Page 208 - Green Building Through Integrated Design

184 GETTING STARTED—PREDESIGN CONSIDERATIONS

might have to add more air-conditioning in the future than to design a building too
rigidly for present uses. After all, “long life, loose fit, low energy” is one of the
original definitions of sustainable design.
7 Should we build UP or OUT? There are cases to be made for both; a taller build-
ing tends to have less energy use per square foot of floor space, because there is
less wall area and fewer roofs. A shorter building requires less energy use for ele-
vators, and so on.
8 Are there FAR (Floor to Area Ratio) bonuses for pursuing green buildings or
meeting other civic goals such as “1 percent for Art”, which could affect the pro-
gram of the building?
9 Are there places within the building that would engender a sense of community,
such as gathering places, nature areas, winter gardens, or places of visual relief?
10 For a new project, can we size parking not to exceed local zoning requirements
and provide preferred parking for carpools serving at least five percent of build-
ing occupants?
11 For a renovation project, can we add no new parking and provide preferred park-
ing for carpools serving at least 5 percent of building occupants?
12 Can we provide alternative-fuel (electric, plug-in hybrid, or CNG) refueling sta-
tions for 3 percent of the total vehicle parking capacity of the site?
13 Can we provide a suitable means for providing secure bicycle storage for at least
5 percent of building occupants with convenient showers and changing facilities,
at the rate of one shower per ten people?
14 Will everyone (or at least 90 percent of all occupied spaces) have a direct visual
connection to the outdoors?
15 Are end-users involved in the planning to provide more accurate programming?
16 Can end-users be familiarized with building systems in advance of occupancy?
17 What degree of maintenance is available and what will be required for the building?
18 How much “churn” (i.e., annual turnover) is expected in office spaces, and how
might this affect the choice of building systems and the economics of various
building systems, such as underfloor air distribution systems?
19 Is this going to be flexible space, that is, open plan, and how might decisions about
open versus closed spaces be examined for their impact on sustainable design
options?
20 Can barriers to daylight and natural ventilation, such as high partitions and solid
walls, be kept away from the perimeter to allow full daylight penetration?
21 Can the perimeter become a circulation zone, with private offices at the interior of
the space, instead of the exterior, to facilitate daylighting and views of the outdoors?
22 Will the budget for this project support any additional design and/or capital costs
needed to achieve the green goals?
23 Have we or should we set goals for onsite renewable energy (mostly solar) use in
this project, say, of 2.5 percent of total energy use, 7.5 percent, 10 percent, or more?
24 Are there any additional budget requirements for sustainable elements available
from internal or outside funding sources, such as third-party financing partner-
ships for solar photovoltaic systems?