Connor Hall

Malcolm Campbell
English 1103
February 12th 2015

Topic Proposal
Introduction/Overview
Green buildings and green architecture offer up a new form of
complexity and way to build for the future. Building and designing has
always interested me ever since I was young, which fits in with my
major of architecture. Alongside that I have always looked for ways to
make my work and the things around me better. Thats why I will be
researching the current and future way green architecture will shape
buildings.
Due to the large number of sustainable energy sources and
green buildings already out there, I will focus on both what the
currently is and what there will be to come. Today there is already
technology that allows a building to be considered green, but this
technology is still being improved to me more efficient and cost less.
Some of the technologies include solar panels, wind turbines, solar
water heating, heat pumps, and hydropower. However, creating power
is not the only thing I will focus on. To build a house the contractor
needs materials and rather than going to the store and buying new
materials they can simply use recycled materials. These materials

come from many sources and are transformed using various methods. I
plan to look methods as I proceed with the paper. For a building to be
considered green it has to pass the benchmarks set by LEED and
Energy star. These organizations provide testing and the standards for
green buildings.

Initial Inquiry Questions

When will all the major buildings be converted to green? What
are the new green technologies coming out for buildings? What will
happen to all the energy companies? What are the LEED and Energy
star benchmarks, and how are they measured? What is the comparison
of monetary and environmental cost?

My Interest in this topic

My interest in this topic came from my first visit to the solar
decathlon in D.C. This is a competition/show case of buildings built and
designed by colleges around the nation. Being able to see how
buildings can be self-sufficient yet still look modern was something Ive
never seen before. In high school I took a class that taught me how o
design a building and I was able to see the process from start to finish.
Then I started to wonder where and how could I start to implement
materials that were more efficient but still added to the look of the
building.

Next Steps
My next steps will be to continue to research my topic looking to
more information to put into my paper. Looking at energy consumption
of green vs. non-green and the cost of each. Also I will look at the
positive and negative effects of the more energy efficient buildings.
Look at the different type of technologies in each house and how each
goes into the building to make it green. Also to look up more about the
solar decathlon.