LEED-accredited professionals span several areas of expertise...
“SEH customarily designs green by nature. While the Chippewa Moraine Ice Age Center located in Wisconsin is more than 10 years old, we incorporated the design principles required today to help preserve our environment, such as using indigenous materials from the surrounding landscape to construct the building,” SEH Principal Steve Gausman, AIA, who leads the Architectural Team said. “Our philosophy has always been to design our buildings in context of their environment and factor in nature’s elements whenever possible.”
Standard 189 In efforts to bring green building into mainstream building practices, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), in partnership with other environmentally conscious organizations, developed Standard 189—a minimum standard for high-performance green building. This standard will apply to commercial buildings and major renovation projects upon its completion in 2007. This brings the USGBC closer to it smission to transform the building marketplace into sustainable design and construction practices as they continue to educate the public and the industry on green building. For more information, contact Steve Gausman,Steve Gausman, AIA/Principal, at 800.472.5881.
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Buildings in the United States—whether commercial, industrial or residential—account for more than half of the total energy used in this country and nearly one third of its wood and raw material consumption. A push to build more “resource efficient,” or “green,” is gaining popularity, especially among building owners seeking ways to reduce operating costs, increase employee efficiency, and provide productive and healthier working environments—without straining a project’s budget.
Designing and building green supports the “sustainability” concept, meaning the construction and operation of a building does not use up resources faster than can be naturally replenished by the earth, or reduces waste and pollution to levels that can be accommodated by the earth’s natural resources.
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) developed the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System that sets the standards for green building. Designing and building green means:
- Reducing site disturbance
- Reducing upward exterior light pollution
- Reducing the heat island effect on building sites by using light-colored pavement and roofing materials to reflect rather than absorb solar heat
- Siting stormwater management through green roofs and site rain gardens vs. underground stormwater piping that sends rainwater off site
- Reducing water consumption, and capturing and recycling rainwater
- Keeping energy consumption to a minimum
- Using recycled building materials whenever possible
- Planting green roofs or making them with materials that reduce heat absorption
- Recycling construction waste
- Maintaining good indoor air quality and maximizing interior daylight
Designing and building green supports the “sustainability” concept, meaning the construction and operation of a building does not use up resources faster than can be naturally replenished by the earth. |
“Aside from earth consciousness, more building owners and developers seek to renovate or build green because it just makes good financial sense,” Terry Martin, PE, SEH LEED-accredited engineer said. “Simply adding energy-efficient technologies such as occupancy sensors and using lower-wattage lighting can trim utility bills for long-term savings. Even changing window sizes and capitalizing on a southern exposure can cut energy usage and costs immediately.”
Considerations in Building Green
Determine a budget and return on investment, and environmental goals. LEED-certified green building projects can require as little as a 2 percent increase in up-front costs that can be quickly recovered with guaranteed long-term energy savings.
Create the right team. Building green calls for owners and developers to implement a whole-building, holistic-design approach, which requires a multidisciplined team committed to green building. The team must view the building project as a single, integrated system from site design through building operation.
Maximize the building systems for design and performance. In the initial phase of a project, evaluate the building according to the LEED environmental rating system, looking at site, water, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, and the indoor environment. These are most environmentally impacted during design and construction phases.
Consider a life-cycle assessment. Life-cycle assessments evaluate and quantify the economic and environmental costs and benefits of materials and products over the life of a project, which helps assure owners that their “green” decisions will provide a greater return on their investment. The assessment includes researching both pre- and post-consumer produced materials such as carpet, steel, aluminum, and building insulation. It also includes researching companies who produce and deliver construction materials within a 500-mile radius of the construction site to lower fossil fuel consumption and
reduce delivery costs.
“Owners and developers who take steps to build green are economically, socially and environmentally responsible,” said Martin. “A commitment to a new green building project not only benefits the building owners, but the community and environment as well.”
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