Shades of Green Building - Measuring (And Reducing) Carbon Footprint

What really makes a building green? Can a big house be green? What role does durability play? How about the context of the surrounding urban form?

The blog TreeHugger recently offered the following measure of a building’s sustainability:

Energy Efficiency + Building Area + Embodied Energy/Durability + Transportation Efficiency

It’s a handy snapshot of the factors that we should think about as green builders and dwellers. And each element of the equation can be improved with real, on-the-ground, construction strategies.

Energy Efficiency & Building Area – Ultimately this boils down to how much energy we each use in our homes or businesses: energy use per capita. Key green building strategies:

Home Performance uses home energy audits to uncover efficiency problems and prescribes strategic and cost-effective energy efficiency improvements to existing residences.
Passive House technology, with its tight building envelope and heat-recovering ventilation, is a powerful way to achieve impressive energy efficiency for new homes and even remodels.
Simply build smaller. After all, bigger spaces mean more air to heat or cool and more rooms to light. Smaller homes like Accessory Dwelling Units can play a big role here. (Or should I say a “small” role?)

Embodied Energy – In addition to ongoing energy use, we need to consider the energy that goes into actually building a structure: its embodied energy. While this number is usually a lot smaller than the energy used to operate a space over the course of a building’s lifetime, it is still an important part of the sustainability equation. Key green building strategies:

Use reclaimed, “upcycled” materials, sourced both on and offsite. These materials preserve embodied energy and embodied narrative, too.
Remodel! When we remodel homes or businesses, we are in effect upcycling existing structures for new life and new functionality. Inherently green.

Durability – No matter what its environmental rating, if a building ain’t durable it ain’t really green. Replacing flimsy or poorly installed materials is costly financially and for the earth. Same story when forced to scrap falling-apart structures. Key green building strategies:

Use quality materials sourced by qualified building professionals.
Employ the exacting craftsmanship of an experienced builder.
Build based on lasting designs. Functional, beautiful designs are sustainable because they offer lasting values to building users.

Transportation Connection – Simply put, context matters. If a “green” home’s location forces owners to drive everywhere, then it is not really a sustainable dwelling. Key green building strategies:

Build infill developments embedded in existing communities that support a range of transportation choices.
Create an Accessory Dwelling Unit, aka “backyard cottage” or “granny flat”. These separate, secondary units on existing residential property fit nicely into established neighborhoods.
Again, remodel! This breathes new life into structures and their surrounding neighborhoods.