Chapter 10: Sustainable Design Flashcards

1
Q

What are the primary building rating systems?

A
  • Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Council
  • Green Building Initiative (GBI)
  • National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Green Building Standard
  • Energy Star
  • Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS)
  • Building Research Establishment (BRE) Environmental Assessment Method
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2
Q

Describe the LEED building rating system.

A

Designed to accelerate the development and implementation of green building practices. Certain prerequisites must be achieved and enough points must be earned to meet or exceed the program’s technical requirements. Points add up to a final score that relates to one of four possible certification levels: certified, silver, gold, and platinum.

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3
Q

Describe the Green Building Initiative building rating system.

A

Building owners can use Green Globes to evaluate their building during design and construction on a 1000 point scale in the categories of energy, indoor environment, site, water, resources, emissions, and project management. Awarded rating of 1-4 globes.

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4
Q

Describe the National Association of Home Builder Green Building Standard building rating system.

A

Describes green building practices for single- and multifamily homes, residential remodeling projects, and site development projects that allow for regionally appropriate sustainable practices. The standard is approved by ANSI and includes scoring opportunities for a site’s lot design, preparation, and development; resource efficiency; energy efficiency; water efficiency; indoor environmental quality; and operation, maintenance, and building owner education.

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5
Q

Describe Energy Star building rating system.

A

Program of the EPA. Provides tools and resources to assist architects, business owners, and other involved in the building process to design, build, commission, and manage projects in ways that save energy. Using one year’s worth of energy performance, the building is rated on a 100 point scale. Buildings scoring 75 or higher are eligible for the Energy Star label.

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6
Q

Describe the Collaborative for High Performance Schools building rating system.

A

Founded with goal of increasing the energy efficiency of schools in CA. Publishes best practices on key environmental performance issues related to the selection and handling of building materials.

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7
Q

Describe the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method building rating system.

A

British organization that provides research-based consultancy, testing, and certification services covering all aspects of the built environment. Credits are awarded in each area and are added to produce a total score.

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8
Q

What are the major product certifications?

A
  • BIFMA International (Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturers Association)
  • Energy Star Product Label
  • FloorScore of the Resilient Floor Covering Institute (RFCI)
  • Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)
  • Greenguard
  • Green Label Plus, Carpet and Rug Institute
  • Green Seal
  • GreenFormat
  • Institute for Market Transformation to Sustainability
  • ISO 14000
  • MBDC Cradle to Cradle (C2C)
  • Scientific Certification Systems (SCS)
  • Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI)
  • UL Environment
  • WaterSense
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9
Q

What is a life-cycle assessment?

A

Provides the methodology to evaluate the environmental impacts of using a particular material or product in a building.

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10
Q

What are the four phases of a life-cycle assessment?

A

1) Determine the purpose and goals of doing the study.
2) Inventory analysis - determining and quantifying all of the inputs and outputs of the product under study
3) Impact assessment - characterize the effects of the process found in the inventory analysis in terms of their impacts on the environment.
4) Improvement analysis - Provides suggestions on how to reduce the environmental impact of all the raw materials, energy, and processing required for the product or construction activity.

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11
Q

What are the four main stages of a product’s life cycle?

A

1) Raw-material acquisition
2) Manufacturing
3) Use and maintenance
4) Disposal

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12
Q

What are the criteria for evaluating building materials?

A

1) Embodied energy - extraction, processing, manufacturing/fabrication
2) Renewable materials
3) Recycled content
4) Energy efficiency (reduced the energy consumption in a building)
5) Use of local materials
6) Durability
7) Low VOC content
8) Low toxicity
9) Moisture problems
10) Water conservation
11) Maintainability
12) Potential for reuse and recycling
13) Reusability

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13
Q

How are metals salvaged?

A

Have a high potential for recycling. Steel is the most common metal used in building and is commonly recycled as scrap to produce more steel.
Aluminum is available with a recycled content of 20% or more.
Copper, brass, bronze, and stainless steel can also be recycled.
Problems arise with metals that are plated or coated; produce high levels of pollution and byproducts
Powder coatings and plastic polymer coatings are a better alternative.

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14
Q

How can interior designers use wood in a sustainable way?

A

Using reclaimed wood
Specifying sustainable or alternative materials
Using certified wood products

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15
Q

What are some sustainable or alternative materials to wood?

A

Engineered wood products such as wood I-joists or laminated veneer lumber, particleboard, MDF that is formaldehyde-free, straw particleboard.
Moldings can be made from high-density polyurethane foam.

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16
Q

What are the 10 principles of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)?

A
  • Practices must respect all applicable laws of the country in which they occur
  • Define and establish long-term tenure and use rights to the land
  • Rights of indigenous peoples to own, use, and manage their land must be recognized and respected
  • Enhance the long-term social and economic well-being of workers and local communities
  • Encourage the efficient use of the forest’s products
  • Reduce the environmental impact of logging activities and conserve the environment
  • Management plan must be written, implemented, and maintained
  • Monitoring must be conducted to assess the condition of the forest and forestry impact
  • Management activities must maintain or enhance the attributes that define such forests
  • Plantations must promote the restoration and conservation of natural forests.
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17
Q

How can plastics be salvaged?

A

If possible, compostable plastics should be used.
Bioplastics, polylactide (PLA), can be used in fibers for carpet manufacture.
Metallocene polyolefins - used as a replacement for PVC and other plastics that are more harmful.

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18
Q

How should an interior designer approach adhesives through a sustainability lens?

A

Use dry adhesives containing resins stored in capsules released by pressure, water-based adhesives containing latex or polyvinyl acetate, and natural adhesives containing plant resins in a water dispersion system.

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19
Q

What considerations should be made with carpet?

A

Raw-material use, raw-material disposal, and indoor air quality.

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20
Q

What are the best raw materials to use in carpet?

A

Polyester and nylon-blended carpet made from recycled soft-drink containers (PET) or wool.
Carpet cushion made from recycled materials should be selected.

21
Q

What type of carpet can be recycled?

A

Fibers made of Nylon 6 can be easily recycled.

Carpet tiles should be used because they can be replaced piecemeal unlike broadloom carpet.

22
Q

How can carpet affect indoor air quality?

A

Because of its construction and the adhesives used in direct-glue application

23
Q

What is a more sustainable alternative to vinyl flooring?

A

Linoleum - made from natural, renewable products including linseed oil, rosin, cork powder, and pigments. Is biodegradable, waterproof, fire resistant, and naturally antibacterial. Emits only low level of contaminants.

24
Q

What is the disadvantage to cork as a building material?

A

Must be imported from Mediterranean countries, increasing the transportation energy required.

25
Q

What are ways to make wood flooring more sustainable?

A
Use wood from well-managed forests
Veneered and laminated products using an MDF core can be used
Use prefinished flooring
Use water-dispersed urethanes
Use bamboo or palm wood
26
Q

What is the disadvantage to ceramic tile?

A

High embodied energy used to product it.

27
Q

What are the sustainable qualities of gypsum wallboard?

A

Manufactured with 100% recycled content for its paper faces and with some recycled content for the core.
Disposal is problematic because wallboard cannot be reused when taken out of an old building.

28
Q

How can acoustical ceiling tiles be used in a sustainable way?

A

Use ceiling tile that uses recycled content from old tiles, newsprint, or perlite is available. Clay and wood fibers may also be used. Fiberglass ceiling panels are also available with recycled content. Can be up to 95% recycled content.
The ceiling grid itself can be recycled as scrap steel.

29
Q

What strategies can you use to be more sustainable in specifying furniture?

A
  • Refurbished or used furniture
  • Furniture made from steel, solid wood, and glass
  • FSC label
  • Formaldehyde- free MDF
  • Recycled fabrics
  • Nontoxic dyes
  • Fabrics made from cotton, wool, ramie, blends
  • Low-VOC finishes
  • Powder coated finishes
  • CO2 injected foam
30
Q

What is building commissioning?

A

The process of inspecting, testing, starting up, and adjusting building systems and then verifying and documenting that they are operating as intended and meet the design criteria of the contract documents.

31
Q

How can interior designer take action to reduce energy consumption with mechanical systems?

A
  • No CFC-based refrigerants

- Use displacement ventilation if possible

32
Q

How can interior designer take action to reduce electricity use?

A
  • Design task/ambient systems or by other means, such as utilizing daylighting
  • Automatic occupancy lighting
  • Nonemergency lighting on a programmable timer
  • Daylighting-responsive controls
  • High-reflectance finishes to improve the brightness
  • Appliances and equipment that are energy efficient
  • Specify submetering equipement
33
Q

How can interior designer take action to reduce water consumption?

A

Specify low-flow fixtures

34
Q

What’s the difference between chemical contaminants or biological contaminants?

A

Chemical includes things such as VOCs, inorganic chemicals, tobacco smoke; Biological include mold, pollen, bacteria, and viruses.

35
Q

What three conditions are required for mold to grow?

A

Moisture, a nutrient (organic materials), and a temperature range from 40 degrees F to 100 degrees F.

36
Q

What is sick-building syndrome (SBS)?

A

A condition in which building occupants experience a variety of health-related symptoms that cannot be directly linked to any particular cause. Generally symptoms disappear after the occupants leave the building.

37
Q

What is building-related illness (BRI)?

A

The health-related symptoms of a building’s occupants are identified and can be directly attributed to certain building contaminants. Symptoms to not immediately improve when the occupant leaves the building ie. Legionnaire’s disease

38
Q

What is multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS)?

A

Condition brought on by exposure to VOCs or other chemicals. May develop acute, long-term sensitivity that shows symptoms each time they are exposed to the chemicals. Can remain with them the rest of their lives.

39
Q

What are the broad strategies interior designers can implement to maintain good indoor air quality?

A
  • Eliminate or reduce the sources of pollution
  • Control the ventilation of the building
  • Establish good maintenance procedures
  • Control occupant activity as its affects IAQ
40
Q

What is asbestos?

A

Naturally occuring fibrous mineral found in certain types of rock formations; known to cause lung cancer, mesothelioma, or other cancers.
Exposure comes from asbestos comes from when it’s friable. Can be found in older buildings in pipe and blown-in insulation, asphalt flooring, vinyl sheet and tile flooring, construction mastics, ceiling tiles, textured paints, roofing shingles, cement siding, caulking, and vinyl wall-coverings.
Must be removed in renovations, otherwise can be left undisturbed.

41
Q

What is vermiculite?

A

Hydrated laminar magnesium-aluminum-ironsilicate that resembles mica. Used for pour-in insulation, acoustic finishes, fire protection, and soud-deadening compounds. Can be contaminated with asbestos due to mining. Can be left alone if undisturbed.

42
Q

What is lead?

A

Highly toxic metal once used in a variety of consumer and industrial products. Exposure is highly dangerous and can cause nerve and brain damage.
Lead must be removed or covered.

43
Q

What is radon?

A

Colorless, odorless, tasteless, naturally occurring radioactive gas found in soils, rocks, and water throughout the world that can cause lung cancer.
Remedial action needs to be taken if radon level is over 4 picocuries per liter, which can be sealing cracks, venting to outdoors, or ventilating the crawl space.

44
Q

What are PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls)?

A

Mixtures of synthetic organic chemicals with physical states ranging from oily liquids to waxy solids. Were used in building transformers, fluorescent light trasnformers, paints, coatings, and plastic and rubber products. Known to cause cancer. Must be handled by a professional and disposed of.

45
Q

How can a building receive LEED credit through adaptive reuse?

A

Maintaining at least 75% of the existing building structure and shell, excluding window assemblies and nonstructural roofing material.

46
Q

What is a coproduct?

A

A marketable byproduct from a process that can include materials traditionally considered to be waste but that can be used as raw materials in a different manufacturing process.

47
Q

What is demand-controlled ventilation?

A

A system designed to adjust the amount of ventilation air provided to a space, based on the extent of occupancy. The system normally used carbon dioxide sensors but may also use occupancy sensors or air quality sensors.

48
Q

What is post-consumer?

A

Referring to a material or product that has served its intended use and has been diverted or recovered from waste destined for disposal, having completed its life as a consumer item.

49
Q

What is post-industrial?

A

Referring to materials generated in manufacturing processes (trimming or scrap) that have been recovered or diverted from solid waste.