An Architect's Guide for Sustainable Design of Office Buildings
Issues Covered
The Guidelines identify environmental design goals and strategies which extend from, and are consistent with, the Real Property Services environmental goals and objectives:
Section One: Sustainability: A New Agenda for Building Design provides the general background for the Guidelines, identifying the specific environmental goals and objectives, and the new responsibilities it requires of architects engaged in federal building design and renovation.
Section Two: Health and Well-Being presents strategies to create healthy indoor environments covering thermal quality, indoor air quality, lighting and acoustic quality.
Section Three: Site and Landscaping presents strategies which enhance the microclimate of the site and minimize the adverse impacts of the building.
Section Four: Energy Use emphasizes the importance of energy in sustainable building design and identifies architectural and engineering design strategies to reduce building operating energy use.
Section Five: Materials Use presents issues and strategies associated with reducing the amounts of materials used in buildings and the selection of environmentally sound alternatives.
Section Six: Building Water Use presents issues and strategies associated with reducing the amounts of potable water used in office buildings.
Section Seven: Waste Reduction identifies design strategies to support reduce construction waste and to support occupant waste reduction and recycling initiatives.
Within each of these sections, the environmental issues and attendant design strategies for dealing with them are generally organized according to the relative ease with which they can be implemented within a renovation project. Each project, of course, will present unique problems, opportunities and priorities.
