What is

Sustainable
Design?
Part One:
Building an
Environmental Ethic
Terri Meyer Boake BES, BArch, MArch, LEED AP

Associate Director School of Architecture University of Waterloo

Past President of the Society of Building Science Educators
Member OAA Committee on Sustainable Built Environment

Presentation Summary
In this presentation, we will discuss:
The Definition of Sustainable Design
Why is this important
Global warming
The role of buildings in the environment
The inclusive nature of sustainable design
 Building an Environmental Ethic:

Aldo Leopold Legacy Centre, Wisconsin

Carbon Neutral and LEED Platinum

how architecture can ~ live lightly on the earth

What is Environmental Design?

the modern architect has produced the most flagrantly uneconomic and
uncomfortable buildingswhich can be inhabited only with the aid of the
most expensive devices of heating and refrigeration. The irrationality of
this system of construction is visible today in every city from New York to
San Francisco: glass sheathed buildings without any contact with fresh air,
sunlight, or view. Lewis Mumford.
 Environmentally sensitive design looks to design in harmony
with, and in response to the climate. It attempts to use the
natural solar and ventilation characteristics of the local
climate/environment to inform the building design so to
minimize use and dependency on consumptive non
renewable energy sources. Sustainable building design looks
to live lightly on the earth so that there will be quality and
resources remaining for generations to come.

Eden Project, United Kingdom

incorporating nature and
innovative architectural design

The Sustainable Ethic:

Sustainable building is not a new style of building. It is a way to think about
how we design, construct, and operate buildings. Its primary goal is to
lessen the harm poorly designed buildings cause by using the best of
ancient building approaches in logical combination with the best of new
technological advances. Its ultimate goal is to make possible offices,
homes, even entire subdivisions that are net producers of energy, food,
clean water and air, beauty, and healthy human and biological
communities.

Green buildings try to take less from the earth

and give more to people.
 Definitions of Sustainable Design
Sustainable development is seeking to meet the needs of the present without
compromising those of future generations.

Sustainability envisions the enduring prosperity of all living things.

Sustainable design seeks to create communities, buildings, and products that

contribute to this vision.

To paraphrase educator and author David Orr: Sustainable design is the

careful meshing of human purposes with the larger patterns and flows of
the natural world.

To paraphrase architect Bill Reed: Sustainable design is a process that

supports and improves the health of the systems that sustain life.

The world will not evolve past its current state of

crisis by using the same thinking that created
the situation.

Albert Einstein
The current environmental problems of the world are
the result of Design the world of DESIGN needs
some Radical thinking if we are to Design ourselves
out of the problem!
 Industry 25%

Transportation 27%

Buildings 48%

POLLUTION IS AN ACT OF DESIGN

Remember, EVERYTHING that is called 'disposable' was DESIGNED
from day one to be garbage--as its PRIMARY and overriding design
consideration.
 EVEN THIS BUILDING
Was designed to be
thrown out!

Radical PHILOSOPHY!??

WASTE = FOOD
(the human race is the only species to
DESIGN things with the INTENTION that they
become GARBAGE!)
 MIMIC NATURAL CYCLES

Design for a closed loop where WASTE

becomes FOOD and FEEDS back into a
healthy cycle.

compostable end product

Radical PROPOSITION!??

DESIGN FOR DISASSEMBLY

So that we can take things (even buildings!)
apart and easily repair or reuse them
REUSE MEANS LESS ENERGY THAN RECYCLE
MIMIC OTHER INDUSTRIES

DESIGN BUILDINGS TO COME APART SO THAT THEY CAN BE

REPAIRED, REUSED AND RECYCLED EASILY!

Inconvenient TRUTH

BUILDINGS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR

BETWEEN
40% TO 70% OF WORLD CARBON
EMISSIONS
 Radical Wake Up Call
The Northeast Blackout of
2003 was a massive
widespread power outage
that occurred throughout
parts of the Northeastern
and Midwestern United
States, and Ontario, Canada
on Thursday, August 14,
2003, at approximately 4:15
pm EDT (20:15 UTC). At the
time, it was the most
widespread electrical
blackout in history. The
blackout affected an
estimated 10 million people
in the Canadian province of
Ontario and 45 million
people in eight U.S. states.

ICE STORM = NO POWER = NO HEAT

 Radical PROBLEM!
No power
Hot August weather or
Cold January temperatures
Hooked on electricity, heat and A/C
What buildings/environment/systems
worked?
What buildings/environment/systems
didnt work?

SEALED BUILDINGS CANNOT BREATHE

ELEVATORS AND LIGHTS NEED POWER

MODERN ARCHITECTURE DOES NOT
WORK!
 Radical AWAKENING!
Grid and energy dependent
buildings/environment/systems DID NOT
WORK!
OPERABLE WINDOWS WORKED!
NATURAL VENTILATION WORKED!
SHADE WORKED!
SUNLIGHT WORKED!
DAYLIT SPACES WORKED!
WALKABLE NEIGHBOURHOODS WORKED!
BICYCLES WORKED!

Radical THOUGHT!??

MAYBE WE SHOULD BEGIN TO DESIGN

OUR BUILDINGS/ENVIRONMENTS IN
REVERSE!
Start with a basic UNPLUGGED building
 Four KeySTEPS!
RADICAL Steps:
#1 - start by UNPLUGGING the building
Then
#2 heat only with the sun
#3 cool only with the wind and shade
#4 light only with daylight

USE the ARCHITECTURE first, and mechanical systems only

to supplement what you cannot otherwise provide.
#5 USE RENEWABLE CLEAN ENERGY BEFORE HOOKING
UP TO NATURAL GAS, OIL OR THE REGULAR ELECTRICAL
GRID (with all of its nastiness including CO2)

Radical IS Passive

PASSIVE DESIGN is where the building

uses the SUN, WIND and LIGHT to heat,
cool and light
ARCHITECTURALLY
 Radical REALIZATION
#1 - OUR NORTH AMERICAN LIFESTYLE OF
CONSUMPTION IS NOT SUSTAINABLE
#2 DEVELOPING COUNTRIES (WITH
ZILLIONS MORE PEOPLE THAN WE) ARE
STRIVING TO BE JUST LIKE US.

CO2 Production by Country in 1997

Country CO2 Produced (tonnes of carbon)
Total (millions) Per Capita
U.S. 1,489.6 5.48
China 913.8 0.75
Russia 390.6 2.65
Japan 316.2 2.51
India 279.9 0.29
Germany 27.4 2.77
UK 142.1 2.41
Canada 133.9 4.42
Italy 111.3 1.94
Ukraine 100.4 1.97
Source: Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Tennessee
 CO2 Production by Country in 2006
Country CO2 Produced % total world emissions
metric tonnes
U.S. 5,752 20.2%
China 6,103 21.5%
European Union 1,314 13.8%
Russia 1,564 5.5%
India 1,510 5.3%
Japan 1,293 4.6%
Canada 545 1.9%

The Global situation in the past 10 years has become many times WORSE. Chinas
emissions INCREASED by 668% in 10 years.

Source: Wikipedia, accessed Sept 3, 2009

 Canadian GHG Stats:
Canadians create 2% of global GHGs, but are
0.05% of global population.

Canada is 9th largest emitter of GHG emissions,

but Canadians are the 2nd highest per capita
creators of GHGs in the world.

Energy use and GHGs by Sector in Canada:

Industrial 39% energy 33.3% GHGs
Transportation 29% energy 35.7% GHGs
Residential 17% energy 15.5% GHGs
Commercial &
Institutional 12% energy
Agriculture 3% energy

Kyoto Protocol: To stabilize atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse

gases at today's levels will require reducing human-
generated emissions by 80 percent immediately.
There are six greenhouse gases covered under the
protocol to the international convention on climate
change (the Kyoto Protocol) carbon dioxide (CO2),
methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs),
perfluorocarbons (PFCs) and sulphur hexafluoride
(SF6).

The Kyoto protocol was agreed upon through international co-operation

under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
(UNFCCC), which was created in 1992.
The Kyoto protocol came out of the UNFCCCs December 1997 meeting
held in Kyoto, Japan.
Under the agreement, industrialized nations must reduce their emissions
of greenhouse gases by an average of 5.2 per cent (from 1990 levels) by
the period 2008 to 2012.
 Consider the percentage of
energy used as a direct
result of buildingsJ

Who designs buildings?

So, who should be

held responsible for
them?

US figures

Sustainable Checklist:
"Treat the Earth well. It was not given to you by your parents. It was
loaned to you by your children." --- Kenyan Proverb.
Ideally a sustainable building should:
make appropriate use of land
use water, energy, lumber, and other
resources
efficiently
enhance human health
strengthen local economies and
communities
conserve plants, animals, endangered
species, and natural habitats The Liu Centre
University of British Columbia
protect agricultural, cultural, and Architectonica/Stantec
archaeological resources
be nice to live in
be economical to build and operate
 The End of Oil

Scientists firmly believe that we are running out of oil and the bottom line
is that while consumption is ever increasing, production is felt to have
peaked and is predicted to rapidly decline.

Radical CONFLICT!??

#1 GLOBAL WARMING too much

CO2
#2 RUNNING OUT OF OIL (oil
causes CO2 )
 The conundrum

Greenhouse gas emissions are ruining life on the

planet as we know it
Greenhouse gas comes from burning fossil fuels
We are running out of fossil fuels, so potentially
the faster we run out of fossil fuels the more
quickly we can solve Global warming
So, why is this a problem?

If fuel production declines, there is not enough fuel to heat and cool
the present building stock in 40 years time -- not to mention heating
and cooling any buildings we might add between now and thenJ.
Also of concern is the growing reliance on OPEC (Organization of
Petroleum Exporting Countries), or non North American fuel sources,
given the instability in the Middle East.
 The Challenge
Architects need to figure out how to solve this
problem by designing buildings more
sustainably and holistically
Also to use less and less fossil based fuels as
eventually we simply wont be able to rely on
them.

Environmental Architecture:
Environmentally responsible architecture CAN make a huge difference.
Design and Construction
Industry as potential single
largest contributor (40%) to
Canadas solutions for
compliance with the Kyoto
Protocol and for creating long
term ecological sustainability.

Environmental Design is
definitely an avenue towards
sustainability.

The George and Kathy Dembroski Centre for Great potential for
Horticulture at the Toronto Botanical Garden Environmental Leadership in
Montomery Sisam Architects
Toronto, Ontario architecture
LEEDTM Silver
Five principles of an environmental Architecture:
(Thomas A. Fisher, AIA, November, 1992)

* Healthful Interior
Environment.
* Energy Efficiency.
* Ecologically Benign
Materials.
* Environmental Form.
* Good Design.

The Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research

University of Toronto
Benisch and Architect Alliance Architects

Healthful Interior Environment.

* All possible measures are to be
taken to ensure that materials and
building systems do not emit toxic
substances and gasses into the
interior atmosphere. Additional
measures are to be taken to clean
and revitalize interior air with
filtration and plantings.

Cambridge City Hall

Diamond Schmitt Architects
Cambridge, Ontario
LEEDTM Gold
 Energy Efficiency.
* All possible measures are to be taken to ensure that the building's use
of energy is minimal. Cooling, heating and lighting systems are to use
methods and products that conserve or eliminate energy use.

CMHC Healthy House Stratus Winery

Martin Leifhebber Architect Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario
(Breathe Architects) Les Andrew Architect
Toronto, Ontario LEEDTM Silver

Ecologically Benign Materials.

* All possible measures are to be taken to use building materials and products
that minimize destruction of the global environment. Wood is to be selected
based on non destructive forestry practices. Other materials and products
are to be considered based on the toxic waste output of production.

Jackson Triggs Winery Mountain Equipment Coop

Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario Winnipeg, Manitoba
KPMB Architects Prairie Architects
 Environmental Form.
* All possible measures are to be taken to relate the form and plan of the
design to the site, the region and the climate. Measures are to be taken to
"heal" and augment the ecology of the site. Accommodations are to be
made for recycling and energy efficiency. Measures are to be taken to
relate the form of building to a harmonious relationship between the
inhabitants and nature.

YMCA Environmental Learning Centre

Paradise Lake, Ontario
Charles Simon Architect

Good Design.
* All possible measures are to be taken to achieve an efficient, long lasting and
elegant relationship of use areas, circulation, building form, mechanical systems
and construction technology. Symbolic relationships with appropriate history,
the Earth and spiritual principles are to be searched for and expressed. Finished
buildings shall be well built, easy to use and beautiful.

White Rock Operations Centre, White Rock, BC Glen Eagles Recreation Centre, Vancouver, BC
Busby and Associates Patkau Architects
LEEDTM Gold
 Your ecological footprint
If we are not going to be part of the PROBLEM.
We are going to learn how to be part of the SOLUTION!

Project #1: Calculate your

ecological footprint. How many
planets are YOU using nowJ.

What is an ecological footprint?

It is a measure of our consumption

and/or emissions as a result of our
lifestyle.
Source: http://www.cycleoflife.ca/kids/education.htm

The bottom line is

SMALLER IS BETTER! Calculating your ecological footprint

J can naturally extend to an
understanding of your carbon
footprint
The relative consumption patterns across the planet earth.

www.zerofootprint.net
"Future generation is the most important" ---
Confucius.
Sustainable development is seeking to meet
the needs of the present without
compromising those of future generations.
"It's not easy being green." --
Kermit the Frog, 1972.

Presentation Summary
In this presentation, we discussed:
The Definition of Sustainable Design
Why is this important
Global warming
The role of buildings in the environment
The inclusive nature of sustainable design