What It Means to Build Green

Good architecture is green architecture
    Building green means designing structures that have minimal impact on the environment. At Henderson Architect, our goal is to create facilities that respond to and work with the environment while offering one-of-a-kind, eye-pleasing visuals. There are many factors to be considered (and taken advantage of) when designing green—everything from buying materials locally to the use of renewable resources to taking advantage of the sun and wind.

    Green design incorporates different avenues of energy and environmentally conscious considerations: Is the building located so it reduces heat gain and takes advantage of daylight to reduce the amount of energy used to cool and light it? Does the material off-gas undesirable smells and chemicals that affect indoor air quality? Is the building easily accessible to people using environmentally friendly modes of transportation like the bus, bicycle or walking?

Using the elements
    Because I studied in the desert in Tucson, Arizona, much of my time was focused on “passive strategies” for designing an energy-efficient building, which don’t require mechanical or motorized assistance to achieve the end result. Passive solar strategies involve situating the building to take full advantage of sun, shade and prevailing winds. This is done by studying the building’s orientation and the locations and sizes of doors and windows.

    Thermal mass, or trombe walls, use a wall’s mass to store the sun’s heat during the day and actually modulate temperature swings within the building. Heat transmits through the outer wall to the building’s interior. At night, the wall absorbs the cooler temperatures outside and, as the day warms, the wall radiates the cooler temperature into the building’s interior.

    To incorporate these strategies into a building’s design, an architect must understand a site’s features. Some strategies are more appropriate than others for certain climates, and deciding factors include proximity to water, winds, humidity, hills and valleys.

The LEED Program
    LEED, an acronym for “Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design,” was established by the U.S. Green Building Council to help with “the creation of high-performance, healthful, durable, affordable and environmentally sound commercial and institutional buildings.” It establishes a point system for incorporating environmentally friendly concepts into building design and construction to measure whether or not a structure is truly environmentally friendly. It awards points for favorable strategies.

    The LEED system for new construction addresses sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, and indoor air quality. It also looks at design innovation as used to accomplish these categories as a whole. Architects and contractors work as a team so owners can get the best LEED building possible. A green-designed building will have lower operating costs, enhanced marketability, increased worker productivity and reduced potential liability from indoor air quality problems.

Innovation and renovation
    Renovating your existing structure can impact the environment in a powerful way. Incorporating active systems like solar panels, energy-efficient mechanics and radiant heat floors save energy and money and also provide a more comfortable environment.
If you’re upgrading, opt for products that have low or no VOCs (volatile organic compounds), which are extremely hazardous to your health. Instead, choose VOC-free carpets, wall coverings, paint, furniture, ceiling materials and wood products. Use materials made with recycled content that are manufactured locally with natural and renewable materials. For example, when bamboo is chopped down (for flooring), it will grow back in a year—as opposed to chopping down an oak tree, which can take up to 100 years to regrow.

    Other easy solutions include insulating your roof to keep heat out during the summer and in during the winter (that’s a great tip for both residential and commercial buildings). Using compact fluorescents in lieu of incandescent bulbs is also a good start. If you shade your windows from direct sun in the summer, you’ll help keep out unwanted heat. But the shading device has to be outside the building, so try overhangs, a trellis or big, leafy trees.

    Consider replacing your hot water tank with an “on-demand” instant water heater. This conserves energy by only heating the water when you need it, as opposed to keeping a large amount of water hot all the time. This will save on operating costs: for an extra few hundred dollars, you’ll save money every month on your gas bill for the life of the structure. Use your building to your advantage by upgrading windows. In the summer months, open windows at night and let the cool air in, then, in the morning, close them to take advantage of the diurnal temperature swings. Install programmable thermostats and set them to shut off when you’re not present.

Setting a green example
    The Henderson Architect team was recently chosen to design a modern face-lift for the California Indian Museum and Cultural Center in Santa Rosa. The project incorporates numerous green elements, including the adaptive reuse of the structure itself. The fact that we’re reusing the existing building conserves land, resources and infrastructure. The facility will also exceed current codes for energy efficiency and use recycled glass terrazzo floors, carpet tiles, metal and steel. The floors will be bamboo, and we’ll use wood that’s officially harvested using sustainable practices outlined by the Forest Stewardship Council. We’ll also use materials with no VOCs that don’t emit toxins. Additionally, future plans include recycling water for irrigation and bioswales to treat storm water on site.