Costs and Benefits Analysis of LEED Building Projects As the environmental problems become more and more serious these years, especially that intense negative impact that buildings in modern cities bring to the cities, the concept of Green Building is being more and more important considered by local and federal government. According to the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), a green building is one that utilizes design and construction practices that significantly reduce or eliminate the negative impact of buildings on the environment and the building's occupants. Besides the more and more advanced building structure and technology, the main goal of green building is to protect the health of the occupants, save energy and reduce pollution to environment. There are many certifications of green buildings to judge whether the building meets the standard of green buildings and what environmental performance level is this building at, to help government regulators, building professionals and consumers to see better how this building can be improved and what is its impact on human beings and environment. Such green building programs include Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), Environmental Protection Agency's Energy Star program, National Association of Home Builders (NAHB Green), etc. Among them, LEED is one of the most popular certification programs that give the building credits for its environmental performance. In this essay, I will discuss the costs and benefits of different types of building projects that were certified by LEED. “LEED, or Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design, is transforming the way we think about how our buildings and communities are designed, constructed, maintained and o... ... middle of paper ... ...egies and LEED certification, the costs of the building can actually offset by the benefits, because of the large energy saving and the positive externalities. The concept of Green building cannot be limited by one by one individual cases. For the whole society’s well-being, the concept of Green Building should be extended to the concept of Green City, just like mayor of Chicago claims, the “green city” is the future of modern cities, to achieve the goal of “green city”, we need to start with green buildings. To encourage more and more residents to support green buildings, buy green buildings and apply the environmental friendly habits in their daily life, the existing Green Building projects have the responsibility to express its “green” to more people and also the green building program such as LEED need to do more in conducting the idea of Green Building.
LEED, or Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design, is a certification program for green buildings with stringent requirements for building energy efficient and environmentally responsible structures. Some requirements of this program include specific building materials, smart grid capable, gray water reclamation systems, green space minimums, high levels of insulation and low thermal transfer glass (US Green Building Council). Green buildings are a must if we are to sustain our current level of growth. Despite the higher initial cost of these buildings, the long term energy savings make these buildings a smarter choice for
Remember back in school when your parents would bribe you to get all A’s in your classes? Although it may seem like a good idea to pay students for grades, in the long run it just wouldn’t work out. If students were to be paid for good grades the price would be far too high, parents already pay taxes, and school is a privilege that should be taken advantage of.
Urban Greening can be generally defined as the combined process of growing, conserving and management of different types of vegetation in different areas of the city for social, economic and environmental benefits (Byrne et al., 2014). Urban greening can be synonymously used with the term urban greenspace also considered as a combination of a many green areas in a city, (Roy et al., 2010). These include all types of playing fields, court yards, resident’s gardens, wild vegetation, cemeteries, green roofs, vacant lots, nature conservation sites and areas offering different recreational activities, (Harnik, 2010). Most green areas are made up of vegetated public and private spaces, (URGE Team, 2004).
In this day and age, we take pictures all the time since we constantly have technology at our fingertips. We can easily document our lives using our phones, webcams, and cameras. We share snippets of ourselves so often on social media like Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook and because of this, editing photos is not something only professional photographers have to do anymore. Looking for the perfect photo editor can be extremely daunting to anyone since there are so many options available, no one wants to pay a hefty price for an editor. However, since there is such a wide range of options, you can find an application that will cater to your needs and ensure that you end up with a flawless, professional-level shot. Below are some options to
Increase cost of Eco-Friendly new building in Art District will be 150 million (“What we are about”, 2014).
Organizations must reorganize their department and train employees to meet their organizational needs. LHDs have major and crucial needs for preparing new public health professionals and improving the skills of current public health workers. Public health workers have an ongoing need for training in evolving areas, treatment for diseases, and new arrangements for public health issues (Public Health Agencies, 2017). Training prepares employees for frequent changes so they can adapt and perform well on the job. In fact, a number of public health workers lack formal health care training and need improvement in their professional credentials. Many LHDs do not have the financial resources to provide training for their employees or professionally
Hysterically, the field of architecture has been lead by two opposing height. On one side a leading-edge of wild ideas, often so disconnected from reality that they fail to become something other than eccentric curiosities. On the other side there are skillful corporate experts that build expected and boring boxes of high standard. Architecture seems rooted between two equally unfertile fronts: either credulously utopian or petrifyingly pragmatic. Rather than choosing one over the other, BIG decide to operate in the fertile overlay between the two opposites. A pragmatic utopian architecture that takes on the environmentally perfect places as a practical aim.
The life cycle cost(LCC) of an induction motor involves the total purchasing price , installation and operating cost, maintenance and disposal cost of that motor. When used as a tool to compare design alternatives or possible repair, the LCC method show the most effective solution in terms of cost in the range of necessary data is available The constituents of the life cycle cost analysis typically consist initial costs, installation and operation costs, refurbishment and disposal costs.
This section will examine green walls in relation to aesthetics and community and environmental benefits, in order to understand how urban greening systems promote development and sustainability.
Sustainable design seeks to reduce negative impacts on the environment, the health and comfort of building occupants, thereby improving building performance. The basic objects of sustainability are to reduce consumption of non-renewable resources, minimal waste, and create healthy, productive environments (“Sustainable Design”). Focusing primarily on the sustainable design principles, there are five, including: low-impact materials, energy efficiency, quality and durability, design for reuse and recycling, and renewability. As sustainability appears to become the necessary trend in architecture, the question concerning the cost versus outcome of “going green” really an investment or a waste of time and money comes to mind. With our research provided below, we believe the expenses may truly be with the investment in the end.
In a world where over half of the human population calls a city their home, the need to restructure and revolutionize the way we design our urban environments has never been greater. Currently, the notion that these vast metropolises of metal, concrete, and sludge could one day be fully realized pillars of sustainability is certainly laughable. However, when these same cities are constantly growing and multiplying across the globe, all the while using a greater and greater chunk of our planet’s energy, this impossible task becomes a necessary focus. To strive towards the closed, continuous loop of “true” sustainability could greatly alter the image of the modern city. Any improvement over the current state of urban affairs could carry weight, and even if that goal is not entirely fulfilled, the gained benefits would be immense.
A green building (also referred to as sustainable building or green construction) is a structure that employs an approach that is responsible for the environment besides being efficient in regard to resources all through its life cycle: This is from selecting the site to designing it, constructing, operating, maintaining, renovating and demolishing it. To achieve this, the client, the engineers, the architects and the entire design team closely cooperate at all stages of a project (Yan and Paliniotis, 2006). Practicing Green Building complements and expands the conventional building design areas of comfort, durability, utility and economy.
“Architects plan, design, and observe construction of facilities used for human occupancy and of other structures” (The Top 100: The Fastest-Growing Careers for the 21st Century, Fifth Edition 27). In 2010, 2 percent of U.S employment, about 2.3 million people, possessed jobs in architecture and engineering. The majority of architects tend to be civil architects, with about 249,120 workers, followed by mechanical and industrial engineers (Bureau of Labor Statistics 2). Architects have to design buildings that satisfy their clients and protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public. Architects need to take aspects into consideration such as climate, soil, state building regulations, zoning laws, fire r...
Sustainable buildings are becoming somewhat of a necessity in the world today. As the demand for green building develops, so does the demand for green building materials. Just as the old techniques and building materials seem to disappear in the assembly of things, they are now making a come back. Green building focuses on the efficiency of major resources like water and energy. As the cost for sustainable materials and products are on the decline, building green seems to be the most cost effective kind of design and construction. Looking specifically at green materials and their impact on the production of structures, it is evident that they are a prime choice for building material. The use of green materials should be promoted because they are better for the environment, more healthful for the consumer, and better for the economy.
The beginnings of today's green revolution can be traced back to the environmental awareness of the 1960s and European design. New construction techniques have lead to the development of innovative materials and design concepts. Green buildings are designed, constructed and commissioned to ensure they are healthy for their occupants. Successfully designed green projects can involve an extensive array of factors, ranging from the resourceful use of materials, to careful consideration of function, climate, and location.