“green” vs. “sustainable”… what do they actually mean?

The words “sustainable” and “green” are both buzzwords often used interchangeably. Up until I took an Environmental Studies class last semester, I wasn’t completely clear on the distinctions between them. From a designer’s point of view, however, the distinctions are critical to understand an otherwise hackneyed movement in architecture and design.

First, let’s look at “sustainable.” A sustainable product lowers pressure on the environment by using renewable or sustainably produced materials. A sustainably produced material, in turn,  is one that doesn’t pollute, destroy or erode the environment in which it is gathered or produced, and one that doesn’t permanently reduce the supply.

“Green,” on the other hand, refers to products that function so efficiently and/or strategically as to cause reduced or minimal impact on the environment. Specifically, green design minimizes waste, fuel, and other potentially unnecessary resources that go into construction. Usually, buildings are “green,” but not sustainable. However, there are a few out there that are both. Oberlin College’s Lewis Center, for example, employs its own water treatment system, features scores of solar panels on its roof, and uses geothermal wells to heat and cool the building.

Of course, the term “green” has also come to be known as something too that’s politically liberal, but here at KSDG, we believe that caring about the health of the environment and the people in it shouldn’t be restricted to one political party or another, don’t you?

-Caroline

architects! use the energy star target finder

Here Kevin Stephens Design Group, we’re always searching for new systems to save energy and measure the savings. It’s good for the planet, and good for the pocketbook. We’re a full-service design, construction management, architecture, and sustainability retrofitting firm, so these guides help us do our job better.

One tool we’ve found is Energy Star’s “Target Finder”, a free online tool that enables architects and building owners to set an energy performance target, compare estimated energy consumption to that target, and receive an EPA score and reduction percentage for the estimated whole building energy use.

EPA scores, based on standards of the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy, are calculated by considering all energy consumption associated with a given project, from construction to long term maintenance. EPA scores range from 1 – 100, and projects that earn a score of 75 or higher are eligible for Energy Star certification.

In addition to the EPA score, users also receive strategies on how to  achieve  an energy-efficient design as well as an estimate of annual energy use and its associated costs. Target Finder teaches architects to set realistic goals for energy use, and to examine a variety of ways to minimize energy consumption. As a growing number of national and regional initiatives require an EPA score before moving forward on any given project, Target Finder will hopefully make green design the standard in modern architecture.

-Caroline

a vertical forest inside a city of gardens: “bosco verticale”

I’m fascinated by something called the Garden City Movement of the early 20th century, and was intrigued when I heard about this similar sustainable urban restructuring plan in present day by Stefano Boeri. Currently under construction in Milan, “Bosco Verticale” is comprised of two apartment towers with giant cantilevered balconies that accommodate a vertical forest.

The forest includes approximately 900 trees as well as a plenitude of shrubbery and other floral vegetation, and has a flattened footprint of about 10,000 square meters. Each apartment has a balcony enveloped by a lush garden which is irrigated by  filtered grey water produced by the building.

Not only have solar and wind energy systems been built into the structure to increase energetic self-sufficiency, but these forested patios also create microclimates that require less energy to heat and cool. These microclimates are a result of the forest’s humidity and oxygen production, carbon dioxide and dust absorption , and protection from direct sunlight. The biodiversity of the plants within this forest in addition to the attraction of birds and insects hope to create a self-sufficient ecosystem. Bosco Verticale is the first element in Boeri’s urban project BioMilano, a proposal for a green belt around Milan that would restore 60 abandoned farms on the outskirts to community use.

-Caroline

how do you spell green revolution? C-o-n-X-t-e-c-h

When you hear of a 101,000 square foot, steel reinforced data center built in nine days, you’d think it unfeasible. Then when you hear about a 10 story steel tower built in three days, you’d have to think “impossible.” These two extraordinary feats have one thing in common: ConXtech, a Hayward-based technology company that manufactures prefabricated steel space frame systems.

Their modular systems are comprised of wide flange beams, HSS (or box columns,) and ConXR or ConXL connectors, allowing for mass-customization and configuration. With a ConX system, architects can select the structural grid early on in the design process, saving time that otherwise would have been spent designing around certain structural constraints.

Dimensional accuracy also enables various architectural elements such as curtain systems, stairs, and balconies to be attached to the framework. ConX systems also allow for seismically sound, higher buildings as a result of their unique moment connection with bolted collar systems. ConXtech’s cost effective systems have already been employed for projects at Burning Man (where five people assembled a ten story building in five days in the middle of the desert), Stanford Law School, and the Coronado U.S. Naval Base.

What makes ConX systems so green is their decreased overall tonnage, collapse resistance, and energy and material efficiency. I guess this just goes to show that with maximum efficiency, anything is possible.

Cool, huh?

-Caroline

futuristic sustainable living with the hover home!

Hello blogosphere!

Hover House 3 is an innovative model for sustainable living.

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the FLOAT House – an innovative design that allows homes to “float” in cases of flooding and sea level rise. While making your house able to float on water is cool, how about a hovering house? Glen Irani Architects has worked to design the aesthetically flawless and energy efficient “Hover House 3.”

Located in Los Angeles, the goal of the house is to hover the building structure over outdoor living space in order to maximize the amount of outdoor square footage a property has in an tightly fit urban location.

These hovering structures also reduce indoor floor area significantly, which help lower building costs and consumption of dwindling building resources. The home also boasts large windows, photovoltaic panels on its roof, and many other sustainability-improved technologies.

Happy Sustainable Living!
- Emily

Composting Toilets – An Alternative to Flushing Away Our Water!

In my last blog, I talked about how water use is a huge problem in our society. Water from toilets is an especially large chunk of our water consumption. So what is a solution? Compostable toilets are one way that we can reduce the amount of water we use.

These toilet systems are water-less,  and use composting methods to turn human waste into a reusable soil additive. Some say that compostable toilets would be like old-fashioned outhouses, but modern designers are doing a lot to develop very advanced compostable toilet systems that don’t resemble (or smell like) outhouses at all!

Left: composting toilet... Right: the hidden parts

The best part of compostable toilets is that not only do they help save water, but they turn our waste into a safe, useful product that can be used to enrich our soil. Many people who already compost and think about sustainable farming – agree that this is the next step. Instead of flushing away our waste into the water supply, it can be returned to the land and made much safer. Let’s work to reuse and revitalize our world with compostable toilets : )

Here are some FAQ’s about composting toilets.

Happy sustainable living!
- emily

Flushing Away the Environment: How Much Damage Do Toilets Cause?

How much water do we each day day, each year? This graphic gives you the answer, and break it down by specific use (Shower, faucet, toilet, clothes washing, other)

Hello Everyone!

The other day in the KSDG office, we were chatting about water use and how crazy it is that we can use so much water so quickly! Things like toilets, showers, and sinks use way more water than necessary. And there’s not a lot of clean water left on the planet.

After thinking about the thousands of gallons of water we waste each day, I decided to look into researching exactly how much water we really do use during our day-to-day activities. Using the data I found, I made the below graphic to illustrate how dependent on water we are for various daily activities.

Who would think that a simple flush could cause so much water to literally go down the drain? The most astonishing part of this graph is the fact that we use so much water for our toilets!

It’s not something we like to talk about or think about–toilets are a taboo subject, but if we’re going to really make a difference environmentally, we have to be willing to face each piece of the equation in sustainability. When building sustainable homes, KSDG is faced with the challenge of ensuring that every part of the home meets sustainable standards – and green-friendly toilets are definitely something KSDG considers when designing homes. We’re on the lookout for the simplest, most aesthetically pleasing solutions to these issues.

Happy sustainable living!
- Emily

Pardee & KSDG: Teaming up for Sustainability Part 3

Here’s the third and final part of Scott Pardee’s discussion of how KSDG and Pardee Construction are reaching economically feasible and sustainably conscious solutions to housing! Read about the other six factors in Parts I and II.

7. Roof Gardens - These innovative gardens are becoming very popular among sustainability-minded households. We have blogged about rooftop gardens on the KSDG blog in the past, and have raved about their environmental benefits. Not only can these gardens be done inexpensively, but they are also drought tolerant and weather resistant when sedum is used as the main garden component. Additionally the plant requires very few resources, so it is an economically viable rooftop garden option.

8. Pervious Paving - Pervious concrete and drivable surfaces offer sustainable options for transportation and parking. Pervious concrete prevents water pollution by allowing water to seep directly through the surface and into the earth below. Drivable surfaces, such as grass parking spaces, also create sustainable spaces with function use for our modern technologies.

9. Breathable Walls  - Using natural materials to create breathable walls allows for effective heating and cooling systems in sustainably conscious housing. Breathable systems also decrease mold accumulation, allowing for healthier living situations.

Pardee & KSDG: Teaming up for Sustainability Part 2

Here’s the second installment of Scott Pardee’s presentation on how Pardee Construction and KSDG and working towards their 3 main goals of sustainabilty. Read about the first three factors and what the goals are in Part I.

4. Adobe Walls - These walls are made from natural building materials, including sand, clay, water, and a supplementary organic material. The durability and thermal conductivity of the material makes adobe walls a natural construction alternative. Similar to rammed earth construction, adobe walls can be used to create effective passive solar structures. These building materials are also attractive because they are local and natural.

5. Joint Tape  –  This adhesion material allows dry wall to be reused, and also offers a tax deduction in Tulsa.

6. Closed Cell Foam - An insulation material that is the most efficient product on the market! Is also can come as a soy-based product, making it a green and natural building material that is also economically productive.

Pardee & KSDG: Teaming up for Sustainability Part 1

Pardee Construction and KSDG are teaming up to work together and achieve 3 goals in sustainability:

1. Highest possible energy efficiency for housing
2. Demonstrate to the local community that sustainable choices can be made based solely on economics
3. Net Zero — for emissions and energy

How? Scott Pardee of Pardee Construction recently presented to Tulsa, Oklahoma’s city planning department just that. In his presentation, Scott highlights some of the choices Pardee Construction and KSDG have been making in order to achieve these goals. Here are the the first 3 of 9 factors Scott highlighted in his presentation:

1. Radiant Barrier - These barriers, made of highly reflective material and installed in attics, re-emit radiant heat rather than absorbing it. As a result, cooling costs are lowered in the summer. An efficient radiant barrier is marked by low emissivity and high reflectivity.

2. Rammed Earth - A building model borrowed from ancient times, rammed earth is a wall construction method that uses the Earth’s raw materials. This method is attractive for sustainability reasons because of the locality of the materials. Since the necessary building elements are often proximal, it takes less energy and resources to get them to the necessary building location. The density, thickness, and thermal conductivity of rammed earth walls also has sustainable benefits and make them a suitable material for passive solar heating.

3. Inter Company Development - This includes community activities like on-site organic gardening and encouraging people to bike or walk to work. A lifestyle of sustainability is a necessary couple to sustainable design!