Sustainability & LEED : Need of the hour
Sustainable design and ecological issues are presently a piece of the motivation for organizations, just as nearby and worldwide networks. What’s more, individuals can’t get enough of it. “Sustainability” and the articulation “sustainable engineering” are spreading in the realm of plan and design for two principle reasons: practical and formal. Any item that is viewed as sustainable must show biological mindfulness, subsequently its usefulness must be attached to its association with nature through its appearance.
What is the meaning of sustainable building?
Sustainable architecture plans and develops structures so as to restrain their natural effect, with the goals of accomplishing vitality productivity, positive effects on well being, comfort and improved livability for occupants; the majority of this can be accomplished through the execution of fitting advances inside the structure. Sustainable design means having the option to fulfill customers’ solicitations, taking the time and normal assets required into thought from the beginning periods of the task, entering the setting in the most common manner conceivable, preparing by making the space and materials utilized totally reusable.
Engineers broadcast sustainable plan. Makers advance sustainable items. Be that as it may, I don’t get it’s meaning to be sustainable?
The words sustainable, green, and eco-accommodating are utilized freely and way over and over again. Truth be told, engineers, developers, and makers who take some “green” activities may not convey a really sustainable undertaking.
Green doesn’t generally convert into sustainable.
By definition, sustainable methods the capacity to keep up at a specific rate or level. With regards to building or assembling, that level needs definition.
Following is a guideline for what qualifies a building project as sustainable.
Simply put, a sustainable building is designed to stand the test of time.
• It features a timeless design that fits seamlessly into the existing environment.
• That design will be cherished and preserved…and never temporary.
• Its operation efficiency will last and only improve.
Sustainability means not just reducing but minimizing or even eliminating the following:
• Energy usage (generating as much or more energy than the building consumes).
• Water usage (using rainwater for all water functions other than human consumption).
• Impact on other natural resources (maximizing the embodied carbon of recycled products, replanting trees, and investing in carbon offsets).
• Waste (through purposeful materials selection and on-site construction procedures).
• Harmful impacts on the community, watershed, and ecosystems (during construction and in building operation).
A sustainable building supports human health with biophilic elements such as maximized natural light and the use of natural materials, bringing the outside in.
A sustainable building starts with design intention and continues through construction with a partnership with all stakeholders including the project owner, engineers, contractors, energy modelers, and specifiers.
Materials selection is also a critical step in designing a sustainable building. Sustainable products and solutions come from manufacturers that follow the same guidelines above. A sustainable product will have most or all of the following:
• Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) which provides quantified environmental data about the environmental impacts of the product or system.
• Health Product Declaration (HPD) which discloses any known hazards.
• Materials Data Sheet (MDS) lists all ingredients in the product.
• Life-Cycle Analysis (LCA) compares the overall energy costs embodied in the use of a product and measures a product’s complete lifecycle from extraction and manufacture through product utilization to recycling or re-use.
• Limited transportation from factory to the job site.
Architects and specifiers more often take the time to request this information from manufacturers to make informed decisions supporting their sustainable design plan.
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is the most widely used green building rating system in the world. Available for virtually all building, community, and home project types, LEED provides a framework to create healthy, highly efficient, and cost-saving green building. LEED certification is a globally recognized symbol of sustainability achievement.