Sustainability

The following web page links have been generously compiled by a number of faculty, students, and friends. Particular thanks go to Prof. Richard Beller and Cal Poly Architecture student Alex Vincent.

General References

The American Institute of Architects (AIA)
www.aia.org/practice-landing-menu
The AIA has several links on this web page relating to carbon neutral initiatives, advanced energy design guidelines and the committee on the environment (COTE)
AIA Committee on the Environment
network.aia.org/committeeontheenvironment/home
The goal of the AIA Committee on the Environment (COTE) is to advance the design quality and performance of buildings. The site contains links to integrated practice and carbon neutral resources and programs.
Architecture 2030
www.architecture2030.org
Architecture 2030 is an advocacy organization started by architect Edward Mazria which seeks to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions caused by the building sector. The web site contains a searchable database of building case studies.
Green Globes Building Rating System
www.greenglobes.com
Green Globes is an alternative to LEED that seeks to demystify and simplify the green building certification process. On line assessment tools are available that are interactive and flexible. A link to several case studies is also provided.
Renewable Energy Home Guide
www.realtystore.com/renewable-energy-home-guide
Renewable energy is a form of electrical or mechanical power gotten from unstable sources; use to replace a different source of energy. Also, they are that energy produced without the chemical activities that involve splitting of atoms, or where fossil fuels are burn and the negative effect that goes with their use are felt, such as a high carbon dioxide emission, considered to be the major cause of global warming.
Solar Decathlon
www.solardecathlon.org
U.S. Dept. of Energy sponsored event is held every other year in Washington D.C. Twenty university teams design and assemble residences that are powered by the sun and compete for the honor of winning the competition. Teams are judged not only in energy efficiency, but also for livability, affordability, communication, and design excellence. The competition has been a catalyst for research and implementation of new technologies, materials and design strategies. Follow this link to find information and examples of past competitions: http://www.solardecathlon.gov/history.cfm
Sustainable Buildings Industry Council
www.sbicouncil.org
The Sustainable Buildings Industry Council is an independent, non-profit organization that seeks to advance the concepts of whole building design. Programs are available that target residential, schools, small and large scale commercial buildings. The organization helped develop and markets Energy-10 software, a whole building simulation tool that allows design teams to assess design strategies such as delighting, natural ventilation, lighting systems, and passive solar design strategies.
US EPA Green Buildings
www.epa.gov
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency disseminates information on green building components and building types. The EPA also co-sponsors The Life Cycle Building Challenge, an annual competition that rewards innovation in building design for disassembly and deconstruction.
U.S. Green Building Council (LEED)
new.usgbc.org
The USGBC is the premier green building organization in the United States. It seeks “market transformation” with its LEED green building certification program, advocacy, educational programs and it program of LEED accredited professionals with local chapters nationwide. The site includes a “project profiles” link with examples in eight different categories of new and existing building types as well as neighborhood development. For information on the LEED Green Associates and LEED Accredited Professionals program visit the Green Building Certification Institute http://www.gbci.org/org-nav/about-gbci/about-gbci.aspx

Case Studies

AIA Committee on the Environment Top Ten Case Studies
www.aiatopten.org
For many years the AIA Committee on the Environment has maintained a searchable database of their top ten award winning projects. Projects are included from 1997 to the present.
Mixed-mode Ventilation Case Studies and Project Data-Base www.cbe.berkeley.edu/mixedmode/index.html
A detailed explanation of mixed-mode ventilation is provided as well as detailed case studies and a database of 150 buildings.
National Institute of Building Sciences Whole Building Design Case Studies www.wbdg.org/references/casestudies.php
Information is available on whole building design, which consists of a holistic, integrated design methodology using a collaborative team approach. A “Case Studies and High Performance Building Database” provides examples of this approach.
US Dept. of Energy High Performance Buildings Data Base energy.gov/eere/buildings/building-performance-database
This searchable database provides case studies in a uniform format on 125 high performance buildings.

Design Tools

Sustainable by Design Tools
www.susdesign.com/tools.php
Sustainable by Design Tools: Solar geometry visualization tools, window overhang design tools, monthly window heat gain calculation tool, and monthly climate data for 250 US cities.

Regional Organizations

Cascadia Green Building Council
living-future.org/our-impact
The Cascadia regional chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council serves the entire Northwest Region and parts of British Columbia. An extensive web site has links to regional resources organized in a broad range of topics including post-occupancy evaluation, indoor environmental quality, water and energy efficiency
Green Building Alliance
www.go-gba.org
The Green Building Alliance serves Pittsburg and the western Pennsylvania area, one of the leading regions in the U.S. for sustainability. The Web site contains links to building case studies for the region.

Publishing LInks

BuildingGreen Publishers of Environmental Building News (EBN)
www.buildinggreen.com
BuildingGreen is an independent publishing company with an array of web based offerings, including BuildingGreen Suite and GreenSpec. Since 1992 this company has published Environmental Building News, a newsletter with in-depth articles on a variety of green building issues.
GreenBiz
www.greenbiz.com/collections/buildings-facilities
The GeenBiz web page has links to several on line newsletters concentrating on the business aspects of sustainability. Its mission is to disseminate information which allows businesses to integrate sustainability into mainstream business practices.

Advanced Research

Center for Architecture, Science and Ecology (CASE)
www.case.rpi.edu
CASE is collaboration between Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill which seeks to accelerate deployment of advanced building technologies across multiple platforms. Their web site has links to current research which includes examples of projects across multiple scales from nano technologies to urban morphology.
Center for the Built Environment
www.cbe.berkeley.edu/index.html
This U. C. Berkeley research/industry collaborative has information about post-occupancy evaluation studies dealing with indoor environmental quality. Areas of research include thermal comfort, acoustics, building envelopes, controls and information technology. Heschong Mahone Group http://www.h-m-g.com/downloads.htm This building energy consulting firm’s web page has tools, publications, technical reports and downloads on daylighting, photocontrols, and lighting efficiency standards.
US Dept. of Energy, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy www1.eere.energy.gov/buildings
The U.S. Dept. of Energy sponsors the Building Technologies Program (BTP), which provides funding for research to develop technologies that reduce energy use in buildings. Key program areas include energy codes, commercial property building owner alliances, and equipment standards. This web site has links to the DOE national laboratories, which perform advanced research in building envelopes, lighting, renewable energy, whole building design and indoor air quality.

Additional links

Updated 01.09.24

Architecture

College of Architecture and Environmental Design

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