East Coast Green - Session Descriptions

East Coast Green is offering over 30 continuing education sessions focused around individual topics tracks throughout the conference.

Below is a detail of one of the courses. To see full course listing and times go back to Speaker Schedule.

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FR17C2
Friday, September 17, 2010, 11:15 am - 12:15 pm

Codifying Sustainable Design - The Benefits and Issues with Green Building Codes and Requirements
1.0 HSW/SD LU Hours - Approved
1.0 USGBC CEU Hours - Approved

This presentation examines the limits of green building codes and explores some of the successes of recent green building ordinances and guidelines, as well as the challenges with codifying workable green strategies. After starting with a brief description of some recent statutory and regulatory efforts, including ASHRAE Standard 189.1 and its uses, the speakers will use case studies to point out some issues that have arisen with particular green building projects. In particular, the speakers will note where some low impact buildings have pushed the limits of existing codes, and also note where the codes have hindered, rather than assisted, good, sustainable design. The presentation will include a discussion of the issues with developing prescriptive and guiding standards to reduce the impacts of buildings and produce a truly sustainable, well-designed, built environment.

Through the lens of the presenters, an architect and an environmental attorney who have worked on both the west and east coasts, the audience will gain further familiarity with the wide range of issues addressed by the sustainable building movement - land use, building design, and construction strategies. This will be an exploration of the optimal means for local governments to promote the goal of reducing the impacts of the built environment on the surrounding ecosystem. The presentation will necessarily include a discussion of the benefits and uses of Standard 189.1, with a focus on issues unique to the eastern region, but this is not the sole focus of the presentation.

Speakers:

Karen Donovan
Attorney,
East Bay Municipal Utility District
Robert Aydlett, AIA, LEEDap
Owner,
Aydlett Architecture and Research

Program Description: Building codes have been around practically as long as buildings and have evolved with the primary goal of safeguarding public health, safety, and general welfare. Recently, however, many states and local governments have realized the benefits of developing standards that go beyond the traditional requirements, emphasizing the significant public health and welfare gains to be realized by encouraging the design, construction, and maintenance of buildings that are more energy efficient, resource efficient, healthier, and durable - in other words, more sustainable.

Carbon neutrality is one benefit to be achieved from sustainable building requirements, but the goals are more wide-reaching, touching on aspects of land use, building design, and construction strategies. Local community efforts have taken a wide range of approaches, with some establishing prescriptive requirements, others promoting goals or performance criteria, and others providing incentives to achieve a more sustainable and environmentally-friendly built environment.

This presentation examines the limits of green building codes and the challenges with codifying green strategies. The presenters will emphasize in particular a few topic areas included in Standard 189.1 - sustainable sites, water use efficiency, construction and operations, and building impact on atmosphere, materials, and resources.

Using case studies, this presentation will explore how, at the local level, working through building codes, communities can promote integrated, sustainable building design in a manner that achieves sustainability goals, while promoting lasting, pleasing design.