What impact can one building have on the environment?

More than you might think. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, buildings in the United States consume more than 30% of the country's total energy and more than 60% of our electricity annually. Five billion gallons of potable water are used each day to flush toilets.

A typical North American commercial construction project generates up to 2.5 pounds of solid waste per square foot of floor space. Furthermore, buildings are a major source of the pollutants that cause urban air quality problems and contribute to climate change, accounting for 35% of carbon dioxide emissions, 49% of sulfur dioxide emissions, 25% of nitrous oxide emissions, and 10% of particulate emissions.

In light of these statistics, building with an eye toward environmental responsibility seems obvious. Green building practices can substantially reduce the negative environmental impacts associated with buildings and reverse the trend of unsustainable construction activities. But that is only part of the story. Green design also reduces energy use and operating costs, enhances marketability, improves occupant productivity, and helps create sustainable communities.

So, what impact can one building have on the environment? The Simmons College School of Management and Academic Building, located on Simmons's academic campus, is a state-of-the-art "green" facility that was conceived and realized as a truly sustainable project. This academic building provides office and teaching space in a five-story, 66,500 square-foot building. This is Simmons's first building constructed in accordance with the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards, a set of stringent sustainability specifications that represents a national standard for development of high-performance, sustainable, and energy-efficient buildings. LEED guidelines rate a project in several categories, including Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy & Atmosphere, Materials & Resources, Indoor Environmental Quality, and Innovation & Design. The new building is seeking a LEED Silver certification rating.

In many cases, the building project team not only met the strict criteria for achieving LEED requirements, but also exceeded them, through innovative approaches to incorporating green design methodologies. The design elements and green technologies used in the construction of the School of Management and Academic Building demonstrate Simmons's commitment to sustainability and the environment. They also show just how much of a positive impact one building can have.

Sustainable Sites

Overview

Building development and construction processes are often destructive to local ecologies. These activities can encroach on productive agricultural land, reduce open space, and impact resident vegetation and wildlife. Storm water runoff from developed areas can pollute water in receiving areas and harm aquatic life. When considering site alternatives, it is important to consider environmental impact throughout the site selection process.

Sustainable Site Strategies

  • The building site was once a large surface parking lot that required an extensive drainage system to control the rainwater runoff that would collect oil and debris before entering the storm water system. Relocating the parking underground has made this space available for a landscaped quadrangle for recreation, reflection, and repose with the added benefit of naturally absorbing and filtering rainwater, thus greatly reducing the impact on the storm water system.
  • The roof of the new building is covered with a white, high albedo roof membrane that reflects heat, thus minimizing the mechanical loads that require significant energy to cool the building during the summer months and minimizing the heat island effect (thermal gradient differences between developed and undeveloped areas). In addition, a 3,648-square-foot rooftop patio will have a 1,900 square-foot green, landscaped grass and sedum cover to help absorb rainwater and cool the floor below.
  • Simmons College is located within close proximity to the subway and on several major bus routes, providing easy access to public transportation. To also encourage use of alternate transportation, bike racks have been upgraded in various, convenient locations across campus.

Water Efficiency

Overview

In the United States, approximately 340 billion gallons of fresh water are withdrawn per day from rivers, streams, and reservoirs to support residential, commercial, industrial, agricultural, and recreational activities. This accounts for about one-quarter of the nation's total supply of renewable fresh water. Almost 65% of this water is discharged to rivers, streams, and other water bodies after it is used. Americans currently extract 3,700 billion gallons per year more than they return to the natural water system to recharge aquifers and other water sources, creating a deficit that is impacting our long-term water supply and associated ecosystems.

Water Efficiency Strategies

  • Each bathroom in the new building is equipped with low-flow sensor faucets that use 0.5 gallons per minute versus a standard 2.5 gallons per minute, as well as "dual-flush" toilets that offer the user a choice of either 1.1 gallons per flush or 1.6 gallons per flush. As a result, water use is 34% more efficient than a typical building of this size and type. The net effect of equipping each bathroom with these high-efficiency fixtures is an overall savings of more than 270,000 gallons of water each year, which also leads to 270,000 fewer gallons per year that are required to be treated as waste water.

Energy & Atmosphere

Overview

Buildings consume approximately 37% of the energy and 68% of the electricity produced in the United States annually. Combustion of fossil fuels produces about 75% of the country's energy. Production of electricity through the use of fossil fuels, such as oil and coal, requires extraction, transportation, refining, power generation, and distribution processes that result in a variety of adverse environmental impacts. It is worth noting that in New England the energy-use mix is approximately 80% fossil fuel. The remaining 20% is derived from a combination of nuclear fission and renewable sources such as wind farms.

It is widely known that conventional fossil fuel-based methods of generating electricity are major contributors to global climate change. Until alternatives to conventional fossil fuel-based electricity generation advance to the point where they are both safer and more effective, the best way to reduce the impact of this energy production on the environment is to find ways to reduce energy use overall.

Energy & Atmosphere Strategies

  • One of the greatest triumphs is that the new building uses almost 38% less energy than a typical building of the same size and type. This remarkable energy reduction has been accomplished through a number of building energy efficiency measures. A significantly more efficient building exterior features a white, Energy Star™ roofing material to reflect heat during the summer and an innovative polyurethane spray foam insulation/air and vapor barrier assembly that was comprehensively applied to the exterior wall.
  • In addition, the mechanical systems and equipment throughout the garage and building were designed and selected for energy efficiency. The garage ventilation fans are controlled by a carbon monoxide monitoring system that turns the fans on and off, depending on the level of carbon monoxide concentration, rather than running the fans continuously during occupied hours. The outdoor air supplied to the building's central station air handling units is controlled by carbon dioxide sensors located throughout the building, which monitor how much outdoor air is needed for occupant comfort. System energy use is reduced by not having to heat and cool outdoor air when not required.
  • Variable air volume boxes also help to regulate the flow of air to occupant spaces. Lastly, all the HVAC and fire-suppression systems are specified with zero use of harmful refrigerants to avoid further ozone depletion.
  • Daylighting occupancy sensors tell the already-efficient indoor light fixtures to dim when there is sufficient sunlight entering the building and to turn off when there is no one in the room.
  • Variable frequency drives located on all hot and chilled water pumps and on the central station air handling systems optimize energy efficiency of that equipment. To further minimize energy consumption, heating and cooling systems are controlled electronically to allow temperatures to be set based on occupancy.
  • In all, these measures account for an anticipated savings of about 300,000 kilowatt hours per year—the equivalent energy use of about 30 typical homes. To put this in financial terms, this reduction in energy use will save Simmons close to $60,000 a year in energy costs.

Materials & Resources

Overview

Building materials are a key consideration in sustainable design because the extraction, processing, and transportation activities involved in their manufacture and distribution pollute air and water, destroy natural habitats, and deplete natural resources. Construction and demolition waste constitutes about 40% of the country's total solid waste stream.

Materials & Resources Strategies

  • To minimize the environmental impact of construction, the project team meticulously tracked the waste that was removed from the site to ensure that approximately 92% of it was diverted from a landfill and either recycled or reused. This accounted for more than 2,600 tons, or about 5 million pounds of waste, that would otherwise have been shipped to a landfill. Furthermore, at least 10% of the content of all materials used in the building come from recycled material, and 36% of all building materials were manufactured within a 500-mile radius to minimize the environmental impact of transporting and shipping.
  • In addition, more than 80% of the wood used in the building is certified in accordance with the Forest Stewardship Council's Principles and Criteria. FSC certification is a "seal of approval" awarded to forest managers who adopt environmentally and socially responsible forest management practices and to companies that manufacture and sell products made from FSC-certified wood.
  • Simmons is encouraging users of the building to take recycling seriously by providing dedicated recycling stations on each floor so users can responsibly dispose of paper, corrugated cardboard, glass, plastics, and metals. These materials are subsequently collected and organized at a central recycling zone on the first floor by maintenance staff for proper discharge to an offsite recycling facility.

Indoor Environmental Quality

Overview

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, Americans spend an average of 90% of their time indoors, where levels of pollutants may be two to five times—and occasionally more than 100 times—higher than outdoor levels. The World Health Organization states that most of an individual's daily exposure to many air pollutants comes through inhalation of indoor air. Many of these pollutants can cause health reactions in the estimated 17 million Americans who suffer from asthma and 40 million who have allergies, thus contributing to millions of days absent from school and work. Major health disasters, such as outbreaks of Legionnaires' disease and sick building syndrome, have heightened awareness of the importance of indoor air quality for building owners and occupants alike. Other indoor environmental factors include access to sunlight, views to the outside, and thermal and acoustical comfort. Studies show that indoor environmental quality significantly impacts occupants' mood, cognitive retention, health, and productivity.

Indoor Environmental Quality Strategies

  • Numerous strategies have been employed to ensure indoor air quality and the comfort of the building users. During construction, all mechanical equipment and ductwork was covered to prevent construction dust and debris from entering these systems, and the entire heating and cooling system was specially ventilated and substantially "flushed out" before occupants moved in to clear the air of any residual construction particles and off-gassing of new building materials. CO2 monitors also were placed throughout the building to ensure consistent air quality and comfort.
  • All indoor materials were specified to contain low or no volatile organic compounds (VOCs), substances commonly found in paints, adhesives, and carpets that contribute prominently to smog generation and air pollution outdoors and adversely affect the well-being of occupants indoors. Storage areas that house chemicals or pollutants, such as housekeeping closets, are specially ventilated to avoid exposing building occupants to fumes.

Innovation & Design

Overview

The U.S. Green Building Council, which oversees all LEED certification awards, has established a new category, Innovation & Design, for project teams that achieve innovative and exceptional design or significantly exceed the standard requirements established in the LEED Green Building Rating System™.

Innovation & Design Strategies

  • Four of the innovative strategies employed in the School of Management and Academic Building qualify for Innovation & Design credits.
  • In the regional Materials category, the project achieved 25% locally extracted materials overall, which earned an innovation credit for more than doubling the requirements. In the Innovation & Design category, the project achieved a fourth innovation point for installing Greenguard (third-party certification systems) furniture and seating throughout the project.
  • One Innovation & Design credit is available to any project with a team member who has passed the LEED exam and, as a result, is LEED accredited. On this project, there were seven project team members who are LEED accredited. The project also received an innovation credit for doubling the requirements for reducing heat islands by locating all new parking spaces underground. This effect reduces heat absorption on the campus quad.
  • Creating a building as environmentally responsible as the School of Management and Academic Building is a significant undertaking that requires a sincere commitment to the principles of sustainability by all those who have contributed to its design, construction, and future use.

The following team members should be recognized for their commitment to the success of this project:

  • Simmons College, in particular the School of Management Planning Committee
  • Cannon Design, Architect—Mechanical, Electrical Plumbing and Structural Engineer
  • Nitsch Engineering—Civil Engineers
  • Crosby Small Schlessinger—Landscape Architects
  • Lee Kennedy Co., Inc.—Construction Managers
  • Kalin Associates—Green Specification Consultant
  • Richard Moore Environmental Consultant—LEED Project Administrator

This information is part of the Green Building Education program designed to educate a broad audience about sustainable design, especially the sustainable solutions integrated into the project.