With increasing numbers of consumers becoming more environmentally conscious in their purchasing behavior, environmental practices are a decisive factor in the real estate sector. Reconciling the seemingly opposing goals of improving the environment and providing the needed infrastructure to support economic growth is the origin of the sustainable green building concept. This concept is simply about being mindful of the potential impact that the design, construction, and operation of commercial buildings will have on the environment and devising innovative strategies to mitigate or eliminate these impacts. This means changing the traditional process of designing buildings and their construction and operation, as well as the integration of emerging trends in many technology fields into buildings. The Sustainability Building Standards and Guidelines contains information intended as minimum standards for designing, constructing, and equipping sustainable mixed-use buildings. Insofar as practical, these standards relate to desired performance or results or both. Sustainable green buildings are as much about construction as they are about design. The book includes a description of the special design features, construction processes, the systems of operation and maintenance, and the interrelationships of these various functions. Increasingly, staying competitive means building owners / property developers, designers, manufacturers, and contractors are focused on achieving increasingly environmentally friendly and energy-efficient buildings with the ultimate goal of producing environmentally and energy-neutral buildings.

The ICC/ASHRAE 700-2015 National Green Building Standard(TM) (NGBS) has been approved by the American National Standards Institute for all types of sustainable residential construction. A collaborative effort of the International Code Council, ASHRAE and the National Association of Home Builders, NGBS outlines a variety of green practices that can be incorporated into new homes and multifamily buildings, as well as hotels, dormitories and land developments. The Standard also delivers stand-alone chapters for both home remodeling and additions and renovations of multifamily buildings. The green practices address site and lot design, preparation and development; resource, energy and water efficiency; indoor environmental quality; and operation, maintenance and building owner education. Four levels--Bronze, Silver, Gold and Emerald--enable residential professionals to integrate sustainability and high performance at a level most appropriate for their businesses and specific housing markets. Changes for the 2015 Edition The 2015 edition incorporates changes that better align the NGBS with the I-codes, expands the application of innovative practices and builds upon years of building and certifying to NGBS. Some of the more notable updates include: - Substantial revisions to the Energy Efficiency chapter, which now has more stringent rating levels based upon whole-house energy savings that are above the 2015 International Energy Conservation Code. - A comprehensive update of the exterior and interior lighting provisions including common areas in multifamily building. - Mandatory installation of carbon monoxide alarms for all buildings, regardless of level of certification or local code. - Revamped stormwater management options that encourage low-impact development practices. - Greater emphasis on and recognition of multi-modal transportation options including bicycle parking, pedestrian connectivity, proximity to transit and electric-vehicle charging. - New references in the Resource Efficiency chapter for Environmental Product Declarations for both specific and industry-wide products. This latest edition includes everything needed to design, construct or remodel any residential project to the most current sustainable and green building criteria available - all under one roof!

The combined challenges of health, comfort, climate change and energy security cross the boundaries of traditional building disciplines. This authoritative collection, focusing mostly on energy and ventilation, provides the current and next generation of building engineering professionals with what they need to work closely with many disciplines to meet these challenges. A Handbook of Sustainable Building Engineering covers: how to design, engineer and monitor a building in a manner that minimises the emissions of greenhouse gases; how to adapt the environment, fabric and services of existing and new buildings to climate change; how to improve the environment in and around buildings to provide better health, comfort, security and productivity; and provides crucial expertise on monitoring the performance of buildings once they are occupied. The authors explain the principles behind built environment engineering, and offer practical guidance through international case studies.

High performance buildings maximize operational energy savings; improve comfort, health, & safety of occupants & visitors; & limit detrimental effects on the environment. These Guidelines provide instruction in the new methodologies that form the underpinnings of high performance buildings. They further indicate how these practices may be accommodated within existing frameworks of capital project administration & facility management. Chapters: city process; design process; site design & planning; building energy use; indoor environment; material & product selection; water mgmt.; construction admin.; commissioning; & operations & maintenance.

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