Definition of sustainable commercial buildings

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This article defines sustainable commercial buildings and discusses some of the features you may expect such a building to have.

Summary

There will always be discussion over what constitutes a "sustainable commercial building". Commercial buildings are complex assemblies of products, materials, technologies, and systems, owned, designed, developed, built, and managed in different ways by different people for a whole range of users, and for a whole range of purposes. Consequently, it is not possible to say that any particular characteristics make a commercial building sustainable - the problem of making a building sustainable can be approached in many different ways. Nonetheless, this article of Your Building takes up the challenge!

What is a sustainable commercial building?

A sustainable commercial building can be defined as a building with planning, design, construction, operation and management practices that reduce the impact of development on the environment. A sustainable commercial building is also economically viable, and potentially enhances the social amenity of its occupants and the community.

A sustainable commercial building can be defined as a building with planning, design, construction, operation and management practices that reduce the impact of development on the environment. A sustainable commercial building is also economically viable, and potentially enhances the social amenity of its occupants and the community.

In Australia, and internationally, sustainable commercial buildings are referred to using a variety of terms. They can be described as 'green', 'bio-climatic', 'environmental', 'low-impact' or 'eco-tech'. In the United States, they are also known as 'high-performance' buildings.

In the 2003 publication Environmentally sustainable buildings: challenges and policies, the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) defined green buildings as those buildings that have minimum adverse impacts on the built and natural environment, in terms of the buildings themselves, their immediate surroundings, and the broader regional and global setting (Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development, 2003).

The Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) defines a green building as 'one that incorporates design, construction and operational practices that significantly reduce or eliminate the negative impact of development on the environment and occupants' (Green Building Council of Australia, 2006, p.16).

Key features of sustainable commercial buildings typically include:

• integrated building fabric design and building services
• climate responsive design and operation
• energy conservation, generation and management
• water conservation, recycling and management
• resource efficiency
  Waste separation at the project site
  of Green Square South Tower, Brisbane
  Source: Leighton Contractors
  
• waste minimisation
• sustainable transport opportunities
• efficient land use
• enhanced biodiversity
• reduced pollution emissions
• improved indoor environment quality (IEQ)
• improved social amenity, health and well-being
• re-use of materials, façade, structure, building services and building components (for refurbished buildings).

Key processes that are often characteristic of the design and construction stage of sustainable commercial buildings include:

• an integrated design process
• impact assessment of materials and building
• a life cycle approach
• life cycle costing
• stakeholder and community engagement
• commissioning.
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Elements of a sustainable commercial building

Sustainable commercial buildings include some of the following building elements:

The site

• The building is likely to be located on a brownfield site or an in-fill development site, rather than on greenfield land.
• The building is likely to be located in close proximity to regular public transport.
• Hard surfaces around the building may consist of permeable paving.
• The building is appropriately orientated on its site for the zone in which it is located:
  • In a temperate zone, the building is orientated to:
    • optimise solar access in winter
    • minimise insolation (exposure to solar radiation) in summer
    • minimise overshadowing of adjacent properties.
  • In a tropical zone, the building is orientated to:
    • maximise passive solar access in winter (for warm tropical zones)
    • maximise shading (for hot tropical zones)
    • provide shade structures for the whole building for summer
    • provide exposure to breezes and cross-ventilation (Australian Greenhouse Office, 2005).
      

Building fabric and materials

• The construction materials and building products used for the building's structure and fit-out consist of low-embodied energy materials, which have a low impact on the environment and do not release hazardous chemicals that can adversely affect the indoor environment. These could include the use of reused/recycled materials, low Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) paints and carpets, timber from certified sustainable sources, and recycled furniture. For more information on construction materials and building products, see Products and materials and sustainable commercial buildings.
• If the building is refurbished, it is likely that a proportion of the existing structure and façade have been retained.
• The building's façade may contain high-performance glazing (e.g. double glazing).
• Sun-shading devices or louvres appropriate to each solar orientation may be integrated into the building's façade.
  

Certification

• The building is likely to have a certified sustainability rating (e.g. Green star, ABGR, NABERS).
  

Operation

• The building is likely to have efficient operational and maintenance costs, when compared to a traditional building.
• The building may share a thermal plant with adjacent buildings.
• Each tenancy is likely to have a tenancy user's guide, which (along with the building's 'Building User Guide') provides details to the tenant and manager about how to use the building's green features.
• The building has an increased supply of fresh outdoor air, and this airflow may be assisted.
  

Efficiency with energy and water

• The building and internal spaces are likely to be designed to maximise daylighting.
• The building may contain exposed thermal mass (e.g. polished concrete floors or masonry walls) to minimise mechanical cooling requirements.
  Roof-mounted grid connected photovoltaic
  array at Kogarah Town Square, Sydney
  Source: Danielle McCartney
  
• The building's Heating Ventilation Air-Conditioning (HVAC) system and other services are likely to be connected to a Building Management System (BMS) that monitors, meters and controls the systems in an integrated manner to ensure optimal performance.
• The building may generate all or a proportion of its electricity, and may feature a photovoltaic array on its roof or facade, a wind turbine and/or a cogeneration plant.
  
• General office lighting is likely to consist of fluorescent luminaries with high frequency electronic ballasts and sensors.
• The building may contain energy-efficient appliances, such as 4-star (or higher) rated kitchen appliances (e.g. dishwashers, fridges and microwaves) or business equipment, which have standby or other power-saving features. For more information on choosing energy-efficient appliances, see Appliance opportunities.
• Rainwater tanks and stormwater detention systems used for the collection, storage and re-use of rainwater may be integrated into the building and site.
• The building may have a roof garden and use plants on the external façade.
• Low water consumption fixtures may be installed into the building, such as dual-flush toilets, water-free urinals, aerated taps and low-flow shower heads (see the section on Appliance and fixtures opportunities in the Water use and sustainable commercial buildings article).
• Energy-efficient heating, lighting, and ventilation and cooling (HVAC) systems are likely to operate throughout the building.
• Sub-meters, which include a tracking or metering mechanism, may be used to measure energy and water consumption.
  

Social capacity and building users' comfort

• The building is likely to provide features that potentially enhance social amenity, such as spaces that workers can use for meeting, eating and relaxing.
• The building's car park is likely to include dedicated spaces for the disabled, as well as small cars and hybrid cars.
• The offices spaces may contain indoor plants, ideally one plant per person.
• The majority of workspaces are designed so that every person has access to an outside view, with no individual 'owning' the view, but instead sharing it with co-workers.
• The building is likely to contain a number of open spaces for social interaction (e.g. courtyards and break-out spaces).
• Radiant heating and cooling systems are designed to improve occupant comfort.
• The building's HVAC, lighting, daylighting and glare controls are likely to be accessible to the occupants, as a means of controlling their own thermal and visual environment.
• Office spaces are likely to contain adjustable internal blinds for glare control.
• The office spaces and basement are likely to include bins for the storage, separation and collection of recyclable office waste, with good access internally and externally.
  
• The building may contain secure bike parking, and shower and change room facilities.
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Sustainability rating tools

Increasingly, sustainability aspects, such as energy efficiency, are being incorporated into the Building Code of Australia (BCA). The BCA represents minimum compliance with legislation to increase the minimum (worst) practice.

Australia has a range of rating tools in the building industry that measure good and best practice sustainability performance of commercial buildings, ensuring continual improvement beyond statutory compliance. Some tools assess a building's potential to achieve sustainable outcomes (and are generally utilised at the design/construction stage), while others are performance-based and are used to measure actual performance. Both types of tools serve an important role in transforming the built environment.
The current Australian rating tools include:

• Green Star suite of rating tools
• Australian Building Greenhouse Rating (ABGR)
• National Australian Built Environment Rating System (NABERS)
• Victoria's Sustainable Design Scorecard (SDS)
• BASIX
• AccuRATE.

For detailed information on rating tools, see Performance setting and measurement for sustainable commercial buildings.

Established international sustainability rating tools include:

• The United Kingdom's BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method)
• The United States' LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)
• Japan's CASBEE (Comprehensive Assessment System for Building Environmental Efficiency)
• Canada's Green Globes and GB Tool
• Netherlands' Eco Quantum and GreenCalc
• Norway's Ecoprofile
• Denmark's OneBEAT (Building Environmental Assessment Tool)
• France's 1EQUER

(Source: Iyer-Raniga. & Wasiluk, 2007)

Examples of sustainable buildings

There are a number of examples of sustainable buildings in Australia including: 

• Council House 2, Melbourne, Victoria (City of Melbourne)
• 8 Brindabella Circuit, Canberra, ACT (Canberra International Airport)
• 30 The Bond, Sydney, NSW (Deutsche Office Trust)
• 60L, Melbourne, Victoria (The Green Building Partnership)
• 40 Albert Road, Melbourne, Victoria (Szencorp)
• 500 Collins Street, Melbourne (Kador Group)
• Bendigo Bank Head Office, Bendigo, Victoria (Bendigo Bank)
• Building K, Sydney, NSW (Fivex)
• Bordo Headquarters, Scoresby, Victoria (Bordo)

Through their Committee on the Environment (COTE), the American Institute of Architects produces an annual list of the top ten green projects. For 2007, the following projects were listed (in alphabetical order):

• Epicentre, Artists for Humanity, Boston MA: (Arrowstreet Inc)
• Global Ecology Research Centre, Stanford, CA: (EHDD Architects)
• Government Canyon Visitor Centre, Helotes TX: (Lake/Flato Architects)
• Hawaii Gateway Energy Centre, Kailua-Kona HI: (Ferraro Choi and Associates)
• Heifer International, Little Rock AR: (Polk Stanley Rowland Curzon Porter Architects)
• Sidwell Friends Middle School, Washington, DC: (Kieran Timberlake Associates)
• Wayne L. Morse U.S. Courthouse, Eugene OR: (Morphosis & DLR Group)
• Whitney Water Purification Facility, New Haven CT: (Steven Holl Architects)
• Willingboro Master Plan and Public Library, Willingboro NJ: (Croxton Collaborative Architects)
• Z6 House, Santa Monica CA: (LivingHomes, Ray Kappe)

More information about the American Institute of Architects' top ten green projects can be found at: http://www.aia.org/press2_template.cfm?pagename=release%5F042307%5FCOTE

References

American Institute of Architects (2007), The American Institute of Architects announces the 2007 COTE top ten green projects, Accessed: 15 May, 2007, from American Institute of Architects website
.
Australian Greenhouse Office (2005), 'Passive Design, 1.1 Design for climate', Your Home technical manual, Canberra: Commonwealth of Australia, Accessed: 15 May, 2007, from Australian Greenhouse Office website

Green Building Council of Australia (2006), The dollars and sense of green buildings, Sydney: Green Building Council of Australia.

Iyer-Raniga, U. & Wasiluk, K. (2007), 'Des 70: sustainability rating tools — a snapshot study', BDP Environment Design Guide, February 2007, Canberra: Royal Australian Institute of Architects.

Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) (2003), _Environmentally sustainable buildings: challenges and policies_, Paris: OECD.