VERB - A Design/Build School

Texts:

Designing With Nature: The ecological basis for architectural design
Ken Yeang, McGraw-Hill, New York, N.Y., 1995

Other texts of interest, appended at the end of the syllabus

Course Outline:

Class 1. On being “Green” – John Stuart Mill and his theory of Utilitarianism; how being an architect requires responsible stewardship in selection of materials; choices in energy use in buildings; and quality of life for the inhabitants of the structures we as architects create. Discussion.

Class 2. The United States Green Building Council (USGBC), National Resources Defense Council and other advocacy groups, their roles in shaping opinion, belief and passion. LEED ™ . Discussion.

Class 3. Life-cycle analysis of man-made materials and the trade-offs of cost to produce; effects of pollution during manufacture. Case studies in current day steel production techniques; energy consumption in the manufacture of Portland cement as a factor in evaluating the life cycle cost of a structure; and tradeoffs presented in the fabrication of silicon-based photovoltaic arrays.

Class 4. Review of sustainable forestry practices, the history of un-sustainable logging – especially in the Pacific Northwest, the role Forestry Stewardship Council, and the global impact of sustainable forestry on local economies, especially those in developing economies. A brief review of sustainable forest products, including bamboo, ipe, fast-growing firs, as well as the salvage of ancient timbers from waterways.

Class 5. Scale of production considerations, especially in the developing economies of India and China – and what this means in the trade-off between industrial output and pollution. A brief investigation into the economic use of material inherent in Buckminster Fuller’s tensegrity structures, and what impact light-weight structural expressions might have on world-wide steel consumption, comparing composite concrete/steel structures, traditional modern rolled-section steel superstructures and Fullerian tensegrity. Other Fuller ideas, including the mining of garbage dumps, “Spaceship Earth.”

Class 6. Traditional ecologically-sensitive building and design techniques here and abroad: the North American veranda; the wind-scoops in Ahavi, Iran; Native American adobe. Siting and prevailing wind current awareness. A brief investigation of Frank Lloyd Wright’s approach to sustainability, which he called “Organic Architecture.” Comparison with Paolo Soleri’s Arcosanti complex.

Class 7. Case study: a contemporary structure and its response to sustainable air- and life-quality design. Norman Foster’s Swiss Re-insurance tower. “The Big Gherkin” 30 St Mary Axe, London.

Class 8. Developing a decision tree / matrix to analyze the inherent and persistent trade-offs between and amongst first cost, efficiency, life-cycle cost, quality of air and light, while maintaining a focus on the quality of design identified by Vitruvius as “delight”.

Class 9. Mid-term essay: Each student is asked to examine three potentially sustainable buildings – Foster’s Swiss Re tower, Frank Lloyd Wright’s studio at Taliesin West, and Arcosanti. What works, what doesn’t, and what would you do differently? Mid-term class review of student responses, with presentation of students’ responses in seminar format.

Class 10. Urban planning and sustainability – on a macro level, the role of mass transit, the suburban model, edge cities; the un-sustainability of aggregated school complexes in the suburban landscape; the impact of large-scale development in dense urban centers. Case study: an investigation of Jean Nouvel’s proposed tower adjacent to MoMA and its potential impact on midtown. The US Postal Service as the greatest domestic consumer of gasoline second only than the Defense Department. As a collary, examine the sustainability / lack thereof in drinking spring water, bottled in a distant place, consumed from a container made of long chain petrochemical-derived polymers, when New York City has some of the finest drinking water in the world.

Class 11. Daylighting, illumination, Compact Fluorescent Lamps. Less can be more, but there is a Dark Side to being Green. Pollution from manufacture and disposal of CFLs. New light sources such as photoluminescence, Light-Emitting Diodes and high-voltage arc lamps. Lighting control systems. Case study: conservation measures adopted and used in recent buildings in Battery Park City.

Class 12. The USGBC, advantages and limitations of the LEED system. Comparison and contrast with he Living Building Challenge, and the Cascadia Region Green Building Council. Case Study: The Omega Institute’s Center for Sustainable Living, Rhinebeck, NY

Assignments for subsequent classes: Select an example of a sustainable building, prepare a presentation for class discussion, and prepare to discuss the building’s merits and what you think you would have done differently and why. Discussions should focus on energy conservation, siting and local weather considerations, interior air quality measures, and use of sustainable materials.

Class 13. Class seminar: student presentations

Class 14. Class seminar: student presentations

Class 15. Class seminar: student presentations

Class 16: Final exam

Other texts

Architecture and the Environment: Contemporary Green Buildings
David Lloyd Jones. Overlook Press, 1998.

Earth to Spirit
David Pearson. Chronicle Books, 1995.

Designing With Nature: The ecological basis for architectural design
Ken Yeang, McGraw-Hill, New York, N.Y., 1995

The Ecology of Architecture: A complete guide to creating the environmentally conscious building
Laura C. Zeiher, Watsun-Guptill Publications, New York, N.Y., 1996.

Green Architecture: Design for an Energy-Conscious Future
Brenda Vale, Robert Vale. Bulfinch Printing Co., 1991.

Green Architecture: A Guide To Sustainable Design
Michael J. Crosbie, AIA Press, Washington, D.C., 1994.

Green Design: Design for the Environment
Dorothy MacKenzie. Books Nippon Publishing Co., 1997

Green Shift: Towards a Green Sensibility in Architecture
John Farmer, Kenneth Richardson. Butterworth Architecture, 1996.

The Natural House Catalog: Creating a healthy, harmonious, and ecologically-sound home for the environment
David Pearson, Simon & Schuster Inc., New York, N.Y., 1989.

Your Natural Home: The Complete Sourcebook and Design Manual for Creating a Healthy, Beautiful and Environmentally Sensitive House
Janet Marinelli & Paul Bierman-Lytle, Little, Brown and Co., New York, N.Y., 1995.

Alternative Housebuilding
Mike McClintock, Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. New York, N.Y., 1989.

The Rammed Earth House
David Easton, Chelsea Green Publishing Co., White River Junction, Vermont, 1996.

Solar and Underground Houses
Jay Haughey, 1982.

The Straw Bale House
Steen, Steen, and Bainbridge, Chelsea Green Publishing Co., White River Junction, Vermont, 1994.

Harnessing Solar Power: The Photovoltaics Challenge
Keneth Zweibel. Plenum Printing, 1990.

The Garbage Primer: The League of Women Voters Education Fund
Pamela Murphy. Lyons & Burford, 1993.

Reclaim Recycle Reuse: And natural Products to Help Save the Earth
Alan B. Hayes. Sally Milner Publishing, 1992.

Green Building Resource Guide
John Hermannsson, AIA, Architect. The Taunton Press, Newtown, CT., 1997.

Online resources:

National Resources Defense Council – from radical reform to their current big government approach to protecting wilderness. We will discuss their history and current role in sustainable politics.

Forestry Stewardship Council – an independent, non-governmental, not-for-profit organization established to promote the responsible management of the world’s forests.

The Whole Earth Catalog – electronic edition. This is the book that started it all, from its beginnings as a softcover catalog printed on recycled paper – before the first Earth Day.

A clearing house for environmental ideas, updated frequently

IBM’s research into integrative strategies in green buildings

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