Sustainable Land Development Today - March 2008 - (Page 46) GREEN BUILDING Green Design is Good Design Design firm puts sustainable methods into practice in its new corporate headquarters—cost effectively By Gary Bechtel, AIA, LEED® -AP The United Nations World Summit on Sustainable Development defined “sustainability” as the ability of a community, “…to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” How do we shape our present resource use toward that end? Since buildings account for approximately 48 percent of the world’s carbon emissions, a logical place to begin is to design and construct better buildings – buildings that respond appropriately to their sites; use less energy to light, heat, and cool; use less water; and are better places to live and work. How do we begin and how much does it cost? The Durrant Group tackled these questions in designing its new headquarters in Dubuque, Iowa. Using an integrated design approach where its own architects, engineers, and the constructor work together as a team from the beginning, it designed a “green” building for approximately the same cost as a standard office space. The building is designed to reduce energy consumption by 50 percent compared to a typical office. The design team is also working toward a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) Platinum designation from the United States Green Building Council. “Reduce, reuse, recycle” is a mantra often used to describe how to achieve sustainability. Durrant practiced this as the firm adapted the former industrial site, the Adams Company manufacturing building, into its new headquarters. The firm reduced its energy needs by designing a highly energy-efficient shell using bio-based wall insulation and high-performance window systems. The Introducing the Bio-Skirt™ Bacteria and Oil Control for Stormwater Inlets Easy or trofit f re 30,000in Ts + SNOU e! servic The SNOUT® is a field-proven name you know and trust. BMP’s Bio-Skirt is the product you need to reduce harmful bacteria and trap oils in stormwater inlets. Best Management Products, Inc. Call us at 800.504.8008 or Learn more at bmpinc.com Circle 144 • or www.SLDTonline.com/webcard 46 March 2008 Sustainable Land Development Today http://bmpinc.com http://bmpinc.com http://www.SLDTonline.com/webcard
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.