Escolar Documentos
Profissional Documentos
Cultura Documentos
The great irony of building green in the the standard established by the U.S. more obscure, such as:
southeast is that the very concepts that Green Building Council (USGBC). • The failure of new products to meet
are intended to enhance a building’s LEED certification is a checklist and their promoted performance levels,
performance over its entire lifetime point system of recommended practices which is more likely with
are many of the same concepts that where achieving various point levels can new materials.
make a building highly susceptible certify the building as having achieved • Accepting the higher standard
to catastrophic moisture and mold silver, gold, or platinum status. These of care that a green building
problems during its first few years practices involve such issues as efficient might present—what is currently
of operation. water and energy use, the reuse of waste considered “best practices” may now
materials, and the use of renewable and become the new expected “standard
While green buildings (also sometimes regionally produced products.1 of care.”
called sustainable design) have many • Failing to recognize (or prepare for)
positive benefits, there is also strong The overall goal of these new materials the unknowns in cost and schedule
evidence to suggest a direct correlation and procedures is to achieve a structure impacts that a green building
between new products/innovative with reduced negative environmental might present.
design and building failures—especially impact —both during construction
in hot, humid climates. Simply put, and throughout the building’s life. It is even unclear if a LEED certified
departing from the “tried and true” The intent of building green is building can be built under a design-
often means increasing the risk of unquestionably noble and good, build method of construction without
building failure. and should be aggressively pursued the construction team assuming huge
for the improvement of the Earth’s amounts of unknown risks because
Two strong characteristics of most environment. However, because of the of the vague definition of what is
green buildings are: 1) the use of dramatic change that this will present considered “green.”
innovative, locally-produced products to the design and construction industry,
and 2) the implementation of new its implementation will present new The building industry has been
design and construction approaches risks that are likely to be both technical historically conservative, relying on
that are intended to reduce energy and legal in nature. time-proven construction materials
usage and be environmentally sound. and methods. The introduction of new
Some of the legal risks are fairly materials and methods has not always
These environmental goals are typically obvious, such as the risk of not meeting proven to be successful and sometimes
organized around a set of nationally a building owner’s expectation of has resulted in notable building failures,
accepted benchmark guidelines such as achieving a certain level of LEED especially those related to moisture
those of LEED (Leadership in Energy certification (i.e., implied or even intrusion and mold contamination.
and Environmental Design), which is written warranties). Other risks are
that are inherent to green buildings. the green building movement in our Their staff has authored three manuals and over 50
technical publications. © Liberty Building Forensics
A growing number of experts have unique climate. Group
suggested that the first two steps In our opinion the solution to good References
to improved green building risk performing, green buildings in Florida 1 U.S. Green Building Council. http://www.usgbc.org/.
2 Odom, J. David; Scott, Richard; and DuBose, George H. The
management are to: 1) recognize the are at least three-fold: Hidden Risks of Green Buildings: Avoiding Moisture and Mold
Problems. Washington, DC: National Council of Architectural
unique risks for green buildings in hot, • Development of a unique set of Registration Boards (NCARB), 2007.
humid climates and 2) develop a set Hot, Humid Climate Design
3 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency/ Office of Air and Radiation/
Indoor Environments Division. Mold Remediation in Schools and
of guidelines that merge the unique Criteria that integrates (and
Commercial Buildings. Washington, DC:EPA, March 2001.
4 Odom, J. David and DuBose, George H. Mold and Moisture
requirements in hot, humid climates prioritizes) hot, humid climate
Prevention. Washington, DC: National Council of Architectural
Registration Boards (NCARB), 2005.
with green building guidelines 5 LEED for New Construction. U.S. Green Building Council. www.
criteria with current green building usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=220.
In the Florida, our hot humid climate practices. Best practices for hot, 6 Brand, Stewart. How Buildings Learn: What Happens After They’re
Built. New York: Viking, 1994.
poses additional long-standing humid climates must take priority