SUSTAINABLE

DESIGN

Prepared By;
Ar. Asia Jabeem
Assistant Professor Architecture
In order to promote and encourage
sustainable design and building
practice, built environment
professionals need to have a holistic
view of sustainability
It is about the consumption of non-renewable, or
less often, renewable resources. Specifically, it may
refer to:
 water consumption
 energy consumption
 electric energy consumption
 world energy consumption
 natural gas consumption/gas depletion
 oil consumption/oil depletion
 logging/deforestation
 fishing/overfishing or
 resource depletion and
 general exploitation and associated environmental
degradation
 Measures of resource consumption are
resource intensity and resource efficiency.
Industrialization and globalized markets have
increased the tendency for overconsumption
of resources. The resource consumption rate
of a nation does not usually correspond with
the primary resource availability, this is called
resource curse.
 Unsustainable consumption by the steadily
growing human population may lead to
resource depletion and a shrinking of the
earth's carrying capacity.
 Waste minimization is a process of elimination that
involves reducing the amount of waste produced in
society and helps to eliminate the generation of
harmful and persistent wastes, supporting the
efforts to promote a more sustainable society.
 The most environmentally resourceful,
economically efficient, and cost effective way
to manage waste is to not have to address
the problem in the first place.

 Waste minimization should be seen as a

primary focus for most waste management
strategies. Proper waste management can
require a significant amount of time and
resources;
 Resource optimization
Minimizing the amount of waste produced by
organizations or individuals , optimizing their
use of raw materials.
 Reuse of scrap material
Scraps can be immediately re-incorporated at
the beginning of the manufacturing line so
that they do not become a waste product.
 Improved quality control and process
monitoring
Steps can be taken to ensure that the number
of reject batches is kept to a minimum. This
is achieved by increasing the frequency of
inspection and the number of points of
inspection.
 This is where the waste product of one process
becomes the raw material for a second process.
 This involves making deliveries of incoming raw
materials or components direct to the point
where they are assembled or used in the
manufacturing process to minimise handling and
the use of protective wrappings or enclosures.
 Zero waste
This is a whole systems approach that aims to
eliminate waste at the source and at all points
down the supply chain, with the intention of
producing no waste. It is a design philosophy
which emphasizes waste prevention as opposed
to end of pipe waste management.
THE ZERO POLLUTION CONCEPT TOTALLY NON-
POLLUTING CARS
 After more than thirty years with the combustion
engines, the French engineer Guy Negre has
developed a concept of a totally non-polluting
engine for use in urban areas.
 The different versions of MDI engines provide the
most comprehensive answer to the urban
pollution problem: simple, economic and clean.
This invention, which uses high pressure (300
bar) compressed air to store the energy needed
for running the engine, is protected world-wide
by more than 20 patents owned by MDI.
 Sustainable Site Development
 Sustainable development can be defined as "development
with a goal of preserving environmental quality, natural
resources and livability for present and future
generations." It means working with project proponents
and regulators to balance environmental preservation and
economic prosperity.
Sustainable development is a cornerstone of the U.S. Green
Building Council's LEED (Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design) Program. LEED is an internationally
recognized green building verification system, providing
third party verification that a building has been designed
and built using sustainable development strategies aimed
at improving energy savings, water efficiency, CO 2
emissions, indoor environmental quality, and stewardship
of environmental resources.
 Choosing the property location for a building is the
first step toward achieving the sustainable
development of a site.
 Managing that site during construction is also an
important consideration for a project's sustainability.
 The Sustainable Sites credit category system
embraces measures that discourage development on
previously undeveloped land; minimize a building's
impact on ecosystems and waterways; encourage
regionally appropriate landscaping; reward smart
transportation choices; control storm water runoff;
and reduce erosion, light pollution, heat island effect
and construction-related pollution.
 Sustainable practices avoid the development of
inappropriate sites and reduce the environmental
impact from the location of a building on a site.
 Development of previously undeveloped sites
consumes land that could have agricultural,
wetlands, and wildlife habitat value.
 Developing a site in an urban area with existing
infrastructure can protect green fields and preserve
habitat and natural resources.
 Vehicle emissions and the need for increased
impervious areas for paved parking lots are an
environmental concern.
 Parking areas and roadways result in increased
storm water runoff and contribute to heat island
effect.
 The use of alternative forms of transportation
can be promoted by providing bicycle racks and
changing rooms, preferred parking for
carpooling and low-emitting and fuel-efficient
vehicles, and access to public transportation.
 Sustainable landscape practices minimize the
use of fertilizers, pesticides, and
irrigation. Using native and adaptive non-
invasive plant species requires less
maintenance and uses little or no
irrigation, fertilizers, or pesticides.
 Sustainable landscaping practices reduce
maintenance costs over the life of the
facility.
 Protecting Surrounding Habitats
 Development of building sites can encroach on agricultural land
and adversely affect wildlife habitat. Sustainable development
promotes preserving and restoring native vegetation and wildlife
habitat.
Storm water Management
 Impervious surfaces and reduced permeability within developed
areas increase storm water runoff that can contribute to off-site
flooding and pollution. Effective strategies exist to reduce and
treat storm water runoff before it leaves the project site and has
an impact on sensitive water bodies.
Heat Island Effect Reduction
 Dark, non-reflective surfaces in parking areas, hardscapes, and
roofs absorb solar radiation and radiate that heat to surrounding
areas resulting in an increase in ambient temperature. This
increase in temperature can have an impact on habitat as well as
increase building energy costs for cooling. Installing reflective
surfaces and increasing the vegetation on the site can reduce or
eliminate heat island effect.
Light Pollution Prevention

 Poorly designed site lighting can result in negative impacts due

to light trespass from the building and site. Light pollution
reduction measures reduce night glow and the impact from
building interior and site lighting on nocturnal environments,
while still providing lighting for safety. Luminaries that do not
enhance safety, such as landscape lighting, should be avoided.

LEED Sustainable Sites incorporate responsible, innovative, and

practical site design strategies that are sensitive to the
environment. Through sustainable site development
initiatives, we can optimize resource efficiency and
work toward preserving environmental quality,
natural resources, and livability for the future.
 Life cycle analysis
 Embodied energy
 Recycling
 Biodegradable
 Alternatives to conventional
 Manufacturing a product can be very
complex. Raw materials come from many
different sources, and obtaining each one of
those materials involves a different series of
inputs, outputs and processes, each of which
has impacts on the environment.
 To identify the total environmental
impact of a product it is necessary to
do a life cycle analysis.
To examine how much a product impacts the
environment, it is necessary to account for all
the inputs and outputs throughout the life
cycle of that product, from its birth, including
design, raw material extraction, material
production, part production, and assembly,
through its use, and final disposal.
 The first stage of a life cycle analysis is called an
“inventory analysis.”
 In an inventory analysis, the goal is to examine all the
inputs and outputs in a product’s life cycle, beginning with
what product is composed of, where those materials came
from, where they go, and the inputs and outputs related to
those component materials during their lifetime.
 It is also necessary to include the inputs and outputs
during the product’s use, such as whether or not the
product uses electricity.
 The purpose of the inventory analysis is to quantify
what comes in and what goes out, including the
energy and material associated with materials
extraction, product manufacture and assembly,
distribution, use and disposal and the
environmental emissions that result.
From Graedel and Alleby p. 109
 The next stage of a life cycle analysis is the impact
analysis, in which the environmental impacts
identified in the previous stage are enumerated, such
as the environmental impacts of generating energy
for the processes and the hazardous wastes emitted
in the manufacturing process.
 Once the environmental impacts of all the inputs and
outputs of a product’s lifecycle are analyzed, the life
cycle analysis generates a number that represents
how much the environment is affected.
 However, the major purpose of the analysis is to
evaluate, once the inputs and outputs are quantified,
how the product affects the environment throughout
its lifecycle.
 Once its general environmental impact is
calculated, the next step is to conduct an
improvement analysis to see how impact of the
product on the environment.
 For example, conservation of energy or water in
the manufacturing process will reduce the
environmental impacts of that process.
Substituting a less hazardous chemical in place
of a more toxic one would also reduce the
impact.
 The change is then made in the inventory
analysis to recalculate its total environmental
impact.
 It is the energy consumed by all of the processes
associated with the production of a building,
from the mining and processing of natural
resources to manufacturing, transport and
product delivery.
 Unlike the life cycle assessment, which evaluates
all of the impacts over the whole life of a material
or element, embodied energy only considers the
front-end aspect of the impact of a building
material. It does not include the operation or
disposal of materials.
Embodied energy is
measured as the
quantity of non-
renewable energy per
unit of building
material, component
or system. It is
expressed in
megajoules (MJ) or
gigajoules (GJ) per
unit weight (kg or
tonne) or area (m2)
but the process of
calculating embodied
energy is complex
and involves
numerous sources of
data.
 Energy consumption during manufacture can give an approximate
indication of the environmental impact of the material, and for most
building materials, the major environmental impacts occur during the
initial processes.
The total amount of embodied energy may account for 20% of the
building’s energy use, so reducing embodied energy can significantly
reduce the overall environmental impact of the building.
Embodied energy must be considered over the lifespan of a building,
and in many situations, a higher embodied energy building material or
system may be justified because it reduces the operating energy
requirements of the building. For example, a durable material with a
long lifespan such as aluminum may be the appropriate material
selection despite its high embodied energy.
As the energy efficiency of a building increases, reducing the energy
consumption, the embodied energy of the building materials will also
become increasingly important.
 Buildings should be designed and materials selected to balance embodied energy
with factors such as climate, availability of materials and transport costs.
Lightweight building materials often have lower embodied energy than
heavyweight materials, but in some situations, lightweight construction may result
in higher energy use. For example, where heating or cooling requirements are
high, this may raise the overall energy use of the building.
Conversely, for buildings with high heating or cooling requirements but where
there is a large diurnal (day/night) temperature range, heavyweight construction
(typically with high embodied energy) and the inclusion of high levels of insulation
can offset the energy use required for the building.
When selecting building materials, the embodied energy should be considered
with respect to:
 the durability of building materials
 how easily materials can be separated
 use of locally sourced materials
 use of recycled materials
 specifying standard sizes of materials
 avoiding waste
 selecting materials that are manufactured using renewable
energy sources.
 It is the process of converting waste materials into reusable objects to
prevent waste of potentially useful materials, reduce the consumption of
fresh raw materials, energy usage, air pollution (from incineration) and water
pollution (from landfilling) by decreasing the need for "conventional" waste
disposal and lowering greenhouse gas emissions compared to plastic
production.
 Recycling is a key component of modern waste reduction and is the third
component of the "Reduce, Reuse and Recycle" waste hierarchy.
 There are some ISO standards related to recycling such as ISO 15270:2008
for plastics waste and ISO 14001:2004 for environmental management
control of recycling practice.
 Recyclable materials include many kinds of glass, paper and cardboard,
metal, plastic, tires, textiles and electronics. The composting or other reuse
of biodegradable waste—such as food or garden waste—is also considered
recycling.
 Materials to be recycled are either brought to a collection center or picked up
from the curbside, then sorted, cleaned and reprocessed into new materials
destined for manufacturing.
 In the strictest sense, recycling of a material
would produce a fresh supply of the same
material—for example, used office paper
would be converted into new office paper, or
used polystyrene foam into new polystyrene.
 However, this is often difficult or too
expensive (compared with producing the
same product from raw materials or other
sources), so "recycling" of many products or
materials involves their reuse in producing
different materials (for example, paperboard)
instead.
The three chasing
arrows of the
international
recycling logo. It
is sometimes
accompanied by
the text
"reduce,
reuse and
recycle".
 It is the disintegration of materials by bacteria, fungi, or other
biological means. Although often conflated, biodegradable is
distinct in meaning from compostable.
 While biodegradable simply means to be consumed by
microorganisms, "compostable" makes the specific demand
that the object break down under composting conditions.
 The term is often used in relation to ecology, waste
management, biomedicine, and the natural environment
(bioremediation) and is now commonly associated with
environmentally friendly products that are capable of
decomposing back into natural elements.
 Organic material can be degraded aerobically with oxygen, or
anaerobically, without oxygen.
 Bio surfactan, an extracellular surfactant secreted
by microorganisms, enhances the biodegradation
process.
 Biodegradable matter is generally organic
material that serves as a nutrient for
microorganisms.
 Microorganisms are so numerous and diverse
that, a huge range of compounds are
biodegraded, including hydrocarbons (e.g. oil),
polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), poly aromatic
hydrocarbons (PAHs), pharmaceutical substances.
Decomposition of biodegradable substances may
include both biological and abiotic steps.