That article below I posted on the top ten green buildings actually had a linked case study to one of the buildings, so I decided to read into it and do a little analysis of why it was at the top of the list. The Center is a meeting place and archives center in the name and death place of the founder of the modern conservation movement.
Immediately visible is that this building received a highest Platinum level rating in LEED with 61 points, so they went above and beyond as only 52 points is required for Platinum and 69 is the most possible.
The design greatly minimizes energy and water use, but those most interesting aspect to me was that the construction was based on obtaining materials directly from the site. The construction process was then very different, as all woodwork and material fabrication was done completely on site. It was also very dependent on volunteer work, which I'm sure made the process frustrating for any planner, but was central in the effort to involve the community as much as possible. Also, 95% of the construction material was recycled. I wonder how hard it is to organize an effort like that, as waste is very, very apparent on any construction site. But on a small project like this I'm sure it was easy to keep track of the material, and if everyone is of a single mindset of the goal of the project (as the volunteers would be), it could be easy.
This underlines the point that if the workers, the employees on the lowest level and on the frontline, that construction could be much more environmental friendly.
1 comment:
i wonder if saving the wood trimmings, chipping them, and using them as mulch counts as "recycling" if so, they probably had some plastic from purchased materials (wraps, tubes of caulk, etc.) that were the bulk of their waste
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