It's interesting how we take for granted the functionality of a building. It keeps us warm and dry, right? Well, when you look closer, you discover that buildings are much more functional than weather shields. Here is a list of "general satisfaction" factors for an office building survey that are worth considering when you evaluate a building's "value".
General satisfaction as a workspace
Office layout
Office furnishings
Thermal comfort
Air quality
Lighting
Views
Acoustic quality
Cleanliness and maintenance
Attention and concentration
Awareness and communication
Interactive behaviors
Functionality
Acoustic functionality
Community
Morale and well being
Buildings are functional spaces in which we function. We work, play, enjoy, relate, learn, listen, build memories, and manage our moods. With so much riding on a building's functionality not just as a temperate zone of comfort, it stands to reason that we need to look at the toxicity of materials, the amount of seating that encourages conversation, sunshine and views of nature and good ventilation that re-energizes our muscles and lungs.
That's a "system" that embodies green building, sustainable landscape, and social justice all rolled up into one community development strategy.
Sustainable Industries magazine recently announced the release of its 2009 Top 10 Green Building Products
guide, the annual publication profiling industry-leading green building
products selected by a panel of expert judges and the Sustainable
Industries editorial team.
The 2009 Top 10 Green Building Product winners are:
Acadia Combined Heating and Cooling System Made by Hallowell International (www.gotohallowell.com) The
Acadia is not just another heating and cooling system. It maintains 200
percent efficiency even when outdoor temperatures drop well below zero.
When heating oil prices were sky high, Acadia users were saving up to
70 percent in energy costs.
ec-H20 Made by Tennant Co. (www.tennantco.com) Requiring
no chemicals, ec-H2O uses tap water to clean most any surface of most
any substance. Each machine reduces water usage by 70 to 80 percent,
and the potential of 245 million gallons of water each year if it were
installed in all new floor-cleaning machines.
InSpire Wall Made by ATAS International (www.atas.com) This
simple, elegant technology essentially uses the power of the sun to
heat outdoor air before sending it indoors, thereby slashing energy use
while boosting indoor air quality. Depending on what kind of heating
fuel is being replaced, this product can reduce heating costs by up to
$5 for each square foot of InSpire Wall installed.
kama EEBS Structural Systems
Made by kama Energy Efficient Building Systems Inc.
(www.kama-eebs.com)
kama EEBS Structural Systems integrate light gauge metal stud framing
system with expanded polystyrene insulation in a proprietary design
that eliminates thermal bridging and helps to create a tight,
energy-efficient building envelope.
PlybooPure Bamboo Plywood
Made by Smith & Fong Co.
(www.plyboo.com)
Because it's technically a grass, bamboo had not previously been
eligible for FSC certification. But in January 2008, after two years of
lobbying, Smith & Fong achieved this first that propelled it to
recognition on this year's Top 10 list.
RainTube
Made by GLI Systems Inc.
(www.raintube.com)
This product received more Top 10 nominations than any other product
this year. RainTube is a rain gutter filter made of 100 percent
post-consumer high-density polyethylene - old milk jugs, in other
words. This product is also Cradle to Cradle-certified, meaning that
GLI Systems Inc had to develop a Post-Use Recovery Plan that goes out
with every product.
Separett Villa
Made by Separett
(www.ecovita.net/villa)
This urine-diverting composting toilet - which is 100 percent PVC fee -
uses no water and keeps solids separate from liquids, reducing odor and
making it possible to reuse waste and urine for composting and
fertilizing. The Separett Villa can be deployed where no plumbing
exists, allowing for a greater reach of the technology.
Serious Windows
Made by Serious Materials
(www.seriouswindows.com)
Serious Windows are so efficient they have the potential to allow for
the elimination of a building's heating system, allowing waste heat
from building appliances to serve as the main heat source in some
applications. The windows have a full-frame R value of at least five
and up to 11, which can cut a building's energy bills by up to 50
percent per month.
Solatube Daylighting Systems
Made by Solatube International
(www.solatube.com)
This patented technology catches direct sunlight and redirects it down
an adjustable-length tube, bringing daylight to parts of buildings that
would not otherwise have access to natural light. The Visa,
Calif.-based company recently launched a product specifically designed
for commercial applications, making it ideal for large-roofed
warehouses and manufacturing facilities, as well as retail stores and
schools - all places that have been shown to benefit from increased
daylight, as daylight is linked to higher worker productivity,
decreased absenteeism and better retail sales.
Your Old Light Fixture
Made by Eleek
(www.eleekinc.com)
Eleek is the only business to make the Top 10 Green Building Products
list all four years. Though not a product, Eleek's lighting restoration
service speaks to the important concept of the re-use of existing
goods. When Eleek restores a light fixture, every piece of a fixture is
taken apart, repaired and restored to its original splendor. Its wiring
is updated to comply with modern codes and standards and a new lamp
base is installed so it works with energy-efficient lamps such as CFLs
and LEDs.
Community development techniques -- both commercial and
residential -- have a major impact on fresh water supplies and the
surface and underground water system. Pavement is a big contributor to
the problem. Now it can provide a solution.
Sustainable Solutions with Low Impact Development
L.I.D. is in.
That's Low Impact Development, the standards by which the local
ecosystem is minimally impacted by development, and water is preserved
as a precious resource.
West coast microclimates are interesting. From rain soaked areas
like San Anselmo, to rain starved areas like Bakersfield, each zone
presents it own challenges for water issues. With each water challenge
comes difficulties that municipalities, developers, and home-owners
have to adapt to, and manage.
California Water Conservation Solutions
For example, water
conservation is critical in California's central valley where each
gallon of runoff can be a precious resource, if properly managed. Other
areas of California offer surprising challenges -- such as Marin
county, which is more like Portland, Oregon, which receives over 40
inches of rain a year.
LID offers workable solutions that developers and home-owners can
implement to manage water issues whatever their situation -- dearth or
deluge. Whether the issue is drought conditions or excessive runoff,
sustainable water management is important to California.
Permeable Pavement allows water to rapidly pass through the pavement into a cistern or natural underground water supplies.
Modular Pavers Used in Hardscape Applications
Permeable pavement is a relatively new concept and product that reduces
"impervious" surfaces from driveways, sidewalks and other hardscapes by
allowing water to run through the pavement and back into the soil - not
follow the hardscape to the street and eventually into our waterways.
This solution retains more rainwater for our underground aquafers - but
it also allows plants and the soil to filter pollutants out of the
water naturally.
Permeable Pavers
One LID product that can provide solutions
for water runoff and infiltration issues, large or small, is permeable
pavers from Permapave Northwest.
Different from traditional concrete pavers, Permapave NW pavers
have an actual flow-through rate of over 1 gallon of water per second.
The pavers are manufactured from natural rock, with an acrylic polymer
binder similar to the clear coat on your automobile. The finished
product is a completely inert paver which returns water directly to the
soil, or underground storage, without adding alkalinity, zinc or
hydrocarbons to the runoff.
When permeable pavers are installed over properly prepared secondary
filtration in the sub-grade, they will capture and filter 100% of gross
pollutants and up to 70% phosphorus, 80% of heavy metals and 98% of
hydrocarbons from the water that flows through them.
Residential Applications
Alleys, Driveways
Walkways
Patios
Camper Parking
High Traffic Grass Areas
Pools / Hot Tubs
Courtyard
Rooftops
Sidewalks / Pathways
Foundation Drainage
Commercial / Industrial Applications
Parking Areas
Pedestrian Walkway
Bike Path
Plaza / Entryway
Bioretention / Rain Garden
Rooftop
Tree Grates
Rooftops
Roadways / Median Strips
Large Public Spaces
Modular Permeable Pavers for Sustainable Landscaping
Modular
pavers over an advantage over "poured" pervious pavement by allowing
edges of permeable pavement to be installed in many locations - under
downspouts, along sidewalks, along driveways, around trees, around rain
gardens, and on or around patios.
Modular Pavers Used in Landscape Applications
Permapave NW pavers are available in a number of colors/aggregates to enhance building and landscaping aesthetics.
PermapaveNW's Permeable pavers come in a modular, 12x12x2"
standard size, with widths up to 16" and thicknesses up to 4" for
heavier vehicle loads.
The pavers, while extremely pervious, provide the hard surface needed for normal urban activities.
The surface not only performs well for sidewalks, biking paths, parking
lots, and driveways but also handles water efficiently in both drought
and flood conditions.
The EPA has long noted the benefits of pervious pavers,
highlighting them in their Best Management Practices: "depending on the
design, pervious pavements (pavers), when used in combination with
other techniques such as vegetated swales, or vegetated filter strips,
may eliminate or reduce the need for land intensive BMPs, such as dry
extended detention or wet retention ponds." (EPA Best Management
Practices- porous pavements)
Both residential and commercial developers may find that the
use of pervious pavers, which can range up to $8 per square foot, can
actually make money for them, by eliminating detention ponds and
increasing the amount of land that can be developed.
Home-owners can install the easy-to-use permeable pavers
themselves, providing drainage areas for driveway or patios that may be
puddling, or as a pervious cover for an underground water storage
cistern.
The pavers can also be used as stepping stones, in pet areas, in
gardens, along walkways, as parking areas for RVs -- the landscaping
possibilities are endless.
Some municipalities are offering rebates for the purchase of LID
products like Permapave. Check with your local city or county city and
county governments, as well as water providers (ie: Metropolitan Water
District) to find incentives and rebates to improve water quality,
reduce runoff, or retain stormwater.
Sustainable Solutions to Stormwater Runoff
Retaining rain water for your landscape can be especially helpful
during California's prolonged droughts. By protecting your landscape
with adequate water supplies from a cistern, and from focusing the
available rain into specific rain gardens, your plants will not suffer
as much - and your water bill will thank you, too!
Sample permeable pavers by Permapave Northwest
CONTACT:
Permapave Northwest
Distributor for Western US
1-877-694-0141
815 NE 172nd Ave
Vancouver, WA 98684 www.permapavenw.com
