Documentos de Académico
Documentos de Profesional
Documentos de Cultura
1 4
Office of the Federal Environmental Executive, Building Design and Construction, “White Paper
“The Federal Commitment to Green Building: on Sustainability”, page 4, November 2006
5
Experiences and Expectations,” 18 September Building Design and Construction, “White Paper
2003. on Sustainability”, page 4, November 2006
2 6
Building Design and Construction, “White Paper http://www.nyc.gov/html/nycwasteless/html/in_b
on Sustainability”, page 4, November 2006 usiness/green_building.shtml
3 7
Building Design and Construction, “White Paper Building Design and Construction, “White Paper
on Sustainability”, page 4, November 2006 on Sustainability”, page 4, November 2006
Institute of Architects (AIA) formed a
Committee on Energy that was broken into
two camps. “One group looked toward
passive, such as reflective roofing materials
and environmentally beneficial siting of
buildings, to achieve energy savings, while the
other concentrated more on technological
solutions, such as the use of triple-glazed
windows.”8
As energy concerns subsided,
momentum for green building and the
environment, in general, slowed down, but a
dedicated core-group of architects continued
to push their green building concept forward.
A couple of notable buildings constructed
6. Landscaping – reducing unnecessary symbiotic relationship with nature that green
water and pesticide usage.15 buildings possess.
History of Green Building – Where are The United States Green Build
we Now? Council (USGBC) is the foremost leader and
educator within the world of green building
With the overwhelming success of the today. They are the sanctioning body for
“Greening of the White House” other LEED, the program with which points are
governmental institutions have since been awarded to various design applications within
given a green makeover. The Pentagon, the a building ultimately resulting in LEED
Presidio, and the U.S. Department of Energy, certification for the building.
among others have gone green.16
The concepts of building green and, USGBC (The United States Green
on a larger scale, sustainability are ideas that Build Council) & LEED
we hear all of the time. These two concepts,
(Leadership in Energy and
however, are rarely properly understood.
“Sustainability is a systemic concept, relating Environmental Design)
to the continuity of economic, social,
institutional and environmental aspects of USGBC
human society, as well as the non-human
environment. It is intended to be a means of The USGBC was created to promote
configuring civilization and human activity so the design and construction of buildings that
that society, its members and its economies are environmentally responsible, profitable,
are able to meet their needs and express their and healthy places to live and work. They are
greatest potential in the present, while focused on integrating building industry
preserving biodiversity and natural sectors and leading a market transformation
ecosystems, and planning and acting for the towards greener construction. The
ability to maintain these ideals for a very long organization consists of various trade
time. Sustainability affects every level of associations, architects, designers, and
organization, from the local neighborhood to individuals all interested in the greening of the
the entire planet”.17 In short, the concept of construction business.18
sustainability refers to thinking holistically
about how everything you do affects Between 1990 and 1995, the USGBC
everything around you. It is an attempt to worked feverishly with the American Society
minimize each person’s impact on the world. of Testing and Materials in order to create a
rating system for sustainability. ASTM’s
Today, green building is one of the rigorous consensus-based process moved
fastest growing building and design concepts. much too slowly for the USGBC and in 1995
Every month new magazines are popping up it was determined that they would create their
that report on this growing trend. Architects, own rating system to exist under the USGBC
designers, and homeowners are becoming banner. A committee was formed to study
infatuated with the cost saving possibilities, other green building programs currently in
energy saving emphasis, modern look, and the existence and after three years LEED 1.0
unveiled.19 By 2003, LEED was refined down
to its current form that is the talk of the
construction and design communities.
15
The Greening of the White House”,
http://clinton3.nara.gov/Initiatives/Climate/greeni
18
ngsummary.html “An Introduction to the USGBC and LEED
16
Building Design and Construction, “White Green Building Rating System”, www.usgbc.org
19
Paper on Sustainability”, page 5, November 2006 Building Design and Construction, “White
17
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainability Paper on Sustainability”, page 7, November 2006
infrastructure protects green spaces and
LEED preserves natural habitats and resources.
21
http://www.nyc.gov/html/nycwasteless/html/in_
business/green_building.shtml
centuries it holds up to weathering and will, in turn, continue to further enhances
time better than any other building natural stone’s position among the green
material; one would think that less energy community.
would be consumed by the initial
fabrication and installation than in The Committee on Sustainability
manufacturing and replacing another
product. In order to properly position natural
• The ease of care and maintenance stone, to research elements of building with
involved with maintaining natural stone natural stone that would qualify for LEED
applications should be very attractive to points, and to market the use of natural stone
those in the green community. Harsh as a green product; the Natural Stone Council
chemicals are not needed to either clean has commissioned a Committee on
or finish stone. Sustainability. The NSC’s Committee on
• The recyclability of natural stone is Sustainability will take the lead for the
unequaled. Nearly 100% of stone from industry in ensuring that stone becomes a
old projects and scrap stone are viable green building option. A couple of
recyclable. early initiatives for the committee are
These components of natural stone use need establishing a set of green best practices for
to be studied and reported on adequately quarrying and fabrication. The committee is
before the natural stone industry can go to the also pursuing the commissioning of studies to
USGBC and request LEED certification research Life Cycle Assessment, Life Cycle
points. Cost, Water Use Reduction, Construction
Waste Management, and Material Reuse for
Quarrying the Natural Stone Industry. While the
initiatives being undertaken by the Committee
In the past 15-20 years, the business on Sustainability are aggressive, they are
of quarrying has been vastly cleaned up from greatly needed in order to ensure that stone
an environmental perspective. Quarries today becomes a viable option for green building.
are required to comply with a strict code of
practice and are monitored by OSHA, the Quarry Reclamation Site List
Bureau of Mines of the US Department of the
Interior, EPA, the Department of Resources Quarry Park and Nature Preserve
and Economic Development, and the Mine County of Stearns, MN
Safety and Health Administration among http://www.co.stearns.mn.us/1450.htm
others. This message needs to be spread
throughout the entire construction industry. Halibut Point State Park
Quarrying is not what it was 20 years ago and Gloucester, MA
certainly not what it was 50 or 100 years ago. http://www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/northeast
/halb.htm
Quarry reclamation projects have
added to the ability of quarries to limit their The Quarry Golf Club
long term impact on the environment. San Antonio, TX
Today, many old quarries are being turned http://www.quarrygolf.com/
into golf courses, lakes, recreations areas, and
state parks. A list of quarry reclamation Oak Quarry Golf Club
projects appears at the end of this chapter as Riverside, CA
examples of how old quarry sites can be http://www.oakquarry.com/
successfully utilized for the public good.
Crystal Springs Quarry Golf Club
As technology moves forward, the Maryland Heights, MO
greening of quarrying will continue and this http://crystalspringsquarry.com/
http://www.vtstateparks.com/htm/emerhis
Old Quarry Nature Center t.cfm
Danbury, CT
http://www.danbury.org/oldquarry/