The
key to successful performance of sustainable design construction
is not in the products but in the Process of Integrated Design.
To derive the expected benefits of sustainable design the foundation
of success is to bring together an entire team from end user to
subcontractors that are committed to successfully implementing
sustainable design in a cost effective result.
The time has come to raise expectations for building performance
and aim for 100 percent satisfaction with the indoor environment.
For decades, industry standard for buildings has been set to satisfy
only four-out-of-five occupants at any one time at a fixed temperature
of 22° C (72° F).
"We're still designing buildings for the 'driver' not all the
occupants," said Vivian Loftness, professor and head of the Department
of Architecture at Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pa..
She was comparing the building industry to the auto industry,
which has in recent years started designing cars for all the occupants
comfort.
Here are some basic tips for designing and maintaining building
systems that promote optimal IEQ performance:
Integrated Team Design, Site Selection, Air Quality Standards,
Thermal Comfort Standards, Personal Control, Flexibility, Versatility,
Cable Distribution, Integration, Space Planning, Underfloor Plenum,
Layout, Modular Components, First Costs Effectiveness, Construction
Process, Integration, Environmentally Friendly Materials, Life-Cycle
Costs, Productivity Effects, Employee/Tenant Retention, Reconfiguration
Costs, Recycling of Materials.
Sustainability is the right thing to do for the occupants, for
the environment and for financial economics. Sustainability is
not in the future …..it is now and the success is in the Process
of Integrated Design.
The
key to successful performance of sustainable design construction
is not in the products but in the Process of Integrated Design.
To derive the expected benefits of sustainable design the foundation
of success is to bring together an entire team from end user to
subcontractors that are committed to successfully implementing
sustainable design in a cost effective result. 
