I = PAT formula
Impact = Population x Affluence x Technology
Definition of sustainability
Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
High risk environmental problems
- Habitat alteration and destruction
- Species extinction
- Loss of biodiversity
- Ozone depletion
- Global climate change
Pipe materials
ABS: lighter than PVC, but 2x cost. Good expansion but toxic materials.
Cast iron: Still used but expensive to install because of weight. No less durable than PVC.
Concrete: heavy and expensive to install
HPDE: lowest cost, lightest weight and most flexible. Simple to manufacture and recycle. Greatest expansion coefficient so limited use.
PVC: carcinogenic emissions, difficult to recycle and burn, made with lead and other toxins.
Vitrified Clay Pipe (vcp): mostly replaced by PVC but lighter
Recycled plastic: not used in US yet
Environmental strategies with concrete
- accurate estimate of material
- precast reduces waste
- specify fly ash and Portland mixtures to reduce amount of material required (stronger)
- crush and reuse existing concrete for fill
- collect washout water and control runoff
Stormwater pollution prevention plan (swppp)
Required for site permit for sites larger than an acre?
- Erosion, sediment and sw mgmt requirements
- identify proposed activity or sources of water pollution and steps to prevent and respond to pollution
National pollutant discharge elimination system
1972, part of clean water act
Identifies point sources and more ambiguous non point sources of pollution
Requires design team to submit SWPPP along with permit
Life Cycle Assessment and 4 parts
Evaluates environmental impact of a product or building. Important part of LEED Materials and Resources category.
- Define limits, goals and scope of study so alternatives can be compared equally.
- Perform inventory analysis: inputs and outputs of the product.
- Perform impact assessment: Examines inventory analysis and impact on environment.
- Improvement analysis and report: Suggestions for reducing impact.
Graywater systems
Water can be reused for irrigation, toilet flushing, vehicle washing, janitorial cleaning, and cooling. Generally only cost-effective in new construction and where use of non-drinking water (potable water) is high (laundromats, car washes).
Water used by toilet flushing
U.S. EPA max: 1.6 gal per flush
Low flow: 1.5 qt (0.375 gal)
Calcuations for rainwater collection
Catchment area x avg annual rainfall for region x factor to account for evaporation (ave. 0.75)
1 in of rainfall yields 0.6 gal of rainwater per SF of catchment area
Inventory analysis 4 parts for LCA
- Raw material aquisition
- Manufacturing
- Use and maintenance
- Disposal
Whole building LCA
Compare building design to reference design of typical construction for same size and location. To receive LEED credit, building design must outperform reference design in 3/6 categories: Acidification, eutrophication, formation of ground level ozone, global warming, ozone layer depletion, and depletion of non-renewable resources.
Embodied energy
Energy requried for extraction, processing, manufacturing or fabrication, transportation, waste and pollution.
High: aluminum, carpet, linoleum, paint, vinyl flooring
Low: stone, marble, clay brick, lumber, cork, gypsum wallboard
Mean Radiant Temperature
Factor of human comfort. The weighted mean temperature of all the objects surrounding the body.
Depth sun can reach in a room
Twice the head height of the window. Watch out for units/
Cold Climate Passive Heating/Cooling Strategies
- maximize solar heat gain
- minimize exposure to wind
- provide compact building form
- place low on a hill
Temperate Climate Passive Heating/Cooling Strategies
- maximize solar gain in winter
- reduce solar gain in summer
- reduce exposure to wind in winter
- allow exposure to wind in summer (see tree types)
- place higher on a hill
Hot/Arid Climate Passive Heating/Cooling Strategies
• maximize shade and minimize wind (probably
because hot wind is uncomfortable)
• courtyard building types
• at bottom of hill on flat topography
Hot/Humid Climate Passive Heating/Cooling Strategies
• maximize shade • maximize wind • place at top of hill • courtyard building types, lots of interior access to wind
