Sustainable building design considers the building's
long-term impact and the health and productivity of its occupants. Costs can be comparable on a first-cost basis,
and savings are significant when the full environmental costs are included. This guide
uses San Francisco's resource-efficient building ordinance for municipal
buildings as a template to describe the issues addressed with sustainable building design.
The legislation creates a pilot program, now being undertaken by the San Francisco Bureau of Architecture in conjunction with the Department of the Environment's green building program. That program seeks to maximize:
Energy efficiency;
Consideration of energy generation by passive solar or other renewable source;
Improved water conservation;
Healthy indoor air quality;
Adequate storage and collection of recyclables;
Environmentally sensitive landscaping,
including planting of drought-resistant native plants and design for
landscape maintenance using integrated pest management;
Procurement of building materials with minimal impact
on indoor air quality, maximized
recycled product content, and future recycling potential;
Building design features that discourage pest infestation,
such as sloping ledges to discourage the roosting of pigeons, desiccants in wall
cavities to deter cockroaches, and easy-to-clean floor surfaces to discourage dust
mites and other insects;
Storm water management;
Water pollution prevention; and
Wastewater recycling.
The legislation also requires that proper operation of the building's systems
be ensured through building commissioning, a collaborative process
in which systems' designers, builders, and eventual users test to ensure that the
systems operate according to specification and intent.
