Page 220 - Green Building Through Integrated Design

196 CONCEPTUAL AND SCHEMATIC DESIGN

the site without using excessive amounts of energy or creating “hot spots” of over-
heating?
4 Have we studied the potential for future vegetation growth around the building
site, to determine if it might affect our design for daylighting, passive solar heat-
ing, and cooling requirements?
5 Is existing vegetation deciduous or evergreen, and can our design take advantage
of those characteristics through passive solar features?
6 What elements should affect the building form, such as winds, sunlight, and
topography?
7 Are we looking at higher ceilings, narrower floorplates and/or larger windows to
support daylighting designs?
8 If this is a campus project or multiple-building project, have we considered
arranging for a third-party to build, own, and operate a central chilled water or
steam plant (to improve energy efficiency and reduce initial project cost)?
9 How much central operational control do we want over the building’s environ-
ment? Who’s going to be in charge of building operations, and how will they be
trained?
10 What are the building’s occupancy schedules and usage patterns? How likely are
these to change in 5 years? Ten years? Longer?
11 What will be the major energy supply and use systems for this building? Can we
specify and utilize energy systems that have better future potential cost control,
such as geothermal heat pumps?
12 How many different ways can we think of to reduce energy demand in the build-
ing(s)? Have we started with ZERO as a goal, or are we just trying to reduce use
from the level of a “code” building?
13 How much cooling will be required? Can we reduce this demand in creative ways,
for example, by buying ENERGY STAR-rated laptops or flat panel monitors for
everyone, to cut “plug” loads, or by requiring all tenants to use external power
control devices for all electronics?
14 Is it possible to condition this space without mechanical cooling? How would that
be done? Can we use “earth tubes” to precondition incoming air, or such innova-
tions as chilled beams and passive downdraft cooling (in milder climates)?
15 Can we use generally more efficient (but higher initial cost) water-side (hydronic)
heating and cooling systems for the project?
16 Will least-initial-cost considerations dictate instead of the use of air-side heating
and cooling systems?
17 Can we design the building envelope thermal properties to eliminate perimeter
heating systems, such as with triple-glazed windows in northern climates, or with
newer window systems that can yield R-10 or better insulating values?
18 If geothermal energy is available in this region, have we considered its use for this
project?
19 Have we considered the use of ground-source heat pumps for this project? Where
would we put the pipes? Can they be laid out horizontally or must we drill vertical
wells?