By Rick.
Here is the second in a series of bitesize, easily digestible green design soundbites that appear periodically in this space.
Today’s collection concentrates on the planning process, and on consideration of site and landscape. This makes sense. It is through fundamental decisions such as where to build, and how big, that much of our carbon footprint is established for the lifetime of the edifice. And while we’re always eager to hear how the next generation of renewable energy technology will save us from ourselves, you can make a large and lasting impact through simple efforts such as the thoughtful planting of shade trees, the harvesting of rainwater and the mitigation of stormwater run-off.
tall and narrow, this house has only 1500 sf if conditioned space.
- Less is less. The single biggest green thing we can do is to build smaller. Thoughtful design eliminates wasted space, creates double-functioning elements, & emphasizes perception of space, light and openness. A smaller home uses fewer resources now & in perpetuity. It also costs less!
this 1000' long ecoswale we conceived at RIT filters and holds runoff from the adjacent parking lot
- Green can actually be green! South side deciduous trees filter summer sun but admit winter rays. Eco-swales stocked with water-sucking vegetation slow down runoff and let it infiltrate on-site, rather than burdening storm lines & creeks. Planting natives helps conserve ecosystem balance.
succulents and other flowering plants, and easy access, can make a roof into an outdoor usable garden
- Live under a garden! A planted roof tempers heat with a micro-shaded surface area and thermal mass that never heats up. It drinks some rainwater, and holds back the rest. This reduces runoff and increases transpiration (which also cools the building). It provides habitat, and can be a colorful outdoor living space.
look at all that infrastructure and walkability!
- Location, location. The decision of where to build can have as much of an energy impact as how you build. Avoid fragmentation of farmland and forests. A well-sited development needs less infrastructure and promotes transportation options (including walking and mass transit), reducing dependence on personal automobiles.
Harvest water. Don’t rely on municipal water or wellwater to irrigate your garden. Instead, consider a rainwater harvesting and storage system big enough to hold a 1” rain off your roof, or collect graywater from the clotheswasher, showers and sinks.
Certify your greenness. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, is a third-party certification program and the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings. A LEED professional can help you avoid “greenwashing” by quantifying all the variables we must consider when building sustainably.
