Boccomino 1

RJ Boccomino

ENVS 1050-S1604

Dr. James Bull, Instructor

Winter Semester 2019

Residentially and Commercially Sustainability Essay

When building a new building for residential and/or commercial use many people worry about

the environmental impact the new building will have on the local environment. Residential and

commercial sustainability for a building is big factor when it comes to its impact on the

surrounding environment. Environmental sustainability is made up of many different factors like:

the rates of renewable resources, ability to harvest, pollution creation, non-renewable resource

depletion. These factors must also be able to be indefinitely sustainable. As we’ve become more

aware of our impact on the environment many engineers and designers have tried to come up

with ways to build new buildings for commercial and residential use while also sustaining the

environment around it. There are many guidelines and ways that help explain the importance of

sustainability and how one can save the sustainability of a local ecosystem. (Nutter, 2012). The

goal of these guidelines are to make benefits for both the human element (building structures for

commercial and residential use) and for the environment, these strategies will also hopefully be

more mainstream in the future as well. (Todd, 2017).

A big component that attempts to help ensure the environment for future generations is from

the Immaculate Heart of Mary (IHM) Sisters. Through their 158 years of establishment their
 Boccomino 2

goals have change but today they have begun to focus on the environment by educating the

world about sustainability and the ideas of using green design by using a geothermal heating and

cooling system. (Rose, 2003). With ideas like geothermal heating and cooling, the IHM

encourage more earth-friendly ways to use resources as geothermal energy is renewable and

would dramatically reduce dependency on non-renewable energy sources like coal.

“Sustainability is a spiritual and moral mandate.” (Hucal, 2004). though these eco-friendly plans

have challenges the benefits outweigh the risks. Inside the motherhouse for the IHM, there are

fan coil units, and miles worth of piping to help heat and cool the interior of the motherhouse.

(Hucal, 2004). The interior also includes air ducts that help as well with heating and

cooling.(Hucal, 2004). On the outside of the motherhouse is a geothermal field, which is a

reliable reusable source of power. (Rose, 2003). These actions by the IHM, though challenging

and complicated but are necessary to have buildings that are environmentally sustainable.

(Hucal, 2004).

Another popular and eco-friendly type of building is of course green buildings. Green

Buildings have rapidly become the first examples of a sustainable design that most people think

of. Green buildings, once built, are a “win-win” for everyone as every aspect of the building

benefits something. Many of those benefits help the human aspect as green building do things

like, making the overall maintenance of the building cheaper, a nicer and bolder looking

building, and it also give the building a higher sale value for the person who owns it. Green

buildings also help save the local ecosystem for the future generations of animals and humans

alike as they protect the local nature and preserve it. (Todd, 2017). Sustainable design can be

strange, especially to people who are accustomed to normal construction but it’s benefits are well
 Boccomino 3

worth the cost and time. Whether it be the look of a house with solar panels or the green roof of

the Ford Rouge Plant, while different they show benefits in the long run and cut down on

pollutions. In fact many people, like R. Buckminster Fuller, who was a key influential green

architect, have said making buildings that cut down on pollution in itself make them beautiful.

“When I am working on a problem, I never think about beauty. I think how to solve the problem.

But when I have finished, if the solution is not beautiful, I know it is wrong.” (Todd, 2017).

Obviously, when preparing to put up a new building, especially a green one, there are some

challenges like cost and adaptability of certain building lots. A lot of planning takes place when a

building is attempting to have more environmentally sustainable designs. Overall though, green

buildings can and are important with a sustainable design as they provide a multitude of more

benefits than a regular standard design.(Todd, 2017).

Another big component that can helps decide on whether or not a building is

environmentally sustained is a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)

certification. LEED is a rating system that determines if a building is to be considered green or

not. (Nutter, 2012). The LEED rating can be used for any type of building, whether it be

industrial, commercial, or residential. Buildings that are considered green receive a plaque that is

located on the building. (Nutter, 2012). The plaque represents a mark of quality and achievement

in a green building. LEED certificates can come in silver, gold, and even platinum. (Nutter,

2012). A LEED certification means that building gives off a healthier and productive

environment for being a building that is energy and resource efficient. "LEED certification in

buildings benefits the environment and the bottom line. LEED certified buildings in San

Francisco and around the country are saving money and increasing their property value while
 Boccomino 4

reducing their overall environmental footprint.” (Nutter, 2012). LEED is suppose to encourage

more buildings to go green as having more environmentally conscious buildings would cut down

on emissions. U.S buildings alone account for 38% of carbon dioxide emissions.(Nutter, 2012).

With the help of LEED pushing more companies to build more green buildings newer green

buildings have already diverted almost 80 million tons of waste from landfills. (Nutter, 2012).

LEED buildings also drastically cut down on emissions as LEED Gold buildings generate 34%

lower greenhouse gas emissions compared to regular buildings. More and more projects are

attempting to be LEED certified as there are around 79,000 projects around the world that are

LEED buildings, and those numbers will continue to rise as more and more companies want

environmentally healthy buildings. (Nutter, 2012). Not only do LEED projects help the local

environment but they also help the people who occupy the buildings. LEED certified buildings

tend to make employees and occupants happier as they are less likely to feel the effects of toxic

emissions one may get at a more polluting building. (Eustis, 2019). LEED buildings also cut

down on costs as they are less reliant on non-renewable resources. (Nutter, 2012).While it’s not

easy or quick to get a building on the LEED certified list, it is a great quality to have for an

environmentally sustained and living design as LEED certified buildings gain many benefits.

Another important component of sustainability for buildings is the architecture of the

buildings themself. When planning a green building architects must realize the differences in the

terms “green”, “sustainable”, and also “energy-efficiency” as each term is different from each

other. These terms are not interchangeable as a building can possibly be one but not the other two

The best way to have a sustainable building is for architects to manage to get all three. A great

guideline for this is the U.S Green Building Council, or USGBC. The USGBC has established
 Boccomino 5

guidelines for any sort of construction, especially when it comes to building more

environmentally friendly ones. (Nutter, 2012). A big problem with building sustainable buildings

is the initial cost to upgrade everything to a environmentally sustainable standard, hence why

many buildings choose not to be sustainable. However, while initial cost are indeed more

expensive it should be considered worth it as it will be a stronger investment with plenty of

benefits in the future. Many of those benefits, like lower overall appliance cost, longer building

life expectancy, better overall look, and lower of emissions may not have an immediate effect but

will end up showing massive benefits as the building ages. (Nutter, 2012).With the help of the

USGBC it would be a strong investment for architects to become even more open to making

more and more buildings more sustainable as they will have strong future benefits.

In summary of residential and commercially sustainable designs, These green friendly

designs have and will be very important for the present and future of our environment and is

making an impact the more and more it is being implemented. (Todd, 2017). With the help from

groups like the IHM who have become a leading example of sustainable residential buildings and

also using their teachings to encourage others to be environmentally sustainable. (Hucal, 2004).

Also, with encouragement from guidelines like LEED certification more and more architects are

making green, efficient, and sustainable buildings more mainstream causing more companies to

demand to have cleaner and safer buildings. (Nutter, 2012). With all these benefits and

encouragement to build greener, it looks as if the future will include more environmentally

healthy buildings which will further benefit everyone.

 Boccomino 6

Works Cited

Eustis, Lauren, and Tom Carnevale. 2019. “Architectural Sustainability in Action.” Sustainable

Design, Planning and Green Building Practices for Residential and Commercial Properties.

Carnevale Eustis Architects. Phoenixville, Chester County, Pennsylvania.

www.cearchitects.com/green/index.php.

Hucal, Michelle. June 2004. “For the Sake of Heaven and Earth.” For the Sake of Heaven and

Earth, www.edcmag.com/.

Nutter, Melanie. 29 October 2012. “USGBC Members in Support of LEED.” U.S. Green

Building Council.www.usgbc.org/articles/usgbc-members-support-leed.

Rose, Judy. 2003.“Up to Code: Sisters Bring Social Activism to Every Venture, Including the

Eco-Friendly Renovation of Their Home.” 26 January 2003.

Todd, Stephen. 2017. “Green Construction: Benefits of Building Homes with Sustainable

Design.” Peak Oil. 18 September 2017. www.peakoil.net/sustainability/green-construction.