from the ground up - The Tyee

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Since the 1970s, many green technology promotersinstalled expensive solar photovoltaic arrays orgeothermal heat pumps on existing buildings as a wayof demonstrating their products. In so doing, theycreated facilities that generate carbon-free power,then squander that energy in drafty and poorly insulatedbuildings. Such kluge-like constructions are theantithesis of green design, but it’s understandable thatpassersby could confuse them for green buildings.Likewise, the prototypical Vancouver condo building-- towers of (poorly insulated) glass separated by(heat radiating) concrete balconies -- provides about atenth of the insulation value that a wood-frame homedoes. Yet, through the addition of a few energy efficientappliances, unscrupulous (or merely ignorant)marketers have succeeded in labeling condo towers as“green” buildings.The truth is that mainstream green building certificationsystems such as LEED, Built Green Canada, andGreen Globes all reward strategies that lower energydemand, while next-generation standards such as Passivhausand Living Buildings are whittling buildingenergy use very close to zero.Research has confirmed that certified green buildingssave energy and money. A study by the New BuildingsInstitute found energy use in green buildings tobe 24 per cent lower than in conventional buildings.And a survey by the US General Services Administrationfound that the first dozen LEED buildings inits portfolio consumed 26 per cent less energy andproduced 33 per cent lower carbon dioxide emissionsthan comparable government-owned buildings.Myth #4: Green buildings are less comfortable.This idea may be rooted in a Victorian perception of“comfort,” which cherishes plush drapes and thickcarpets and lavish wallcoverings.The Victorian approach to interior decorating madegood sense in an era when homes were exceedinglydrafty and everything was made from natural materials.But buildings changed. By the 1970s, curtain wallshad led to office buildings with controlled ventilation.And by the 1990s, better quality windows and doorshad made many homes relatively air-tight.So did furnishings. By the late 20th century, the useof toxic chemicals had become commonplace in themanufacture of paint, carpet and furniture. Many ofthose chemicals, such as formaldehyde and vinyl,continue off-gassing for years. For a time, consumerswere persuaded that the resulting “new car smell”was a benefit. But as buildings became tighter, peoplestarted to get sick.Studies by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agencyfound that, on average, Americans spend 90 per centof their time indoors, where they are exposed to concentrationsof chemical pollutants that are 100 timesgreater than outdoors.Green design aims to improve indoor air quality byeliminating toxic building materials. Many first-generationgreen buildings eliminated carpet and drapesaltogether. These were replaced with nontoxic -- buthard -- surfaces such as wood or concrete. Somepeople found the hard surfaces within these firstgenerationgreen structures to be cold, uninviting andacoustically annoying.In the past decade, the supply of non-toxic finishingsand furnishings has caught up with the demands ofair-tight green buildings. Nontoxic paints and carpetsare now commonplace. And the choice of interiorfinishings is once again a matter of taste rather thantoxicity.Myth #5: Green building is a fad.As was the case with the previous myths, past is prologue.Alternative building exploded in the 1970s. Backyardinventors pioneered ideas about solar design and naturalmaterial selection that have evolved into today’sgreen building standards. But an awful lot of thosedo-it-yourself homes were, in a word, awful. A fewbuildings survived, but the movement did not.Having watched that fad come and go, constructionindustry veterans should be forgiven for believing thatthis green building boom will do the same. Many arequick to point out that few of those early alternative20
uildings held value relative to conventional properties.But there is evidence that in addition to spawning a$60 billion-a-year industry, this generation of certifiedgreen buildings is fetching a premium in the marketplace.A University of California study compared the rentsat 694 certified green office buildings with 7,489conventional office buildings. All of the comparisonproperties were located within a quarter mile of thegreen building.The study found that, on average, certified greenbuilding rent for two per cent more than comparablebuildings. After adjusting for factors including ageand occupancy levels, the University of Californiaresearchers figured that green certification added anaverage of $5 million to the market value of eachgreen office building.21
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Page 10 and 11: twentieth century, purely local mar
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Page 16 and 17: “As it all turns out, we were abl
Page 18 and 19: Designers Challenged to Get Creativ
Page 23 and 24: lots. Most of the apartments would
Page 27: Council for Sustainable Development
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Page 33 and 34: drywall reduce moisture problems. Z
Page 37 and 38: six core categories: sustainable si
Page 39 and 40: There are an estimated 25,000 Passi
Page 41 and 42: CASE STUDY #3: Choi Buildinggreenfr
Page 43 and 44: could train on? For the city, it wa
Page 47 and 48: 1979 paper.“Truly superb insulati
Page 50: CASE STUDY #4: The Centre for Inter
Page 53 and 54: solid spruce provides thermal mass
Page 55 and 56: “It worked out fabulously,” he
Page 57 and 58: Low-Energy Homes Mean Thousands of
Page 59 and 60: The inside sheet of OSB will double
Page 63 and 64: How Green School Buildings Help Chi
Page 65 and 66: Airtight buildings can also create
Page 69 and 70: When it comes to meeting our future
Page 73 and 74: So Much Rain! Why Not Put It To Wor
Page 75 and 76: Discussions to this end are already
Page 77 and 78: How to Design a Building that Resto
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is we want to make sure we know at
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CASE STUDY #7: Austria PassivHausgr
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Beyond rebatesOne thing is clear: i
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Greening Homes Can Be Big Boost to
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provincial government.”There is p
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CASE STUDY #8: The Okanagan College
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gook.”“The EPS is something tha
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Building Green from the Ground UpWe
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easier to tackle green projects tha
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Excerpts from the ensuing discussio
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from the ground up - The Tyee

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