“Sustainable Building Systems And Construction For Designers” by Lisa M. Tucker Chapter 1(pages ) Quotations are from the book itself. The setting for the work of interior designers is a building. “The design and construction of a building is a complex process and involves many different people.” The traditional way that a building was designed is best described as ‘linear’, meaning that the different disciplines involved, such as architects, engineers, interior designers, code officials, contractors, et cetera, generally did not interact with each other in a team-like manner. Each discipline did its part, and then passed the drawings, specifications, and other information on to the next discipline.

Environment and Design Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) A LEED Accredited Professional is someone who has passed the LEED exam. The U.S. Green Building Council

In addition to the USGBC, and LEED, there are many other organizations that have been created to provide ratings of environmental aspects of materials, processes, and products used in the construction of buildings. See pages 6 & 7, and 12 & 13, of the text for some of these. There are also guiding principles that have been articulated by various groups as a way to define and structure what ‘environmentalism’ is about. See pages of the text for some of these.

Professionals involved in the design and construction of a building Owner: the person paying for the project General contractor: the person who oversees and coordinates the construction of a project. Engineer: the person who designs and specifies the structural components of a building, called a structural engineer, the mechanical components, called a mechanical engineer, and the electrical components of a building, called an electrical engineer.

Architect: a legally regulated term that cannot be used by an individual who is not licensed. Every state in the U.S. regulates the licensing of architects. Interior Designer: interior design is regulated in approximately 25 states in the U.S. Ohio, for example, does not regulate the use of the title ‘interior designer’.

Chapter 2: Site Considerations and Foundations “A building is comprised of multiple building systems that all work together and must be carefully coordinated.” These include structural systems, mechanical systems, (plumbing, mechanical, and electrical) the enclosure system, and the interior system. The architect is responsible for locating the building on the site. This process might also include a landscape architect, and a civil engineer. Site considerations include: Regulatory Aesthetic Environmental Natural Man-made

How the site impacts the interior. Sun: solar orientation is the altitude, (height above the horizon), and azimuth, (position relative to north, south, east, west), locations of the sun during the course of the day. Well designed buildings, and interior spaces, take the relationship with the sun into consideration. Wind, Cold, and Rain: thermal comfort is very important, and preventing water from penetrating a building’s skin is critical. Views: the interior design needs to respond to the views, and the sunlight, provided by windows.

Foundation Systems The foundation carries all of the loads in a building, safely to the ground. There are many different types of foundation systems, but they can be classified as either shallow foundations, or deep foundations. Shallow foundations include: slab on grade, crawl spaces, basements Deep foundations include: piles and caissons.

Is a new building needed at all? The most ‘sustainable’, environmental, building, is one that already exists. An existing building does not further impact the land, or the resources required to bring water, sewer, and power to the building. ‘Brownfield’ sites are land areas designated by the EPA, or other agency, as being in need of some form of remediation (clean up) due to previous contamination/pollution. Using brownfield sites preserves undeveloped land that may be better left in a natural, undisturbed, state. Water is an expensive, and sometimes rare, commodity. Whitewater: potable (drinkable) water: drinking water has to be processed, cleaned, and made safe to drink. This costs money.

Graywater: suitable for flushing toilets, but not for drinking. Gray water may come from washing machines, dishwashers, sinks, et cetera. Blackwater: raw sewage: this must be processed before it can be used. There are many different ways to process sewage and used water. A city sewage treatmant plant is a common, industrial scale, expensive, and chemical intensive, way of treating sewage. A ‘Living Machine’ is an alternative waste treatment system that mimics a natural wetland environment. It uses natural materials to filter, and natural bacteria to break down the sewage.

Chapter 3: Structural Systems Interior designers do not design structural systems, but they must recognize a building’s structure and know when an engineer or architect is required on a project. Interior designers provide a broad range of services to their clients, as described on pages of the text. The purpose of a structural system is to carry building loads to the ground. Structural systems can be divided into three types: Bearing wall Structural frame Stud wall Structural systems are usually built of: Wood, Steel, Masonry/Concrete.

Structural systems are usually designed to provide: Stability Strength and stiffness Economy The weight of a building and its contents are described as being either: live loads (loads that move, such as people and furnishings) dead loads (loads that do not move, such as the building itself, and other non- moving contents, such as permanent bookshelves and built in counters)