Greensburg - American Planning Association

SUSTAINABLE DESIGN AND
Construction
In order for Greensburg to meet its
goals for being a model community,
buildings designed and built in the area
shall fall within the guidelines of a
sustainable master plan, fostering a
walkable mixed-use community. They
should also be efficient, “right-sized”
lasting structures. Each project’s design
and building teams must be willing to
analyze the City’s design guidelines.
They should also have experience with
sustainable site and building design or
be willing to collaborate with a
sustainable design consultant. Requests
for Proposals (RFPs) for architects,
engineers and contractors shall
incorporate language requiring
sustainable design and construction
experience.
Building projects in Greensburg shall
strive to be healthy, efficient, safe and
beautiful structures. The overall design
of buildings shall be sensitive to the
impacts of the climate on their interior
environments. All materials considered
shall be judged on their durability,
source location, content (from toxicity
to recyclability) and maintenance
requirements. Most importantly, each
building, its systems, materials,
structure and architectural style shall
be designed and built to last 100 years
or more.
(Top) Some homes in Greensburg are choosing to use SIP panels to better insulate their homes. (Bottom)
Some common durable building materials include brick, limestone and wood, when used appropriately and
with quality detailing and design. Concrete and steel are other durable materials often incorporated into
building projects.
SUSTAINABLE Materials
Sustainable materials reduce the
negative impacts of their manufacturing
and transport on the environment and
the economy. If lumber forested in
virgin forests is compared to lumber
forested from managed forests, the
lumber from the managed forest would
be considered more sustainable.
However, locally harvested lumber
would be considered more sustainable
than lumber harvested outside the
region. So sustainable materials can
gain their designation based on the raw
material used, the method of
manufacturing and packaging, or from
the location it is manufactured.
The use of sustainable materials is just
as applicable for the parks and open
spaces of Greensburg as it is for any
other built project in the town. Any time
materials are used in a park, from the
trees planted to the mowers that cut
the grass, a decision is made about
which product, out of the many options,
is the most responsible. It should be a
priority of the Parks Department to
study a variety of options when making
choices about materials to ensure truly
sustainable products are used
whenever possible.
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Greensburg Sustainable Comprehensive Plan
CITY OF GREENSBURG, KANSAS + BNIM