Talking with your Designer and Contractor about Building Green

An excerpt from “The World at Home: A Household Guide to Building”
By Laura McCarthy, Program Associate
 Citizens’ Environmental Coalition, 2007 www.cectoxic.org

Before you begin talking to architects and contractors about your building project, it’s important that you have a firm grasp of what you and your family want, not only in terms of the finished product, but throughout the process itself. 

Here is a list of questions, formulated by architect Jodi Smits-Anderson of Collins + Scoville Architects, P.C., which will better help all involved parties to understand what kind of  “green” or sustainability a specific project will work to achieve. The answers will help you balance your priorities and should then be accommodated in the program, so at each phase review the architect and owner can make sure they are meeting the green objectives!

Don’t start by asking yourself: “Do I want a green building?”  This inadvertently suggests that you can treat sustainability as an add-on process.  If sustainability is the real deal (and it is!) it needs to be a part of every project in some way and it should be as natural to all of us as breathing. The rest of the green building guide will give you a great starting place for talking more with professionals about your building choices. 

Energy and Water

Do you want to improve your energy performance 50% (or any other % goal) over code?

Do you want to maximize the “free” stuff the site offers – sun, wind, water, and shading? This entails starting with planning the building and your use needs around those elements.

Do you want to look into alternate energy production such as wind or PV?  If so, do you want to be off the grid? Do you want to feed the grid and generate power on-site?

Do you want to produce enough power to be “safe” in times of system outages?  This might mean designing in a battery back-up system that is fed by renewable energy production.

Can you consider eliminating mechanical cooling (or minimizing mechanical cooling) from the design?  Do you feel comfortable with opening windows for ventilation in the summer months?  Do you have security issues related to this?  Do you need direct connection between window operation and mechanical systems to reduce heat losses?

Do you have any concerns about glazing and sun glare?  Are there any items that need protection from fading such as museum prints or other artwork?

To what extent do you want to reduce operations and maintenance costs through choosing long-lasting, high efficiency systems (with possible higher up-front cost) and materials that are durable?

To what extent do you want to focus on site and potable water use reduction? This can mean adding low flow fixtures and using grey water for flushing toilets.
 
Do you want to incorporate a water catchment system to reduce runoff and provide water for landscaping?

Materials and Toxins

Do you want to eliminate toxins from building materials?  Do you or members of your family have chemical sensitivities, eczema, or asthma?  Express your concerns about indoor air quality to your architect or builder and talk both about purchasing building materials, finishes and furnishings that are low-emitting and about providing an adequate amount of ventilation.
Can you store all fuel burning equipment (cars, lawnmowers, etc) away from this building? Or better, can you work to eliminate these items?

To what degree are you interested in incorporating natural building materials, like straw bale insulation or cordwood construction, into your home? 

Do you want to source materials locally whenever possible to promote local production? Similarly, what is the maximum distance that you would be willing to ship environmentally preferable products to your building site?  Many green builders recommend buying the majority of materials from within a 500 mile radius to reduce embodied energy through transportation; however this is not always possible when limited manufacturers may offer products you want to use.

Are you interested in sourcing materials from reuse centers and salvage yards whenever possible?  See the end of our new guide for a list of sources for reclaimed materials in NY.

Do you want to procure FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified lumber for projects using wood?

Do you want to work to minimize material use?  This is best achieved by reducing layers of finish, for example: stained concrete flooring and elimination of suspended ceiling to expose structure and services.

During home renovations and building, do you want to salvage and donate all reusable building supplies and make sure to recycle construction and demolition debris? Make it clear that you want to reduce, reuse and recycle as much as possible so that your building team will help you eliminate extra landfill waste.  This may mean hiring a deconstruction crew rather than a demolition crew for remodeling.

Space Use, Appearance and Purpose

Do you want us to work towards reducing your footprint on the site (without sacrificing use requirements)? This might mean combining several uses in one space if applicable or exploring building more than one story.

Is it possible to improve usage ratios for all the spaces of your building?  For example, this might entail having a guest room that functions as an office for 90% of the time and as a guest room for 10%.

Are you interested in built-in furniture, such as window seats, or shelves and storage that can maximize usable space?

To what extent would you like to work with and maximize the existing landscape and vegetation? For example, you may like to save the topsoil, dig up perennials, shrubs and trees that would otherwise be harmed, build driveways and entrances that align with the natural topography, and even build your home partially into a hill.

Do you want to use your home or building to educate visitors or students learning about sustainability?  This can mean building in a way that allows occupants to see the building materials - for example, a straw bale home can have a peek-through window or “door” allowing people to see how it was made.

Do you want to be “stealth” or do you want to shout out about the greenness of the home?  This may also depend on the location, as some homes must be built to fit into existing neighborhoods or buildings.

Is it important to you to earn a LEED (leadership in energy and environmental design) for homes rating to prove that it is green?