Green Design: Introduction to High Performance Building Design

There is consensus among the majority of scientists that the climate of the earth is changing in the direction of higher temperatures and that some of the change is anthropomorphic (caused by human activity). This course is intended to address that portion of the human contribution to climate change that is related to energy use in buildings.

At the conclusion of the course the student should be able to understand the ways buildings use energy and how buildings can be designed for high energy performance. He or she should be aware of activities and plans for improving building designs in the future. The successful student will have an understanding of the requirements of the Energy and Atmosphere portion of the LEED New Construction (NC) Rating System, Version 2009.

Why Take the Course

After participating in this course, you will be able to:

Explain the relationship between building energy use and the larger issues of climate change and environmental degradation
Recognize the positions and activities of governmental and professional organizations in this subject area
Discuss sustainability ratings for buildings and to present in detail the requirements of one of those systems, USGBC's LEED Rating System
Recall the current sources of energy for buildings and their environmental effects
Describe in some detail how buildings use energy, the variables in how they perform in energy efficiency, and how energy can be produced by buildings
Restate how digital models are used in high performance building design and how commissioning and maintenance affect actual results
Implement the LEED Version 2009 Energy and Atmosphere credits and their integration into project design