Green Building Characteristics

Characteristics of green building design or retrofitting of existing facilities includes many of the following elements:

Water Management

  • Installation of water-efficient equipment and appliances in kitchens and bathrooms to reduce water consumption. Zurn has a large selection of EcoVantage products that significantly reduce water consumption without decreasing performance.
  • Utilization of water-efficient irrigation, captured rain, or site-recycled water for onsite landscaping.

Indoor Environment

  • Designing the HVAC system and building envelope to provide for the most optimal delivery and mixing of fresh air.
  • Minimizing the number of indoor air contaminants by selecting paints and coatings, adhesives, carpets, and composite woods that emit low VOCs (volatile organic compounds).
  • Establishing segregated areas for chemical-using operations.
  • Maximizing natural daylight via skylights and windows, decreasing the need for artificial lighting.

Site Design and Planning

  • Locating the building within close proximity of commuter rail or bus lines, to reduce pollution with increased automobile usage.
  • Establishing building specifications that maintain the current level of storm water runoff.

Material and Product Selection

  • Using building materials and products that contain post-consumer recycled content.
  • Incorporating materials and products manufactured regionally.
  • Using rapidly renewable materials, such as bamboo flooring, wool carpets, cotton batt insulation, genuine linoleum flooring, or poplar oriented-strand board (OSB).

Construction and Demolition Waste Management

  • Implementing a waste management plan that diverts a large amount of construction, demolition, and land-clearing debris from landfills to recycling or salvage facilities.
  • Reusing a percentage of salvage or refurbished materials from construction, demolition, or land clearing as new building material.

Energy

  • Generating building electricity on site, from renewable resources like geothermal, solar, or biogas sources.
  • Eliminating the use of CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons) in HVAC systems.
  • Collaborating with a green power provider to purchase building electricity from solar, wind, or geothermal sources.