#2 Construction & Materials

Increasing the G-Factor of New buildings

Additional energy saving opportunities are available for owners constructing new buildings.  By incorporating a green perspective in Construction Design and Material Selection, you can achieve further improvements in efficiency and sustainability.

Getting Started: The Basics

Each opportunity included in our Energy Saving section can be integrated into new buildings – Almost all offer an even faster payback period in new construction compared to changes made to existing buildings.

New construction provides additional opportunities that are not available for existing buildings – By including energy efficiency as a consideration in the site selection, building design and material selection, owners of new buildings can achieve further energy savings.

Third-party agencies provide resources that can help guide you through the process – Several independent agencies provide guidelines for incorporating and certifying green building elements. EnergyStar and the US Green Building Council are two of the best known programs and each offers a range of educational materials and documents.

Construction Design

Site Selection – Locate your new building in an urban area that is central to community attractions and workplaces. This minimizes each tenant’s daily commute, which can reduce car emissions and oil consumption. It also ensures that green-field areas at the city’s edges are left in a more natural state.  In addition, consider re-using existing buildings which often contain high quality materials that can be used for a new construction thereby conserving resources.  As a corollary, considering utilizing existing landscaping and trees when constructing your building, furthermore, whatever landscaping design you choose, make sure you design a water efficient landscaping plan.

Community Design – Take a holistic view of community design that incorporates not only cost and functionality but also energy efficiency and overall environmental friendliness.  Key considerations should include available sunlight, prevailing winds and any existing vegetation. Taking advantage of available sunlight to raise interior temperatures during the winter can minimize heating bills, for example.

Material Selection

Foundation – There are three easy ways to build a ‘greener’ foundation.  First, specify recycled aggregate for any fill prior to laying the foundation. Second, choose concrete mixes that are high in fly ash, a recycled byproduct of coal power plants that increases the concrete’s durability.  Finally, insulate your foundation with extruded polystyrene insulation of at least R-4 (1” or greater) to minimize any heat loss that may occur.

Structural Frame & Building Envelope – Design the frame and envelope to minimize use of wood and other construction materials.  Advances in building technology allow for much more efficient use of wood structural elements in particular.  Whenever possible, use engineered wood ( wood from small-diameter and fast growing plantation trees) and wood products that are certified by the Forest Stewardship Council which ensures that the trees from which the wood is sourced is managed in an environmentally and socially responsible manner.  Also consider using recycling material for certain structural points wherever possible.  For example, use steel studs (usually made from 95% recycled steel) for interior walls and use recycled lumber for non-structurally significant elements.

Roofing – Opt for more durable roofing materials and materials that provide more insulation.  This reduces the frequency with which the roof must be replaced and minimizes reliance on air conditioning during the summer months.  In addition, consider pre-installing wires from the roof to the electric service entrance/circuit breaker panel for future installation of solar panels…this pre-installation may be able to save you a lot of money down the road.  Finally, install a radiant barrier, a roof sheathing material with a reflective layer (film or foil), reflects or blocks radiant heat and does not emit it to the cooler surfaces around it.

Insulation – Make sure that your exterior walls and ceilings are properly insulated thus reducing the demand for air conditioning and heating providing a more comfortable living environment.  Select insulation with an R-value that exceeds the minimum standard in your area.  Structural insulated panels are slightly more expensive than fiberglass insulation, but if you improve the building envelope, you can heating and air conditioning costs.  If you do opt for fiberglass insulation, make sure that it is made from recycled materials and does not contain formaldehyde or other volatile compounds which can contribute to poor indoor air quality.  You may even want to consider cellulose insulation which is a highly effective insulation made out of recycled newspaper that is fire-resistant and contains no formaldehyde.  Cellulose insulation can really help make your building more quiet, comfortable and less energy intensive.

Landscaping – Utilize native plants that are well adapted to the local climate, more drought resistant and do not require extensive use of fertilizer or herbicides to thrive.  Take advantage of any existing plant-life and incorporate it into the site design which helps conserve water as those plants are already thriving.  Also, chose drip-irrigation systems that minimize water run-off and minimize your use of herbicides and pesticides whenever possible.

a. Construction & Materials – For New Buildings

i. In addition to the energy efficiency opportunities listed in section one, additional opportunities are available for owners constructing new buildings. We lay out the key opportunities below.

1. Each of the energy saving opportunities discussed above can also be integrated into new buildings, but with an even faster payback period.

2. New construction also provides additional opportunities that are not available to owners of existing buildings. By including energy efficiency as a consideration in the site selection, building design and material selection, owners of new buildings can achieve further energy savings.

3. Several independent agencies provide guidelines for incorporating and certifying green building elements. EnergyStar and the US Green Building Council are two of the best known green building certification programs. Each offers a range of educational materials and documents.

ii. Construction Design

1. Site Selection: Locate your new building in an urban area that is central to community attractions and workplaces. This minimizes each tenant’s daily commute, which can reduce car emissions and oil consumption. It also ensures that green-field areas at the city’s edges are left in a more natural state.

2. Community design: Take a holistic view of community design that incorporates not only cost and functionality but also energy efficiency and overall environmental friendliness. Key considerations should include available sunlight, prevailing winds and any existing vegetation. Taking advantage of available sunlight to raise interior temperatures during the winter can minimize heating bills, for example.

iii. Materials

1. Foundation: There are two easy ways to have a ‘greener’ foundation. First, specify recycled aggregate for any fill or backfill prior to laying the foundation. Second, chose concrete mixes that are high in fly ash, a recycled byproduct of coal power plants that increases the concrete’s durability.

2. Structural Frame & Building Envelope: Design the frame and envelope to minimize use of wood and other construction materials. Advances in building technology allow for much more efficient use of wood structural elements in particular. Whenever possible, use engineered wood and wood products that are certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.

3. Roofing: Opt for more durable roofing materials and materials that provide more insulation. This reduces the frequency with which the roof must be replaced and minimizes reliance on air conditioning during the summer months.

4. Insulation: Select insulation with an R-value that exceeds the minimum recommendation in your area. Structural insulated panels are slightly more expensive than standard fiberglass insulation, but improve the building envelope.

5. Landscaping: Utilize native plants that are well adapted to the local climate and more drought resistant. Take advantage of any mature plant-life and incorporate it into the site design. Chose drip-irrigation systems that minimize water run-off. Minimize your use of herbicides and pesticides whenever possible.