Page 286 - The Green Building Bottom Line The Real Cost of Sustainable Building

264 CHAPTER 9

ing LEED certification, the developer might consider hiring a LEED consultant to
help with this exercise.) The project team should also discuss any pertinent legal
requirements and, if the developer is seeking tax credits or other incentives, how
those incentives will be obtained.
2 By bringing expertise from different disciplines into one room, charettes can be a
good testing ground for design ideas. The recycled material an architect suggests as
insulation may sound great, but the contractor may know from experience that it
does not perform well. The composting toilet system an engineer proposes might
save lots of water, but the property manager may be able to suggest alternatives that
are easier to operate over time.
3 Integrated design—the recognition that building components are not independent
of each other, and that efficiencies result when the components interact well—is a
central principle of the green building movement. Design charettes bring this prin-
ciple into practice. For example, how the building is oriented will affect how much
sunlight it receives and how large the HVAC system should be, but you need both
an architect and an engineer to advise in this area. Rainwater from the building
might be used to irrigate landscaping; the charette allows your building engineer
and landscaper to talk about how much water will be collected and needed.

Design charettes are advisable throughout the design and construction of a project,
but a design team should emerge from the initial meeting or meetings with a clearer
set of goals for your building, and you should gain a clearer sense of the issues you
will need to address in the contracts with your architect, contractor, and others.

Possible Participants in a Design Charette

Developer
Architect
Mechanical or structural engineer
Landscape designer
Planner
Sustainability consultant
General contractor
Attorney
Broker
Marketing professional
Property manager
Any other parties contributing to, or whose work might be affected by,
the design or construction of the project