Strive to support native flora and fauna of the region in the landscape design. The site of a sustainable building should reduce, control, and/or treat storm-water runoff. Whether designing a new building or retrofitting an existing building, site design must integrate with sustainable design to achieve a successful project.

Siting for physical security is a critical issue in optimizing site design, including locations of access roads, parking, vehicle barriers, and perimeter lighting.

Incorporating smart growth principles into the project development process is important whether a project is a single building, a campus, or a large complex such as a military base.

The location, orientation, and landscaping of buildings affect local ecosystems, transportation methods, and energy use. While the definition of sustainable building design evolves over time, six fundamental principles persist:Ĭreating sustainable buildings starts with proper site selection, including consideration of the reuse or rehabilitation of existing buildings or the use of a brownfield, greyfield, or previously developed site.

Building owners, designers, and builders each face unique challenges to meet demands for new and renovated facilities that are accessible, secure, healthy and productive, while minimizing any negative impacts upon society, the environment, and the economy. The main objectives of sustainable design are to reduce, or completely avoid, depletion of critical resources like energy, water, land, and raw materials prevent environmental degradation caused by facilities and infrastructure throughout their life cycle and create built environments that are livable, comfortable, safe, and productive.īuildings use resources (energy, water, raw materials, etc.), generate waste (construction, occupancy, and demolition), emit potentially harmful atmospheric emissions, and fundamentally change the function of land, and the ability of that land to absorb and capture water into the ground. The field of sustainable design seeks to balance the needs of these areas by using an integrated approach to create 'win-win-win' design solutions. Building construction and operations can have extensive direct and indirect impacts on the environment, on society, and the economy, which are commonly referred to as the 3 P's ('People', 'Planet', 'Pocketbook').

Constructing a building process