Mission Statement
This site was created to promote good engineering of buildings and inform about real sustainable methods. The words "green" and "sustainable" are used often. But many "green" building projects go through a greenwashing process as opposed to a true sustainable design and construction process.
Many new buildings receive a certification (i.e. LEED) or are built using the principles preached by the certifying institutes. In real life those buildings use more energy than they are supposed to and some sustainable construction methods don't enhance the longevity of the building and require sooner replacement. the LEED rating system, for example, was created by landscape architects and interior designers, not by engineers. In the past that lead many certification points without real value to the owner or the environment. Fortunately newer versions of the certification process put more weight on energy efficiency and other valuable properties of a building.
Fortunately buildings can be build to have much less environmental impact over their entire life. This often can happen at the same or not much more cost. Proper value engineering can decrease actual cost. Unfortunately designers often are not cost conscious when selecting visible components and money will be saved on "invisible" parts of the building, like HVAC systems and insulation.
Why are many of the "green" buildings not really green and cost so much money while not saving as much energy? The answer is not that simple, but some mistakes are repeated over and over:
- Designers overemphasize visual statements. For example, using glass without overhangs is not just expensive, and energy inefficient, it also is boring and speaks of little imagination.
- Engineers on the project are hired by the architect, who pays their bill. Therefore they often don't represent the owner and mechanical equipment, envelope and lighting are not chosen based on life cycle cost, but based on looks. But the shape, orientation, amount of glazing and other features designed by the architects are the most important part of a building when it comes to energy consumption.
- Many designers are just that - designers with a certain certificate. Many consultants offer their services without having an actual degree from an engineering or architecture school. Resumes of those designers often mention some certificate, and possibly some attendance of a school. Interactions between building systems are very complex and in order to design them to the best efficiency, comfort and lowest cost a fundamental understanding is necessary.
- Most projects do not have independent commissioning agents (Cx)that represent the owner and check on design and construction. Some projects employ a simplified commissioning process with the Cx being hired by the architect or engineer. But this is creates some conflict of interest while reviewing (and criticizing) the design.