A Modern Energy Efficient and Sustainable Building - Report Example

A Modern Energy Efficient and Sustainable Building Student’s Name Institution Affiliation Abstract The building industry has had and will continue to have enormous effects not only on the economic and social aspects of life, but also on the natural and artificial environments as well. All building activities, ranging from design, actual construction, occupation, refurbishment as well as building demolitions, affect the performance of the environment from both direct and indirect angles. This research aims to discuss the energy efficiency in buildings in addition to sustainable building, which is commonly referred to as green buildings. The paper will examine the Empire State Building as a practical example of how energy efficiency can be attained in a building and the benefits gained. Introduction An energy efficient building refers to new construction or renovated buildings intentionally designed in such a way that they provide significant decrease in the energy needed for both heating and cooling (Alex Wilson, 2008). For instance, the installation of fluorescent lights and natural skylights leads to a reduction of the energy amount required to attain the same illumination level than the traditionally used incandescent bulbs, which are known to consume large energy amounts. In the modern world, environmentalists push for the construction of energy efficient buildings. The building saves costs and reduces environmental pollution. A sustainable building, also referred to as green building, refers to an environmental friendly building. The building is designed, constructed, and operated in such a way that it minimizes environmental impacts. A sustainable building is built within strategic frames of reducing the consumption of energy, water conservation and enhanced waste recycling. This paper will concentrate on how a modern energy efficient and sustainable building is converted into reality (David Anink, 1996). As a case study, the discussion will examine empire state building as an example Energy Efficient Building Renewable energy and energy efficiency are the pillars of the attainment of a sustainable energy policy. The strategies are supposed to be concurrently developed to reduce and finally stabilize the emissions of carbon dioxide. Efficient use of energy is crucial towards lowering the growth of energy demands such that the increasing clean energy being supplied can eliminate the use of fossil fuel (Phillips, 2013). In case the use of energy rises too rapidly, the development of renewable energy will be chasing a receding target. For an economy to attain energy, sustainability energy efficiencies and energy renewable commitments are both needed. Energy efficient building can be achieved through certain elements: bioclimatic architecture, which refers to a building’s shape and its orientation, solar systems, and solar protections. The figure below depicts bioclimatic architecture; the concept of biomimicry wherein the nature mentors the design’s concept. (Bioclimaticx, nd). Bioclimatic architecture considers the climatic as well as environmental conditions, this helps achieve both thermal comfort and visual comfort from within. It considers the local climate and consequently makes the best use of possible environmental sources such as solar energy, rather than consider working against the environmental sources. Bioclimatic designs have principles: the building’s shape is supposed to be compact to reduce surface contact with the building’s exterior. The openings in particular are given the appropriate orientation (southwards in most cases), and the interior spaces are arranged in accordance with their specific heat requirements (Hunn, 1996). The second principle is the application of appropriate techniques towards the building’s external envelope as well as its openings; for instance, using reflective colors and reflective surfaces to shade the building during a hot summer. A high performance envelope means that a building is thoroughly insulated, installed with high performance windows, high performance glazing, air-sealed construction, and thermal bridge avoidance. Controlled ventilation with high performance refers to heat recovery and mechanical insulation (Hunn, 1996). According to Traci Rose Rider (2011), it is only when a building is designed with the consideration of energy efficiency that it starts making sense to start considering the source of energy to be used (either renewable or nonrenewable source. This approach is referred to as the Trias Energetica concept. The Trias Energeica concept consists of three steps that follow each other respectively: reduce the energy demand through waste avoidance in addition to energy-saving measures implementation and execution. The second phase emphasizes on the use of sustainable energy sources instead on concentrating on finite fossil fuels. The third and last phase emphasizes on the production and consumption of fossil energy efficiently. (Lootens, 2012). Thermal insulation refers to a widely available, low cost, proven technology that when installed helps save money, save energy, and reduce emissions. It enhances energy efficiency around all the parts of a building’s envelope such as facades, walls, roofs, and decks (Hunn, 1996). It also suits boilers and pipes as it helps minimize energy losses from the technical installations. Insulation is important in both hot and cold regions in that, under hot situations, it helps reduce warmth thus minimize air conditioning necessities. In cold situations, insulation maintains warmth within a building. Air tightness helps minimize air leakage, uncontrolled airflow through gaps and possible cracks (referred to as draughts, infiltration, or exfiltration). Air leakages should be reduced to the level best to enhance durable, healthy, controllable, efficient, and comfortable buildings. With the highly stringent regulations on buildings requiring good energy efficiency, the air tightness topic has arisen. Air tightness details are vital if tightness is to be achieved and most importantly, they should be identified and executed during construction. Ventilation refers to the intended and wishfully controlled air ingress and egress through a building, allowing for fresh air delivery as well as stale air elimination. This is done through the installation of purpose-built ventilators in collaboration with designed systems of heat and humidity control (Hunn, 1996). In case the energy services demands remain constant, obviously, energy efficiency enhancement will help lower energy consumption and consequently reduce carbon emissions (Clarke Snell, 2009). Notably, most efficiency improvements are a little overrated by the energy saving amounts projected by simple models of engineering. The reason behind this is that energy efficiency is making energy cheaper, thus leading to demand for consumption increase. Sustainable Building The sustainable building concept consists and integrates various plans and strategies during designing, construction and actual operation of a building project. The adoption of sustainable building materials and their products represents a very important strategy in a building’s design (Kibert, 2012). Sustainable building materials are known to avail specific benefits to the owner and occupant. Some of these benefits include energy conservation, reduced maintenance, improved health that leads to occupants’ productivity, lower space change configuration costs, and higher design flexibility. Sustainable building collaborates a wide range of skills, practices, and techniques whose aim is to eradicate as well as ultimately eliminate all the effects of buildings on human health and the environment. It largely emphasizes on taking advantage of the renewable resources such as, sunlight via photovoltaic, passive solar, and active solar equipment (Lincoln & Forbes, 2010). Materials Sustainable building materials are made of renewable resources. This means that they are responsible as far as environmental conservation is concerned because they are either useful after their product life or they are safely disposable without causing any environmental degradation (Ross Spiegel, 2010). Depending on the specific goals of a project, sustainable material assessment and selection may require some evaluation based on several criteria. They include resource efficiency, energy efficiency, water conservation, affordability, and indoor quality of air. Resource efficiency is accomplished using materials that meet several criteria including where the product has identifiable content that has been recycled (Alex Wilson, 2008) Renewable, natural, and plentiful wherein materials have independent certification preferably; for instance, certified wood. Resource efficient material should be locally available to help reduce long distance transportation costs. Salvaged, remanufactured, and refurbished. The materials do not have to be imported or transported from long distances and should be safely disposable upon the end of their lifecycle (Alex Wilson, 2008). Resource efficient materials should also be reusable and recyclable. They should be durable such that they are long-lasting. Affordability is an important aspect as far as sustainable building planning, construction, and maintenance are concerned; the project must fit within the owners affordability frame for it to be successful. Indoor air quality (IAQ) is achieved by applying materials that meet the criteria of being non-toxic or contain low toxic, have minimum emission of chemicals (Volatile Organic Compounds) thus lower chemical emissions. IAQ materials should have low Volatile Organic Compound content; they should also be moisture resistant to lower the probabilities of biological contaminant growth. The materials should be healthfully maintained with no complex cleaning activities (Alex Wilson, 2008). Energy efficiency is maximized by using systems as well as materials that meet the following requirements: strategies that creates a better room for natural lighting, installation of high efficiency systems of lighting with more advanced controls (Kibert, 2012). Energy efficiency can also be achieved by minimizing electric loads such as appliances, lighting, and equipment. The use of renewable energy from sources like photovoltaic is another technique of energy saving. Water efficiency material in sustainable building is enhanced through improvements such as designing a dual plumbing model in such a way that water is recycled via systems that create room for things such as wastewater being used in toilet flushing (Alex Wilson, 2008). The building can also have gray water systems that allows for collection of rainwater and other possible non-potable water. Water efficient buildings can also reduce water wasting by adopting low-flush toilets, and showerheads among others. Use of water re-circulating systems for a centralized water distribution also improves water efficiency. Safety and Health of the Occupants Studies indicate that a building that has a good environmental quality is more likely to lower respiratory disease rate, asthma, and allergy among others. Construction materials and interior final products possess zero or even low emissions to raise the internal air quality. Most building materials as well as cleaning and maintenance products emit poisonous gases like formaldehyde and volatile organic compounds. The gases can have negative effects on an occupant’s health in addition to productivity (Ross Spiegel, 2010). A sustainable building is adequately ventilated on-top of having good filtration systems with high efficiencies. If both heating and cooling systems are equipped to ensure that the building is adequately ventilated as well as properly filtrated, then the quality of indoor air could be dramatically affected positively. According to David Anink (1996), internal microbial contamination is prevented through the selection of building materials that are resistant to the growth of microorganisms. The roof and the landscape around the building should be provided with effective drainage systems. Bathrooms and toilets are also well ventilated and air-conditioning coils are properly drained. The building is designed in such a way that humidity is controllable. Sustainable Building Operation and Maintenance Sustainable building measures are not in a position to attain their targets unless they perform as intended. A building’s commissioning comprises of undertaking tests as well as adjusting plumbing, mechanical, and electrical systems in such a way that all the equipment meets the set design criteria (Lincoln & Forbes,2010). The staff is also instructed about the equipment’s functioning patterns and their maintenance. As time passes-by, the performance of a building can be assured via upgrading, measurement, and adjustment. Adequate and proper maintenance oversees ensures that a building’s performance goes in line with its designing as well as commissioning. Case: Empire State Building The building is a 102-story building in Manhattan in New York and has a 1,250 ft roof height plus an antenna totaling to a 1,454 ft height. The Empire State building was once the world’s tallest building for a 40 year span before being surpassed by the World Trade Center (Tauranac, 2012). In 2010, the building underwent a renovation that cost a total of $550 million of which $120 million was directed towards the building’s transformation into a highly energy efficient as well as eco-friendly structure. In 2011, the building was rated the gold Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), making it the tallest United States building to become LEED certified. (Cleantechnica, 2013). The energy efficiency retrofit program was initiated in 2009 being part of former President Clinton’s ‘Clinton Global Initiative’. Currently, the team that designed and executed this retrofit is rolling similar models in about 100 main commercial buildings within the United States; targeting 75% of the energy that is used within urban settings that originate from commercial buildings (Tauranac, 2012). In 2011, Empire State surpassed the efficiency guarantee by a whopping 5%, consequently saving about $2.4 million. In 2012, the efficiency targets were surpassed by 4%. (Cleantechnica, 2013). According to Tauranac (2012), the retrofits concentrated on eight major improvement areas to ensure efficiency in business infrastructure, tenant suites, and common places. The upgrades included the replacement of all the building’s 6,514 windows with LED lighting, and the creation of web-based energy management system controls for tenants. In addition is the installation of new management control systems for the building and the upgrading of the 68 elevators in the building in such a way that their efficiency increases by 30% while at the same time sending the excess to the building’s grid. Following the completion the entire core retrofits, Empire State is now Energy Star Certified and LEED Gold; thus, it is more efficient than most LEED-certified buildings in New York. The small remaining upgrades are projected to be finished as soon as new tenants complete building their workspaces. Upon the full implementation of this program, the building is projected to be in a pole position to save $4.4 million every year while at the same time cutting down its energy demand by a massive 38% in addition to 105,000 metric tons of carbon emissions will be eliminated over a 15-year span. This has led to a rise of tenant numbers in search of efficient spaces for office set up. Besides Empire State building’s excess energy efficiency targets that have raised the building’s profitability, the retrofit model is currently being employed by many big commercial buildings in the United States. Conclusion The building industry is one of the most consistent industries in any society’s social and economic aspects of life. All over history, buildings have always been and continue to be built. Thus, this industry existed before and does not seem to be nearing its end because human beings need buildings. Buildings’ positive impact on social and economic life aspects cannot go unnoticed because they of their intensity level. These building structures have had an impact on the environment over the years. The negative impacts of buildings on the environment range from carbon dioxide emission, water pollution, deforestation, lack of effective disposal methods when a building is demolished, human health; among others. The negative effects that buildings have had over the time have raised concerns over what can be done before more damage is done on the environment. The better solution so far seems to change to the modern energy efficient and sustainable building. An energy efficient building is undoubtedly a big step towards environmental protection because it encourages more natural and less pollutant energy sources such as solar power and discourages fossil sources of energy that pollutes the environment. This is the right way towards ending poisonous gas emissions into the atmosphere in disguise of energy search. Sustainable building is another big step towards the attainment of environmental friendly and human health friendly building technique. As explained above, sustainable building strategies revolve around reducing energy consumption (encourage non-pollutant energy sources), water conservation, and waste recycling. The building itself is constructed with non-pollutant material that can be recycled or disposed safely upon completion of life-cycle. Well designed sustainable houses will therefore ensure that the environment is healthier for human beings to undertake their day-to-day activities, saves money, increases comfort, improves a building’s internal air quality, and thermal comfort. The Empire State building’s energy efficiency project is clear evidence of the wonders that energy efficiency can bring about. The most important aspect in such a project is not necessarily the savings because $120 million was used on energy saving alone while the annual energy savings is about $3 million, but being eco-friendliness. Considering that, buildings use 40% of United States energy, and then energy efficiency in buildings is undoubtedly a big step that will serve to every stakeholder’s convenience. Energy efficiency measures and sustainability should be recognized by the law and be made part of it. In case this is done, then environmental degradation is likely to be reduced by a bigger percentage more than ever before. Environmentalist groups under the stewardship of lobbyists should also get a wakeup call and attract some publicity towards this issue. It is no surprise that most people do not even know how to attain energy efficiency and sustainable building; in fact, a good number of them do not even know what they mean. If well spread and more people get educated on the importance of sustainable building, then environmental pollution will be significantly reduced in the coming number of years, and of course human beings will be the winner. For energy efficiency to be achieved, it does not take demolition and drawing of new designs that will enable the construction of sustainable buildings. Green retrofit is the solution for owners who already have buildings that had not been built on sustainable and energy efficiency basis. However, investors who intend to put up new building structures should design and construct them with energy efficiency and sustainable building as principal factors. Energy efficiency and sustainable building will clearly help to reduce the worrying environment degradation trend that has so far reached a life threatening level. Unfortunately, this improved and very useful technology has not been highly welcomed by the stakeholders within the building industry where the forces of status quo seem reluctant because most of them are not concerned about the environmental concerns that their activities are exposing the environment to. Most of these stakeholders are businessmen and women who are out to make money at the peril of the environment. References Alex Wilson, M. P. (2008). Green Building Products: The GreenSpec Guide to Residential Building Materials. New York: New Society Publishers. Bioclimaticx (n.d). What is bioclimatic architecture? Retrieved from http://bioclimaticx.com/bioclimatic-architecture1/ Cleantecnica (2013). Empire State Building Efficiency Retrofit Model. Retrieved from http://cleantechnica.com/2013/07/02/empire-state-building-efficiency-retrofit-model-rolls-out-across-us/ David Anink, C. B. (1996). Handbook of Sustainable Building: An Environmental Preference Method for Selection of Materials for Use in Construction and Refurbishment. Houston: Earthscan. Hunn, B. D. (1996). Fundamentals of Building Energy Dynamics. New York: MIT Press. Kibert, C. J. (2012). Sustainable Construction: Green Building Design and Delivery. Cape Town : Wiley. Lincoln, H., & Forbes, S. M. (2010). Modern Construction: Lean Project Delivery and Integrated Practices. Portsmouth: CRC Press. Lootens, H. (2012). The trias energitical concept. Retrieved from https://twitter.com/HenryLootens/statuses/212809438606790656 Phillips, D. (2013). Lighting Modern Buildings. Everton: CRC Press. Ross Spiegel, D. M. (2010). Green Building Materials: A Guide to Product Selection and Specification: New York: John Wiley & Sons Snell, C., & Callahan, T. (2009). Building Green: A Complete How-To Guide to Alternative Building Methods - Earth Plaster; Straw Bale; Cordwood; Cob; Living Roofs. London: Sterling Publishing Company, Inc. Traci Rose Rider, S. G. (2011). Understanding Green Building Materials. Lomdon: W. W. Norton. Tauranac, J. (2012). Empire State Building: The Making of a Landmark. New York City: Scribner. Read More