CONTENT
·
General Directions
·
Textbooks
·
Grading Scheme
·
Course Modules
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. A Module corresponds to a week’s worth of classes in a conventional university setting. 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 a course paper, a group project, a research proposal, presentations, and quizzes:
(1) The course paper is a 2,000 word paper that must be your original work and must not have been submitted to other courses in any other educational institution. Prior to producing the course paper the student must submit in hard copy a 200-300 word abstract for the instructor’s approval. Topics for the paper may be on the general topic of sustainable development or on a green building or sustainable construction topic. The course paper is due to the instructor by 31 October 2005.
(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 may 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 15 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. Groups will make a 15 minute presentation of their work.
(3) A research proposal will be created by each student for submission to the USEPA in a format provided by the instructor. Details will be provided to the class by mid-semester.
(4) 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, or the Environmental Building News (EBN) Archives. 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 in the Module descriptions below.
GFF: Greening Federal Facilities
(Charles Kibert, Doug Hornbeck, and Brad Guy)
PP: Power Point Presentation
RBE: Reshaping the Built
Environment, Charles J. Kibert, Ed.,
SC: Sustainable Construction:
f. CLASS ATTENDANCE: Class
attendance is mandatory and any excused absence will result in a 10
point deduction per missed class period.
A missed Monday class will result in a total of 30 points being
deducted.
g. HONOR POLICY: The
h. LATE
ASSIGNMENTS: You are required to deliver each Phase of the Semester Report
to the instructor by the start of class on the day the assignment is due. A 40% deduction will be imposed for
assignments up to 24 hours late.
Assignments more than 24 hours late will receive no credit.
TEXTBOOKS & ACCESS TO BUILDING GREEN
SUITE
The BCN6585 course requires two textbooks plus access to a suite of green building information:
(1)
Sustainable Construction:
(2)
Reshaping the Built Enviornment.
Charles J. Kibert, Ed.,
(3)
EBN Archives, Environmental Building News, published by BuildingGreen,
Inc.. Available online and accessible in
several ways:
(a)
If you have a Gatorlink account and are logged in on campus, simply go to the
Building Green website http://www.buildinggreen.com and you will be automatically connected to
Environmental Building News.
(b)
If you have a Gatorlink account and are off-campus, log in using the VPN dialer
and then go to the Building Green website.
(c)
If you are off-campus and have a Gatorlink account, you can log directly into
the UF library system at http://www.uflib.ufl.edu at the Remote Login label in the upper right
corner. You can then find Environmental
Building News by going to Databases and the doing a quick search under Building
Green. You will find it listed under
“Building Green suite”. If you click on
Connect, you will be brought to the on-line Building Green site containing the
EBN archives.
Alternatively,
if none of these work, the Environmental Building News archives is available from
the following address. Be sure to mention you are a
Building Green, Inc.
Tel:
802-257-7300
F:
802-257-7304
Email:
archives@ebn.com
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.
Course Paper:
200 points
Course Project: 200 points
Research Proposal:
100 points
Presentation of Course
Project: 50 points
Quizzes: 20 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 PAPER
For
the course paper, follow the American Psychological Association (APA
format). Details of the format can be
found at http://www.vanguard.edu/faculty/ddegelman/index.aspx?doc_id=796 and other websites that describe the APA
format for papers. The student is
expected to use a minimum of 10 authoritative references. Provide an abstract for the instructor’s
approval prior to proceeding to write the paper.
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)
Chapter 1: Introduction and Overview (SC)
(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)
b. Scan:
Air
Force Environmentally Responsible Facilities Guide
Sustainable Building Technical
Manual
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
Assignment:
(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) Part One:
(2) Chapter Two: Background
(SC)
(3) EBN Articles on
Sustainable Forestry (EBN)
b. Scan:
(1) Building
Greener, Building Better, National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), 2002
(2) BDCMag
White Paper on Sustainability 2003
b. View:
(1) Lecture
2: Environmental Issues (PP)
(2) Lecture
2a: Resource Issues (PP)
c. Visit Internet Sites:
(1)
The Sierra Club Global
Warming site http://www.sierraclub.org/globalwarming/
(2)
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
(2)
Chapter 4: Environmental Ethics (Susan van Gelder) (RBE)
(3)
An
Extended Ethics, Charles Kibert, 2005
(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
and sustainability 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 be ready to discuss what you viewed.
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)
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.
(3)
EBN articles on straw bale construction and overcoming building code approval
obstacles(EBN)
b. Scan:
RMI’s Economic Renewal Program: An
Introduction
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. Building
Assessment and Ecolabels
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 and the Green Globes Standard
a. Read:
(1)
Chapter 3:
(2)
Chapter 4: The
(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
5a: Environmental Labeling (PP)
(2) Lecture
5b: LEED Standard (PP)
d. Visit Internet Sites:
LEED Rating System (U.S. Green
Building Council)
Green Globes on-line auditing tool
e. Module Assignment
(1) Explain the concepts of ecolabeling 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) EBN articles on carpet and carpet tiles
(EBN)
b. View:
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)
(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:
(1)
Sustainable Communities Network
http://www.sustainable.org
(2) Center of Excellence for
Sustainable Development http://www.sustainable.doe.gov/
(3) The International Council for Local
Environmental Issues http://www.iclei.org/
(4) 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
(4)
Using the EBN Archives and internet sources, describe recent thinking on Smart
Growth..
8. Energy
Systems, Exergy, Entropy, Energy Conservation, and Renewable Energy
Learning Objectives:
(1) Problems associated
with energy use worldwide and in the
(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) Part Two:
(2) Chapter 7: Energy
and Atmosphere (SC)
(3) Introduction to
Renewable Energy Technologies (Stephen J. Strong) (RBE)
(4) 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
c. Visit Internet Sites:
Lighting Excellence:
Lawrence Berkley National
Lab http://eande.lbl.gov/CBS/LightingExcellence.html
The Renewable Energy
Policy Project
International Solar Energy Society
http://www.ises.org/
Solar Energy International
http://www.solarenergy.org/
The Sustainable Buildings Industry Council
d. View:
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)
(4) Assessing building materials for their
environmental impacts
a. Read:
(1)
Chapter 9: Closing Materials Loops (SC)
(2)
Chapter 7 Environmentally Responsible Building Materials Selection (Nadav
Malin) (RBE)
(3)
EBN articles on insulation (EBN)
b. Scan:
Sections
5, 5.1, 5.1.1, and 5.1.2 of Greening Federal Facilities
c. View:
(2)
Lecture 9a: Life Cycle Assessment & Life Cycle Costing
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
(2) Strategies for water conservation, reuse, and
recycling
(3) Alternative wastewater handling strategies
(4) Alternative stormwater handling strategies
a. Read
(1) Chapter 8, Building
Hydrologic Systems (SC)
(2)
Sustainable
Water Use (Kevin Grosskopf)
(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
The
Texas Rainwater Harvesting Handbook
c. View
Lecture
10 Water Resources (PP)
d. 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 management
11. Urban Planning, Land Development, New
Urbanism, and Landscaping
a. Read:
(1)
Chapter 6 Sustainable Sites and Landscaping (SC)
(2)
Chapter 9 Landscape: Source of Life or Liablity (John Tillman Lyle) (RBE)
(3)
Chapter 17 The
(4)
Chapter 13 Bioregionalism and
Biourbanism Approach (Daniel Williams) (RBE)
(5)
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)
(2)
USEPA
Natural Landscaping Manual
c. View
Lecture
11 Planning (PP)
d. Module Assignment
(1)
Explain the word ‘brownfield’ and how the city of
(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)
(2)
Chapter 5: Ecological Design (SC)
(3)
Chapter 12: Architecture as Pedagogy (David Orr) (RBE)
(4)
EBN articles on technologies that support sustainable design (EBN)
b. View Internet Sites:
(1)
Sustainable Architecture, Building and
Culture
c. View
Lecture
12 Design (PP)
d. 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)
Part Three:
(2)
Chapter 11 Construction Operations (SC)
(3)
Financial
Consequences of Construction Waste (Bosslink)
(4)
Deconstruction:
Giving Old Buildings New Life, (
(5)
EBN articles on construction and demolition waste (EBN)
b. View: Lecture
13: Construction & Demolition Waste (PP)
c. Visit Internet Sites:
(1) Construction Waste
Management
(2) On-Site Minimizing Construction Waste
RMIT – Australia
d. Module Assignment
(1)
Describe the construction and demolition waste problem in the
(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
(2)
Chapter 10 Indoor Environmental Quality (SC)
(3) Sick Building Syndome- IAQ Insider (Robert L. Scarry)
(4)
EBN articles on Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) (EBN)
b. Visit Internet Sites:
(1)
The Green Building Guide http://www.greenguide.com/
(2) 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 2.1 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)
Chapter 14 Future Directions (SC)
(3)
Supporting
Pillars For Industrial Ecology (Ray Cote)
(4)
EBN articles on paint and other liquid finishes (EBN)
b. View:
Lecture
15: Industrial and Construction Metabolism (PP)
c. Visit Internet Sites:
(1) Program for the Human Environment,
Rockefeller University
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.