The 'Whole Building' Design Approach

As residents of the post-industrial, post-modern world, we spend so much of our time indoors that its almost inevitable that we take our buildings for granted. Complacency has it's drawbacks, however, as we owe a far greater debt to our residential, commercial, and institutional structures than we can possibly imagine. At their best, buildings provide shelter, encourage productivity, and embody our culture. They connect us with our past and represent our greatest legacy for the future, but they also consume an extraordinary share of America's energy and material resources.

Those who recognize the importance of buildings know that they exert a powerful influence on the way we work, how we learn, and on our physical, emotional – and economic – well being. They also account for roughly a third of our annual energy consumption and a commensurate share of greenhouse gas emissions. It stands to reason, then, that buildings are worth a closer look.

Rather than view buildings as a collection of discrete parts, many forward-thinking architects, builders, building owners, and policymakers have adopted a more integrated, holistic view: a 'whole buildings' approach to design and construction. Whole buildings are energy efficient, deploy appropriate mechanical equipment for comfort and indoor air quality (IAQ), feature optimized site design, are illuminated by daylighting, and are powered by both conventional and renewable energy sources. Buildings that are designed in keeping with these principles are considered 'high-performance' buildings, and they help address five key national policy issues: promoting affordability in housing; increasing occupant health, productivity, and comfort; reducing pollution; alleviating the strain on the utility infrastructure; and conserving conventional fuel supplies.

The whole building design approach asks members of the design and construction team to look at materials, systems, and assemblies from many different perspectives. The design is evaluated for cost, quality-of-life, future flexibility, ease of maintenance, energy and resource efficiency, overall environmental impact, productivity, creativity, and how the occupants will be enriched and enlivened by their surroundings.

Asking the Tough Questions
Whole building design also incorporates principles commonly referred to as 'green architecture' and 'sustainable design'. In addition to the concepts outlined above, sustainability is really just a way of broadening your perspective to account for the 'ripple effect' – the interrelatedness of all things. That means finding the answers to questions such as:

How 'clean and green' is the manufacturing process that yields a given product or system? Does the product and its packaging represent an efficient use of materials? Is it recycled or recyclable in whole or in part? Is it durable enough to last, or will it require frequent replacement?

• How far will it have to travel to the site? Is a comparable product available locally?
• Will its inclusion help reduce toxic and harmful substances in the structure? Improve indoor air quality? Will it help reduce waste during both construction and operation of the facility?
• Will it help make maintenance practices more healthful and efficient? Reduce or eliminate harmful effects on people and the environment?

Other issues that are addressed in whole building design include operating systems, cost containment, security, staff management philosophy, land use planning, transportation management, ergonomics, and occupant comfort. Ultimately, the best design solutions are those which utilize all resources in the most efficient and beneficial manner, and are achieved at the lowest possible cost.

Whole building design not only looks at how building materials, systems, products, and people connect and overlap, but also examines how the building and its systems can be integrated with supporting systems on site and in the surrounding community. A successful whole building design is a solution that's greater than the sum of its parts. The fundamental challenge of whole building design is to understand that all building systems are interrelated, and therefore interdependent. Through a systematic analysis of these interdependencies, a much more efficient and cost-effective building can be achieved.

For example, when choosing a mechanical system, think about how your selection will influence the quality of the air in the building, the frequency and ease of maintenance, global climate change, operating costs, fuel choice, and whether or not the building's windows will be operable. In turn, the size of the mechanical system will depend on factors such as the type of lighting used, how much natural daylight is brought in, how the space is organized, the facility's operating hours, and the local microclimate. Because of their efficient building envelopes and effective siting/orientation, many high performance, sustainable buildings can be spec'd with significantly smaller, more efficient HVAC systems. This approach not only helps defray construction costs, but also reduces operating costs over time.

A Collaborative Approach to Design
Achieving a high performance, whole building requires a collaborative, interactive approach to the design process. To successfully integrate the many systems that comprise such a building, it is necessary for those responsible for the design of these systems to work closely with one another throughout the design process. This does not mean that the client, architects, engineers, contractor, and the consultants simply need to talk with one another or attend their traditional meetings. Instead, everyone involved in the use, operation, construction, and design of the facility must fully understand the issues and concerns of all the other parties. Recognizing the influence of our decisions on those of other team members (and vice versa) is what structural engineer Mario Salvadori calls "avoiding reciprocal ignorance."

An effective step in this direction involves inviting the client, appropriate designers and consultants, and a consulting general contractor to participate in a design charrette. (For municipal/institutional projects and those having a disruptive influence on the surrounding area, it may also be worthwhile to seek the involvement of community representatives.) A charrette is a focused and collaborative brainstorming session held at the beginning of the project, usually during the pre-design or design development stages. The charrette encourages an exchange of ideas and information, and allows truly integrated solutions to take shape. Team members are encouraged to 'cross pollinate' ideas and address problems beyond their normal scope of expertise.

The design charrette method is particularly helpful in complex situations where the client's interests are represented by many people. Participants are educated on the issues and 'buy into' the schematic solutions. The education process is accelerated, decisions are verified, adversity is diminished, the nuances of organizational issues are addressed, and the design process is expedited. A final solution isn't necessarily produced, but important issues are surfaced and explored.

Even in the context of this brief overview of Whole Building Design, it's easy to see that reinvigorating – and even reinventing – our approach to design and construction is well worth the investment in time and effort. Just as the auto industry has done (profitably and well) for the past several decades, we can make our buildings more fuel efficient, more comfortable, safer to operate, cleaner to maintain, more systemically integrated, environmentally sound, and solid overall. Throughout this site, you'll find numerous resources designed to help you achieve integrated, whole building solutions with greater ease than you might at first imagine. The Sustainable Buildings Industry Council has assembled these resources for your use, and welcomes you to consider membership in our association.

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