M.E. Rinker Sr. School of Building Construction

University of Florida

Gainesville, Florida 32611-5703 USA

 

BCN6585 Sustainable Construction

Syllabus

 

CONTENT

·         Hardware and Software Requirements

·         General Directions

·         Textbooks

·         Grading Scheme

·         Course Modules

·         Index of References on the BCN6585 Compact Disc (CD)

 

HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS

To use the course materials you will need

·        Internet access

·        A laptop or desktop computer equipped with an internet connection (modem or LAN), and CD-ROM

·        A web browser (Netscape or Internet Explorer)

·        Adobe Acrobat plug-in

 

GENERAL DIRECTIONS

a. The Syllabus for BCN6585 Sustainable Construction describes the requirements for each of the 15 Course Modules in this course, the student requirements, and the grading scheme.  Each module is anticipated to require 9 hours of student work including readings, Module Assignments, and Course Task.  A Module corresponds to a week’s worth of classes in a conventional university setting.  The Module Assignments and Course Task are described in the Course Modules when they are to occur. It is  imperative that the student complete the course requirements in a timely fashion to satisfactorily pass the course.

 

b.  Every module has a Module Assignment comprised of readings, either in a detailed fashion or a cursory manner.  These latter readings are indicated by the direction to Scan them.. The Module assignment.  The Module Assignments should be returned to the instructor via the course assignment delivery system. The student may complete only one other Module Assignment before receiving an acknowledgement of satisfactory completion from the instructor. 

 

c.  This grades for this course are based on two papers, a group project, and quizzes:

 

(1)  There are two required papers: a 2,000 word short paper and a 4,000 word long paper.  The two papers must be on different topics and must be original work by the student and must not have been submitted for other courses in any other educational institution.  For each paper the student must submit in hard copy a 200-300 word abstract for the instructor’s approval. Once approved the students must submit a detailed outline which contains the names of all titles of all sections and subsections of the paper down to the second level.  The student may write each paper upon approval of the paper outline.  Topics for the paper may be on the general topic of sustainable development for the first paper and must be specifically on a green building or sustainable construction topic for the second paper.

 

(2) The group project for this course will be assigned by the second week of the course. Generally the project will be a real world project that involves a building that a local agency or company is interested in greening.  The project will rely on the LEED standard for guiding the decisions to be made during the project.  The written submission for the project will comprise written text, sketches, product data, appropriate graphics and other material to support the group’s recommendations to the client.  The submission should be not less than 10 pages of single spaced written text, plus other supporting materials arranged in a logical manner. The written portion should include a title page and a table of contents that is not a part of the page count. Two copies of the written materials will be submitted to the instructor, one for grading and one for the client.

 

(3) Each week at the start of class, the students may be quizzed on the reading materials assigned for that class.  The only materials the student may use in taking the quiz are their personal handwritten notes on the readings.

 

d.  The reading assignments in the Course Modules are keyed to books, papers, or other documents located in the textbooks, the Environmental Building News (EBN) Archives or on the BCN6585 Course CD.  You can access the hyperlinked documents on the internet or the Course CD. However the Course CD approach is much faster and does not depend on having an internet connection available.  By clicking on the hyperlink for the readings in each module, you will launch that particular document or Powerpoint lecture.  They will either appear as a normal HTML document, enabled to be read by Adobe Acrobat if they are a PDF file, or by  MS-Word or Powerpoint depending on their format.  This will happen automatically as you launch each document. 

 

e.  When the assignment is to Read the reference, it is intended that you gain a thorough understanding of the book, paper, or other material.  Scan means to obtain a cursory understanding or familiarity with the subject matter of the assignment.  View means that the student should page through the Powerpoint lecture. For Visiting Internet assignments, you must obviously be connected via a network or dial-up service to the internet.  You are responsible for becoming generally familiar with the issues and current activities of the organizations at these sites. The following are the abbreviations corresponding to the major divisions of references on the CD:

 

BF:  Turning Brownfields into Vital Community Assets (Charles J. Kibert, T. Vetica, and Nicole Kibert)

CE: Construction Ecology: Nature as the Basis for Green Building, C. Kibert, J. Snedzimir, and G. Guy, Eds., London: Spon Press, 2002

GFF: Greening Federal Facilities (Charles Kibert, Doug Hornbeck, and Brad Guy)

CCD: Reference contained on the Course CD

EBN: EBN Archives on CD (Most recent edition)

PP: Power Point Presentation

RBE: Reshaping the Built Environment, Charles J. Kibert, Ed., Washington, DC: Island Press, 1999.

TEXTBOOKS

The BCN6585 course has four required textbooks:

(1) Reshaping the Built Environment, Charles J. Kibert, Ed., Washington, DC: Island Press, 1999.  Available from amazon.com or the publisher.

 

(2) Construction Ecology: Nature as the Basis for Green Building, C. Kibert, J. Sendzimir, and G. Guy, Eds., London: Spon Press, 2002. Available from amazon.com or the publisher:

 

Customer Services
7625 Empire Drive
Florence, KY 41042
USA

Tel: 800 634 7064
Fax: 800 248 4724
Email: cserve@routledge-ny.com

 

(3) EBN Archives, latest edition, Environmental Building News.  Available from the following address. Be sure to mention you are a University of Florida student to get the sharply discounted prices of $40.00

 

Building Green, Inc.

122 Birge Street, Suite 30

Brattleboro, VT 05301

Tel: 802-257-7300

Fax: 802-257-7304

Email: archives@ebn.com

 

(4) The Course CD has all course materials other than the course textbooks and those on the EBN CD.  You should request this from the instructor when starting the course: ckibert@ufl.edu 

 

GRADING SCHEME

Overview: The course requirements comprise 15 Module Assignments and a Course Paper.  The maximum point value of each of these requirements is shown below.

 

Short Paper:                                                   100 points

Long Paper:                                                    200 points

Course Project:                                              200 points

Presentation of Course Project:                       50 points

Quizzes:                                                             50 points (each)

Total Points Achievable                                 550 points + Quiz Points

 

Grading: The final student grade will be a letter grade based on the percentage of the Total Points Achievable.  The grades based on the percentage are as follows:

A: 93% or greater         B+: 88-92%     B: 83-87%       C+: 78-82%     C: 73-77%

D: 68-72%                   F: 67% or less

 

Grading Method:  Grading will be based foremost on the quality of the submissions by the students.  All references must be fully specified at the end of each assignment and keyed into the written text by author, year, and page number(s) if the citation is a book.  Spelling and grammar are also subject to evaluation and will be considered in the grading of the assignments.  Presentations will be graded based on the quality of the student’s oral presentation, the quality of the graphics and written material supporting the presentation, and quality of integration of the team presentation.

 

FORMAT FOR COURSE PAPERS

The format for your Course Task paper is given at this link.  The student is expected to use references in addition to those supplied on the Course CD.  For guidance, at least 50% of the references must be from sources found by the students and no more than 50% of these may be internet references.  The following are some basic directions for citing references in your paper.  Note that citations refer to showing the source of information within the paper itself.  References are the list of sources for citations in the paper and are located at the end of the paper, in alphabetical order.

 

Examples of Citations:

Journal Citation

The industrial output of the United States is expected to be severely hampered by oil shortages at the end of the first decade of the 21st Century (Hamilton 1998).

 

Book Citation

Healthy buildings raise the productivity of the occupants anywhere from 20-35% according to recent surveys (Smitheren and Scott 1997, 361-2)

 

Examples of References:

Journal or periodical

Hamilton, J. A. 1998. Resource impacts on industrial output. Journal of Industrial Ecology. 18: 123-5. (Note the 18:123-5 refers to Volume 18 of the reference and its page numbers, pages 123 through 125.)

 

Book

Smitheren, S. J. and L.A. Scott. 1997. Economics of Indoor Air Quality. London: Potter & Jones.

 

Internet

Austin Green Builder Program, October 15, 1998 Green Building Materials, http:www.austin.tx.gov/gb

 

 

COURSE MODULES

1. Introduction: Sustainability in the Built Environment

Learning Objectives:

(1) Various definitions of Sustainable Development and Sustainable Construction

(2) “Strong” versus “Weak” Sustainability

(3) Sustainable Development relative to the interconnection of ecological, economic, and social conditions.

(4) Sustainable Construction as the implementation of Sustainable Development in the economic sector known as the Built Environment

(5) General current thinking about Sustainable Development and Sustainable Construction

(6) Worldwide efforts in Sustainable Development and Sustainable Construction.

(7) International organizations involved in Sustainable Development and Sustainable Construction

(8) Agenda 21, the Brundtland Commission, the President’s Council on Sustainable Development

(9)  The Green Buildings Concept

 

a. Read:

(1) Principles of Sustainable Construction (Charles J. Kibert) (CCD)

(2) Chapter 1: Introduction (Charles J. Kibert) (RBE)

(3) Chapter 2: Limits and Promises of Sustainability (Charles J. Kibert) (RBE)

(4) EBN’s “Checklist for Environmentally Responsible Design & Construction” (EBN)

(5) Sustainable Construction at the Start of the 21st Century (Charles J. Kibert)

Note: this is a paper in the International Electronic Journal of Construction (IeJC). You need to click on Special Issues, then on the special issue, Future of Sustainable Construction, then on this paper.

(6) Boiling Frogs, Bursting Dykes and the End of the World as We Know It (Chrissna du Plessis)

Note: this is a paper in the International Electronic Journal of Construction (IeJC). You need to click on Special Issues, then on the special issue, Future of Sustainable Construction, then on this paper.

 

 

b. Scan:

Air Force Environmentally Responsible Facilties Guide (CCD)

Sustainable Building Technical Manual (CCD)

Climate Change: Making Sense and Making Money, RMI, 1997 (CCD)

 

c. View: Lecture 1: Introduction (PP)

 

d. Visit Internet Sites:

(1) Center for Construction and Environment, U. of Florida  http://www.cce.ufl.edu

(2) U.S. Green Building Council   http://www.usgbc.org/

(3) Green Building Information Council (Canada)  http://greenbuilding.ca

 

e. Module Assignments:

(1) Summarize the basic concepts behind sustainable development and sustainable construction.

(2) Briefly describe the Air Force Environmentally Responsible Facilities Guide and the Sustainable Building Technical Manual.

(3) Describe what you found at the assigned internet sites. Please do this for all future modules too.

(4) Find the “Checklist for Environmentally Responsible Design & Construction” in the EBN Archives.  Explain how this Checklist implements sustainability for the built environment. 

 

2. Environmental/Resources Issues & Industrial/Construction Metabolism

Learning Objectives:

(1) The global environmental issues motivating Sustainable Development

(2) The impacts of human activities on the environment

(3) The range of resource depletion issues forcing reconsideration of economic assumptions and the industrial system of production

(4) The rate of resource consumption by both industry in general and construction industry in particular.

 

a. Read:

(1) Chapter 3: Ecological Challenge, Human Values of Nature and Sustainability in the Built Environment (Stephen R. Kellert) (RBE)

(2) Introduction (Charles J. Kibert) (CE)

(3) EBN Articles on Sustainable Forestry (EBN)

b. Scan:

Building Greener, Building Better, National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), 2002 (CCD)

 

b. View:

(1) Lecture 2: Environmental Issues (PP)

(2) Lecture 2a: Resource Issues (PP)

 

c. Visit Internet Sites:

The Sierra Club Global Warming site  http://www.sierraclub.org/globalwarming/

 

The World Resources Institute  http://www.wri.org/

 

 

d.  Module Assignment

(1) Describe the key environmental and resource issues motivating sustainable development.

(2) Outline the global strategy that must be implemented to counter global warming.

(3) Using the EBN Archives, describe the concept of sustainable forestry and impacts on construction industry. Be sure to address the differences between the Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC) and American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) sustainable forestry guidelines.  Be sure to cite the title, volume, number, month, and year of the EBN article from which you extracted your response. Note that the EBN Archives has a search capability and an index of all articles to make searches relatively easy. Also please note that in this and future modules, the EBN assignment is 250 words and the remaining requirements comprise the other 250 words.  This is typical for all modules.

 

3. Environmental Ethics and Environmental Justice

Learning Objectives:

(1) The moral and ethical problems posed by current production and consumption

(2) The inherent rights of natural systems to exist

(3) The impacts on society, especially the poor, of the present industrial system

(4) Environmental ethics as an alternative to present behavior relative to nature

 

a. Read:

(1) Cultural and Legal Strategies for Combating Environmental Injustice, Nicole Kibert, 2002 (CCD)

(2) Chapter 4: Environmental Ethics (Susan van Gelder) (RBE)

(3) Chapter 1 Defining and Ecology of Construction (Charles J. Kibert) (CE)

(4) EBN articles on PVC issues and PVC products (EBN)

 

b. View:  Lecture3: Ethics (PP)

 

c. Visit Internet Sites:
WFEO Code of Environmental Ethics for Engineers

http://www.hk.super.net/~hkie_env/coe.htm

 

d. Module Assignment

(1)  Outline the key ethical issues that sustainable development addresses and the essential features of environmental ethics.

(2)  Define environmental justice, what it is in practicality, and its major issues.

(3)  Using the EBN archives, describe the environmental issues with PVC and the advantages and disadvantages of PVC based building products.

(4) Remember to visit the internet sites and report what you found.

 

4. Ecological/Environmental Economics and Life Cycle Costing (LCC)

Learning Objectives:

(1) The assumptions of present economic thinking that does not take the environment into account

(2) The evolving field of Ecological Economics

(3) Alternatives to GNP and GDP as measures of economic performance

(4) Full Cost Accounting which factors in impacts on natural systems

(5) The application of Life Cycle Costing to Built Environment decisionmaking

 

a. Read:

(1) Chapter 5: Uneconomic Growth and the Built Environment: In Theory and In Fact (Herman E. Daly) (RBE)

(2) Ecological Footprints of Nations (Mathis Wackernagel) (CCD)

(3) If the GDP is Up, Why is America Down? (Clifford Cobb, Ted Halstead, and Jonathan Rowe) (CCD)

(4) Investing in Green Building Alternatives: What U.S. Consumers Have to Say (Kevin Grosskopf)

Note: this is a paper in the International Electronic Journal of Construction (IeJC). You need to click on Special Issues, the on the special issue, Future of Sustainable Construction, then on this paper.

(5) EBN articles on straw bale construction (EBN)

 

b. Scan:

(1) RMI’s Economic Renewal Program: An Introduction (CCD)

(2) Sustainable Development: Prosperity without Growth (CCD)

 

b. View:

Lecture 4: Economics (PP)

 

c. Module Assignment

(1) Explain the role of ecological economics with respect to sustainable construction.

(2) Using the EBN archives, provide an overview of straw bale construction and how it fits into the concept of sustainable construction.

 

5. Ecolabeling, Building Assessment, and Technology

Learning Objectives:

(1) The effects of technology on achieving sustainability

(2) The debate between “substitutability” and “non-substitutablity”

(3) Ecolabeling of products as a solution to assuring attention to environmental impacts in production

(4) Building Assessment as a method of labeling buildings for their environmental impacts.

(5) The U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Standard

 

a. Read:

 (1) Chapter 15: Environmentally Superior Buildings from Birth to Death (Thomas E. Graedel) (RBE)

(2) Chapter 16: Environmental Performance of Buildings: Setting Goals, Offering Guidance, and Measuring Progress (Raymond Cole) (RBE)

(3) Building Environmental Assessment Methods: A Measure of Success (Raymond Cole)

Note: this is a paper in the International Electronic Journal of Construction (IeJC). You need to click on Special Issues, then on the special issue, Future of Sustainable Construction, then on this paper.

(4) EBN articles on alternative flooring materials (EBN)

 

b. Scan: LEED Standard v 2.1

 

c. View:

(1) Lecture 5: Technology Trajectories (PP)

(2) Lecture 5a:  Environmental Labeling (PP)

(3) Lecture 5b: LEED Standard (PP)

 

c. Visit Internet Sites:

German Blue Angel Ecolabel website

 

LEED Rating System (U.S. Green Building Council) http://www.usgbc.org/programs/index.htm

 

d.  Module Assignment

(1) Explain the concepts of ecolableling and building assessment and how they are related.

(2) Describe the purpose of the LEED Standard and its general content.

(3) Explain the relationship of technology to sustainability.

(4) Using the EBN archives, describe the general types of flooring materials made of renewable resources (bamboo, linoleum, wood).

 

6. Sustainability Frameworks

Learning Objectives:

(1)  Proposed approaches or frameworks for achieving sustainability

(2)  Concepts of measuring progress based on environmental issues (EcoMetrics) and the efficient use of natural systems functions (EcoEfficiency)

 

a. Read:

(1) Part I: The Ecologists (Jan Sendzimir) (CE)

(2) EBN articles on carpet and carpet tiles (EBN)

 

b. View:

Lecture 6a: Ecometrics (PP)

Lecture 6a: Green Building Initiatives (PP)

 

c. Module Assignment (500 words total)

(1) Describe the frameworks for sustainability mentioned in the lecture materials.

(2) Discuss how green building initiatives can or do use these frameworks

(3) Using the EBN Archives, describe the state of carpet and carpet tiles with respect to recyclability and indoor air quality.

 

7. Sustainable Communities and Sustainability Indicators

Learning Objectives:

(1) The role of sustainable communities in achieving sustainable development

(2) Case studies of specific sustainable communities

(3)  Local Agenda 21 and the Healthy Communities Initiative

(4)  Measuring progress through sustainability indicators

(5) Types of indicators and their creation

 

a. Read:

(1) Developing Indicators of Sustainability: U.S. Experience (Brad Guy and Charles J. Kibert) (CCD)

(2) Local Government Dialogue Paper 2001 (ICLEI)

(3) EBN articles on Smart Growth (EBN)

 

b. Scan:

The City of Santa Monica Sustainable City Report 1999

 

c. Visit Internet Sites:

Sustainable Communities Network  http://www.sustainable.org

Center of Excellence for  Sustainable Development  http://www.sustainable.doe.gov/

The International Council for Local Environmental Issues  http://www.iclei.org/

 

City of Santa Monica Sustainability Site http://www.ci.santa-monica.ca.us/environment/policy

 

d. Module Assignment

(1) Explain the concept of a sustainable community and the role of Local Agenda 21 in helping create a sustainable community.

(2) Explain what an ‘indicator’ is and its role in sustainable community development.

(3) Summarize Santa Monica’s Sustainable Community efforts and where this program is today.

(4) Using the EBN Archives, describe recent thinking on Smart Growth. Feel free to use the internet and other sources for this assignment.

 

8. Energy Systems, Exergy, Entropy, Energy Conservation, and Renewable Energy

Learning Objectives:

(1) Problems associated with energy use worldwide and in the U.S.

(2) Quantities of energy being used and forecasts for the future

(3)  Role of energy conservation in reducing energy demand

(4)  Potential for renewable energy systems to meet energy needs

(5) Concepts of Exergy and Entropy

(6) Design concepts for energy efficient buildings

 

a. Read:

(1) Introduction to Renewable Energy Technologies (Stephen J. Strong) (RBE)

(2) EBN articles on treated lumber (EBN)

 

b. Scan:

Sections 2, 2.1, 3, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 3.6, 3.7, 3.8, and 3.10 of Greening Federal Facilities (GFF)

 

c. Visit Internet Sites:

Lighting Excellence: Lawrence Berkley National Lab  http://eande.lbl.gov/CBS/LightingExcellence.html

International Project for Sustainable Energy Paths  http://www.ipsep.org/

CREST Guide to Sustainable Energy Resources  http://solstice.crest.org/online/aeguide/index.html

International Solar Energy Society  http://www.ises.org/

Solar Energy International  http://www.solarenergy.org/

The Sustainable Buildings Industry Council http://www.sbicouncil.org/home/index.html

 

d. View:

Lecture 8 Energy Issues

 

e. Module Assignment

(1) Using the course materials, the internet, and other information, describe the basic energy strategy that should be used to produce sustainable school buildings. Be sure to include health as an important issue.

(2) Using the EBN Archives, describe the issues with treated lumber and the alternatives that could be used in place of this building material.

 

9. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Embodied Energy, Emergy, and Materials Issues

Learning Objectives:

(1) Concept of Life Cycle Assessment

(2)  Embodied Energy and Emergy

(3)  Green Building Materials

(4)  Assessing building materials for their environmental impacts

 

a. Read:

(1) Environmental Issues of Composite Building Materials (Charles J. Kibert and Abdol Chini) (CCD)

(2) Progress in Developing Green Building Materials (Charles J. Kibert and Gisela Bosch) (CCD)

(3) Materialization and Dematerialization: Measures and Trends (Iddo Wernick et al.) (CCD)

(4) Sustainable Building Materials (CCD)

(5) Chapter 7 Environmentally Responsible Building Materials Selection (Nadav Malin) (RBE)

(6) EBN articles on insulation (EBN)

 

b. Scan:

Sections 5, 5.1, 5.1.1, and 5.1.2 of Greening Federal Facilities (GFF)

 

c. View:

(1) Lecture 9: Materials (PP)

(2) Lecture 9a: Life Cycle Assessment & Life Cycle Costing (PP)

 

d. Module Assignment

(1) Describe how materials can be considered sustainable or non-sustainable and give examples in construction.

(2) Using the EBN Archives, explain the state of the art of insulation or insulating materials with respect to green building.

 

10.  Water Resources, Wastewater, and Stormwater

Learning Objectives:

(1) Water resource issues worldwide and in the U.S.

(2)  Strategies for water conservation, reuse, and recycling

(3)  Alternative wastewater handling strategies

(4)  Alternative stormwater handling strategies

 

a. Read:

(1) Sustainable Water Use (Kevin Grosskopf) (CCD)

(2) Differentiating management resource of water and waste in urban areas (Ralf Otterpohl, Andrea Albold, Martin Oldenburg) (CCD)

(3) Chapter 8 Ecological Design, Living Machines and the Purification of Waters (John Todd) (RBE)

(4) EBN articles on low flow fixtures, composting toilets, and stormwater (EBN)

 

 

b. Scan:

Sections 4, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, 4.5, 4.6, and 4.7 of Greening Federal Facilities (GFF)

The Texas Rainwater Harvesting Handbook

 

c. Module Assignment

(1) Provide an overview of water issues connected to sustainable buildings

(2) Using the EBN Archives, describe the state of the art of low flow fixtures, composting toilets, and stormwater

 

11.  Urban Planning, Land Development, New Urbanism, Conservation Design, and Landscaping

a. Read:

(1) Abacoa: A Model for Sustainable Land Development (Charles J. Kibert and Brad Guy) (CCD)

(2) Sections 6.2 and 6.3 of Greening Federal Facilities (GFF)

(3) Chapter 9 Landscape: Source of Life or Liablity (John Tillman Lyle) (RBE)

(4) Chapter 14 Creating Greener Communities through Conservation Subdivision Design (Randall Arendt) (RBE)

(5) Chapter 17 The Chicago Brownfields Initiative (William C. Trumbull) (RBE)

(6) Chapter 13  Bioregionalism and Biourbanism Approach (Daniel Williams) (RBE)

(7) EBN articles on large scale integration of nature and cities (EBN)

 

b. Scan:

(1) Turning Brownfields into Vital Community Assets (C. Kibert, T. Vetica, and N. Kibert) (BF)

(2) USEPA Natural Landscaping Manual (CCD)

 

c. Module Assignment

(1) Explain the word ‘brownfield’ and how the city of Chicago is coping with this problem.

(2) Describe the concept of Conservation Subdivision Design.

(3) Describe the notion of ‘bioregionalism’ as described by Dan Williams in RBE.

(4) Explain the thrust of the USEPA Natural Landscaping Manual.

(5) Using the EBN Archives and the internet, describe some of the latest thinking on large scale integration of cities and the landscape.

 

12.  Design for the Environment, Ecological Principles, Passive Design, and Climatic Design

Learning Objectives:

(1)  Design and architecture issues relative to sustainability

(2)  Natural systems as the model for sustainable design

(3)  Passive versus active systems

(4) Emerging concepts: Ecological Design, Climatic Design, Design for the Environment (DFE)

 

a. Read:

(1) A Roadmap to Sustainable Building Design (Charles J. Kibert and Pekka Huovila) (CCD)

(2) Chapter 11: Building Values (Gail Lindsey) (RBE)

(3) Chapter 12: Architecture as Pedagogy (David Orr) (RBE)

(4) Part 3: The Architects (Brad Guy) (CE)

(5) EBN articles on technologies that support sustainable design (EBN)

 

b. View Internet Sites:

Sustainable Architecture, Building and Culture  http://www.west.net/~prince/index.htm

Solar Design Associates  http://www.ultranet.com/~sda/SustainableArchitecture.html

 

c. Module Assignment

(1) Describe how design, in the sense of architecture and engineering as applied to the built environment, is changing in the era of sustainable construction and green building.

(2) Using the EBN Archives, describe some technologies that are emerging to support ecological design.

 

13.  Construction Operations, Advanced Construction Waste Management, and Deconstruction

Learning Objectives:

(1) The impacts of construction operations on the environment

(2)  The extent of construction and demolition (C&D) waste

(3)  Reduction, reuse, and recycling of C&D waste

(4)  Deconstruction of buildings: technical, environmental, and economic potential

 

a. Read:

(1) Chapter 10 Construction and Demolition Waste: Innovative Assessment and Management (Peter Yost) (RBE)

(2) Section 5.3 of Greening Federal Facilities (GFF)

(3) Financial Consequences of Construction Waste (Bosslink) (CCD)

(4) Deconstruction: Giving Old Buildings New Life, (Sherman) (CCD)

(5) EBN articles on construction and demolition waste (EBN)

 

b.  View:  Lecture 13: Construction & Demolition Waste (PP)

 

c. Visit Internet Sites:

Construction Waste Management  http://www.oikos.com/library/waste/

On-Site Minimizing Construction Waste RMIT – Australia

http://onsite.rmit.edu.au/

Construction Waste Sourcebook  http://www.greenbuilder.com/sourcebook/ConstructionWaste.html

 

d. Module Assignment

(1) Describe the construction and demolition waste problem in the U.S.

(2) Explain the concept of a construction waste management plan and how you would implement one in a construction company.

(3) Using the EBN Archives, describe how construction waste can be reduced.

 

14.  Building Health, Building Commissioning and Facility Management

Learning Objectives:

(1) Building Health Issues and Causes

(2) Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) Issues

(3) Role of Building Commissioning in Sustainable Construction

(4) Facilities Management Opportunities and Building Maintenance Issues

 

a. Read:

(1) Sections 1.1, 1.2, 7.1, 7.2, 7.3, 8.1, 8.2, and 8.3 of Greening Federal Facilities (GFF)

(2) Chapters 13, 15, 21, and 22 of the Sustainable Building Technical Manual (CCD)

(3) Sick Building Syndome- IAQ Insider (Robert L. Scarry) (CCD)

(4) EBN articles on Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) (EBN)

 

b.  Visit Internet Sites:

The Green Building Guide http://www.greenguide.com/

 

Sustainable Building Sources (Austin, TX)  http://www.greenbuilder.com/general/BuildingSources.html

 

c.  Module Assignment

(1) Describe the problems of indoor environmental quality in buildings and how green buildings are attempting to create high quality, healthy indoor environments.

(2) Explain the concept of ‘building commissioning’ and how it is applied in green building.  Be sure to review the LEED Standard v 2.0 to determine how building commissioning is applied in current U.S. Green Buildings.

(3) Using the EBN Archives, describe how a range of new products are being created to help in the process of creating healthy indoor environments.

 

15.  Industrial Ecology and Construction Ecology

Learning Objectives:

(1)  Definitions and objectives of Industrial Ecology and Construction Ecology

(2)  Pollution Prevention and Clean Technology

(3)  Natural systems as models for industrial systems

(4)  Case Studies of Industrial Ecology

 

a. Read:

(1) Chapter 18: Sustainable New Towns and Industrial Ecology (Ernie Lowe) (RBE)

(2) Products of a Sustainable Future (Matthew Simon and Andrew Sweatman) (CCD)

(3) Supporting Pillars For Industrial Ecology (Ray Cote) (CCD)

(4) EBN articles on paint and other liquid finishes (EBN)

 

b. View:

Lecture 15: Industrial and Construction Metabolism (PP)

 

c.  Visit Internet Sites:
 Program for the Human Environment, Rockefeller University http://phe.rockefeller.edu

 

Indigo Development (Ernest Lowe)http://www.indigodev.com/

 

d. Module Assignment

(1) Explain the concept of industrial ecology and how it is connected to sustainable construction.

(2) Describe how Ernie Lowe (Chapter 18 of RBE) applied industrial ecology to new towns in South Africa.

(3) Using the EBN Archives, describe the types of paint and other liquid finishes that have been developed to respond to the demands of the green building movement.


INDEX OF REFERENCES

 

The following is a partial list of some of the documents you will find on the Course CD.  These are for your use in your Course Paper, for use in your work, and also provide a historical background on the green building movement of the past decade.

 

Air Force Environmentally Responsible Facilities Guide, 1998

 

Deconstruction: Giving Old Buildings New Life, Rhonda Sherman, in Water Quality & Waste Management, North Carolina Extension Service, 1998

 

Ecotools Manual - A Comprehensive Review of Design for Environment tools, Nils de Caluwe, Manchester Metropolitan University, 1997

 

International Examples of Sustainable Product Development, Hans Hegman, UNEP-WG-SPD, 1997

 

Proposal for an Educational Model for Sustainable Product Development, Robin Roy, UNEP-WG-SPD, 1997

 

Recycling and Reuse of Building Materials, Kurt Rathman, University of Idaho, National Pollution Prevention Center for Higher Education, 1997.

 

Report of the President’s Council on Sustainable Development, 1996

 

Sustainable Building Materials (Draft), Jong-Jin Kim, University of Michigan, 1998

 

Sustainable Building Technical Manual, Public Technology, Inc., 1996

 

Sustainable Use of Renewable Resources for Materials Purposes, Onno-Sven Tromp, UNEP-WG-SPD, 1997