|
The limits of my language are the limits of my mind. All I know is what I have words for.
- Ludwig Wittgenstein
- Building Envelope
- The elements of a building that enclose conditioned spaces through which thermal energy transfers to or from unconditioned spaces, like outside the building.
- Charrette
- A short and intensive design process that usually involves people from different backgrounds and disciplines in order to gain an integrated and broad perspective of issues at hand. The charrette process consists of focused workshop(s) which take place in the early phase of the design process. All project team members meet together to exchange ideas, encouraging generation of integrated design solutions.
- Chlorofluorocarbons (CFC's )
- A family of chemicals used in refrigeration, air conditioning, packaging, insulation, or as solvents and aerosol propellants. Because CFC's are not destroyed in the lower atmosphere they drift into the upper atmosphere where their chlorine components destroy the earth's protective ozone layer.
- Commissioning
- Total Building Commissioning (TBC) is defined by the National Institute of Building Sciences as the systematic process of ensuring that the performance of the facility and its systems meet the design intent and the owner/occupant functional and operational needs. TBC should: 1) effectively document the design intent; 2) identify and perform tests that show that the whole building and its systems meet the owner's functional requirements; and 3) provide a comprehensive and appropriate basis for training building operations and maintenance personnel. TBC guidelines should address all major building systems.
- Daylighting
- A method of illuminating building interiors with natural light so that the use of artificial lighting is reduced in the day time. Common daylighting strategies include the proper orientation and placement of windows, use of light wells, light shafts or tubes, skylights, clerestory windows, light shelves, reflective surfaces, and shading, and the use of interior glazing to allow light into adjacent spaces.
- Ecological Footprint
- The ecological impact of human activities as measured in terms of the area of biologically productive land and water required to produce the goods consumed and to assimilate the wastes generated.
- Embodied Energy
- A representation of the energy used to grow, harvest, extract, manufacture, transport, and dispose of a material.
- Energy modeling
- A computer model that analyzes the building's energy-related features in order to project energy consumption of a given design.
- Environmental champion
- An energetic person who has environmental experience and knowledge who is willing and able to lead a group in a environmentally responsible direction.
- Formaldehyde
- Colorless, pungent smelling, toxic material used as an adhering component of glues in many wood products. It can cause respiratory problems, cancer, and chemical sensitivity.
- Greenhouse Gases
- Chemical compounds in Earth's atmosphere that allow sunlight to enter the atmosphere freely. When sunlight strikes the Earth's surface, some of it is reflected back towards space as infrared radiation (heat). Greenhouse gases absorb this infrared radiation and trap the heat in the atmosphere. Many gases exhibit these “greenhouse” properties. Some of them are water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide, and gases used for aerosols.
- Harvested rainwater
- The rain that falls on a roof and is channeled by gutters to a storage tank or cistern. The uses of this water are dependent on any pollutants that may be picked up from the roof surface.
- Hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC)
- HCFCs are generally less detrimental to depletion of stratospheric ozone than chlorofluorocarbons. HCFCs are generally used to replace CFC's where mandates require CFC's to be eliminated. A total ban on all CFC's and HCFCs is scheduled effective 2030.
- Integrated Design
- An approach where the design of each system takes into account and balances the design of other systems. Often an interdisciplinary approach, integrated design should begin at the earliest stage of a project with a guiding set of principles.
- Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)
- The LEED Green Building Rating System, created by the U.S. Green Building Council, (link to www.usgbc.org ) is a set of performance standards where credits are earned for satisfying each criterion. The standards are based on accepted energy and environmental principles and aims to achieve a balance between known effective practices and emerging concepts. Four levels of LEED certification are possible; depending on the number of criteria met, and indicate increasingly high performance building practices:
- LEED Certified 26-32 points
- LEED Silver 33-38 points
- LEED Gold 39-51 points
- LEED Platinum 52+ points
-
-
- Living Machine
- An ecologically-engineered waste water treatment system. It is a s olar-powered, accelerated version of the water treatment facilities found in mature natural systems. Incorporating helpful microbes, plants, snails and fish into diverse, self-organizing and responsive communities, Living Machine Systems are site-specific, biological solutions that re-route waste streams into resources.
- Life cycle assessment
- The comprehensive examination of a product's environmental and economic aspects and potential impacts throughout its lifetime, including raw material extraction, transportation, manufacturing, use, and disposal.
- Life cycle cost
- The amortized annual cost of a product, including capital costs, installation costs, operating costs, maintenance costs, and disposal costs discounted over the lifetime of a product. (not to be confused with life cycle assessment, above, which is more in-depth)
- Off-gas
- The emitting of fumes into the air; there are numerous building materials that have chemicals in them which off-gas, when exposed to high temperatures, moisture and/or ozone levels.
- Photovoltaics
- Photovoltaics (PV's) are solid-state cells, typically made from silicon, that directly convert sunlight into electricity. An active solar system component.
- Precautionary Principle
- One of the most important expressions of the precautionary principle internationally is the Rio Declaration from the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, also known as Agenda 21. The declaration stated: “In order to protect the environment, the precautionary approach shall be widely applied by States according to their capabilities. Where there are threats of serious or irreversible damage, lack of full scientific certainty shall not be used as a reason for postponing cost-effective measures to prevent environmental degradation.”
- Sick buildings syndrome (SBS)
- SBS is used to describe situations in which building occupants experience acute health and comfort effects that appear to be linked to time spent in a building, but no specific illness or cause can be identified. Causes include inadequate ventilation, and chemical or biological contaminants. Building occupants complain of symptoms associated with acute discomfort, e.g., headache; eye, nose, or throat irritation; dry cough; dry or itchy skin; dizziness and nausea; difficulty in concentrating; fatigue; and sensitivity to odors.
- Sustainable
- Of, relating to, or being a method of harvesting or using a resource so that the resource is not depleted or permanently damaged. 2. Relating to a human activity that can be sustained over the long term, without adversely affecting the environmental conditions (soil conditions, water quality, climate) necessary to support those same activities in the future. www.iteawww.org/TAA/Glossary.htm
- Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
VOCs are chemicals that contain carbon molecules and are volatile enough to evaporate from material surfaces into indoor air at normal room temperatures (referred to as off-gassing). Examples of building materials that may contain VOCs include, but are not limited to: solvents, paints, adhesives, carpeting and particleboard. Signs or symptoms of VOC exposure may include eye and upper respiratory irritation, nasal congestion, headache and dizziness. (low-VOC means fewer VOC in product)
- Whole Building Design
- Whole Building design considers all building components and systems during the design phase and integrates them to work together. The whole-building philosophy considers site, energy, materials, indoor air quality, acoustics, natural resources, and their interrelation.
|