Sustainable Design and ‘Green Building’ is not just getting a certificate; nor is it just using green building materials or recycling. Sustainable design includes an understanding of the local climate and the facility use, past, present and future.
By developing a deep and thorough understanding of project needs, both in the short and long term, enables facilities to be designed sustainably for the long haul. Each Searer, Robbins & Stephens project is designed to maximize energy efficiency, facility operations, project goals and budget limitations.
Awareness of sustainable design benefits is growing exponentially and can be applied to a wide variety of building types, including parking structures, residential buildings and retail centers. Sustainable design practices are becoming more mainstream in facilities with high occupancy rates or spaces that, if not sustainable, require increased energy consumption to keep occupants comfortable.
The sustainable design process considers how the project will be used and occupied in the long term; sustainable building products are sustainable for over 50 years, beyond LEED certification requirements. Sustainable buildings should not be considered a “fixed state”, but as a sustainable evolution that must adapt to future needs and technology advances.
The following are some examples of sustainable design features:
- Building orientation—Orienting the building to maximize solar shading and minimize exposure to harsh winds in specific seasons.
- Daylight connectivity—Effective daylight connectivity methodologies that illuminate common areas, while reducing artificial lighting requirements for sustainable design.
- Orientation of glass on exterior walls—Placement of windows and shading devices on the façade to minimize direct sunlight into interior spaces during summer months.
- Natural ventilation—Natural ventilation systems that bring in fresh air while providing a sustainable design.
- Onsite renewable energy—Onsite sustainable design, such as the installation of solar panels to generate electricity for sustainable use and/or sale back to the local utility.
- Energy efficient equipment—Efficient sustainable design, a commitment to sustainable building materials with sustainable energy consumption. Energy Audit – A sustainable design procedure that determines the sustainable energy requirements for each project.
- Sustainable landscape management—Providing sustainable design of landscaping maintenance practices to minimize or eliminate invasive plant species and wildfires.
- Sustainable materials—Materials sustainable for over 50 years, such as sustainable wood paneling and sustainable stone veneers. These products will outlast LEED certification requirements.
- Indoor Air Quality (IAQ)—Proper sustainable design of mechanical ventilation systems to provide occupant comfort and IAQ goals.
- Building envelope sustainable design—Proper sustainable building design to reduce the thermal impact of outside temperatures, moisture and pests.
- Electrochromic windows – sustainable windows that change tint depending on natural lighting conditions; environmentally friendly sustainable materials for sustainable energy reduction in sustainable buildings.
Searer, Robbins & Stephens is an architectural firm that understands and incorporates sustainable design for its clients and projects.