality, ventilation intervention, lighting and acoustic characteristics in office buildings. Emphasis has been given to the energy performance of buildings, and contemporary perspectives of building sustainability, such as green office building assessment schemes, and national and international building-related standards and codes. Intended for students and professionals from ergonomics, architecture, interior design, as well as construction engineers, health care professionals, and office planners, the book brings a unified overview of the health, safety and environment issues associated with the design of office buildings.

GREEN BUILDING: PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICES IN RESIDENTIAL CONSTRUCTION, International Edition provides a current, comprehensive guide to this exciting, emerging field. From core concepts to innovative applications of cutting-edge technology and the latest industry trends, this text offers an in-depth introduction to the construction of "green" homes. Unlike many texts that adopt a product-oriented approach, this book emphasizes the crucial planning, processes, and execution methods necessary for effective, environmentally sound construction. This text demonstrates that Earth-friendly products and energy-efficient materials take planning in order to make a building truly green. This visionary text helps students and professionals develop the knowledge and skills to "think green" from start to finish, empowering and inspiring them to build truly sustainable homes.

Despite recent improvements in energy efficiency being made in new build, it is important that the existing commercial building sector also take action to meet emission reduction targets. The objectives and challenges of such action will reduce the risk of the sector becoming obsolete due to high energy use and poor environmental performance. This book presents a theory-based, practice-support methodology to deal with sustainable retrofitting opportunities for existing commercial buildings in warm climates using bioclimatic design as the basis. The book has four main parts, focusing on eco-design and renovation, bioclimatic retrofitting, technological and behavioural change and case studies of retrofitting exemplars. In the first part, the context of climate change effects on design and renovation at the city scale is discussed. The second part looks at bioclimatic retrofitting as a 'design guide' for existing buildings, highlighting the significance of architectural design and engineering systems for energy performance. The technological and behavioural contexts of the existing building sector – policies, modelling, monitoring and trend analysis in respect to energy and environmental performance – are covered in part three. The final part gives some case studies showing the effectiveness of strategies suggested for effective environmental performance. This book is a must-have guide for all involved in the design and engineering of retrofitting projects in warm climates.

"The members of 7group and Bill Reed are examples writ large of the kind of leadership that is taking this idea of green building and forming it into reality, by helping change minds, building practice, and design process." —from the Foreword by S. Rick Fedrizzi President, CEO, and Founding Chair, U.S. Green Building Council A whole-building approach to sustainability The integrative design process offers a new path to making better green building decisions and addressing complex issues that threaten living systems. In The Integrative Design Guide to Green Building: Redefining the Practice of Sustainability, 7group's principals and integrative design pioneer Bill Reed introduce design and construction professionals to the concepts of whole building design and whole systems. With integrative thinking that reframes what sustainability means, they provide a how-to guide for architects, designers, engineers, developers, builders, and other professionals on incorporating integrative design into every phase of a project. This practical manual: Explains the philosophy and underpinnings of effective integrative design, addressing systems thinking and building and community design from a whole-living system perspective Details how to implement integrative design from the discovery phase to occupancy, supported by process outlines, itemized tasks, practice examples, case studies, and real-world stories illustrating the nature of this work Explores the deeper understanding of integration that is required to transform architectural practice and our role on the planet This book, both practical and thoughtful, will help you deliver your vision of a sustainable environment. 7group, based in Kutztown, Pennsylvania, includes principals John Boecker, Scot Horst, Tom Keiter, Andrew Lau, Marcus Sheffer, and Brian Toevs, who bring a unique integration of expertise in design, engineering, energy and daylight modeling, materials assessments, commissioning, education, and communications to their work. Internationally recognized thought leaders in the green building movement, they have led countless teams through the practical implementation of integrative design on building projects of all types around the world. 7group also has been directly and deeply involved with the development of the LEED® Green Building Rating System, including experience on more than 100 LEED projects. Scot Horst currently serves as chair of the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED Steering Committee.

Annotation. Aimed at real estate industry professionals, developers, and investors, this guidebook fully explains the best practices and methods for retrofitting an existing office building to be greenincreasing the efficiency of resource use while reducing building impacts on human health and the environment. Covering numerous eco-friendly systems, this reference demonstrates how green features are definitely worth the investments they require. Case study examples of projects that have incorporated these aspects as well as how they were constructed are included.

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