A GREEN
VITRUVIUS
PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF SuSTAINAbLE ARChITECTuRAL DESIgN
Vivienne Brophy and J Owen Lewis
SECOND EDITION
London Washington, DC
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A Green Vitruvius – Principles and Practice of Sustainable Architectural Design
This edition was first published in 2011 by Earthscan
The first edition was published in 1999 by James & James (Science Publishers), and was prepared
within the THERMIE programme of the European Commission Energy Directorate, in a project
involving the UCD Energy Research Group, University College Dublin (Co-ordinators), the
Architects’ Council of Europe (ACE), Softech, Turin and the Finnish Association of Architects
(SAFA), Helsinki.
This second edition was fully revised and extended by Vivienne Brophy, University College Dublin
and J Owen Lewis (now with the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland), with assistance from
Ray McNally, Rory Walsh and Donal Finn. Graphic design by Sinead Kenny
Copyright © University College Dublin 2011
The material contained in this publication is presented in good faith, but its application must be
considered in the light of circumstances of individual projects. Neither University College Dublin,
the European Commission nor the contractors, agents or their subcontractors, or authors can be
held responsible for any effect, loss or expense resulting from the use of the material presented
in this publication.
The moral right of the authors has been asserted.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or
transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or
otherwise, except as expressly permitted by law, without the prior, written permission of the
publisher.
Earthscan Ltd, Dunstan House, 14a St Cross Street, London EC1N 8XA, UK
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Earthscan publishes in association with the International Institute for Environment and
Development
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ISBN: 978-1-84971-311-5 hardback
978-1-84971-191-3 paperback
Cover Image: GSW Headquarters, Berlin. Architect: Sauerbruch Hutton. Source: Christof Gessner.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Brophy, Vivienne.
A green vitruvius : principles and practice of sustainable architectural design / Vivienne Brophy and
J. Owen Lewis.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-84971-311-5 (hb) -- ISBN 978-1-84971-191-3 (pb) 1. Architectural design--
Technological innovations. 2. Architecture and society. 3. Buildings--Repair and reconstruction--
Standards. I. Lewis, J. Owen. II. Title.
NA2542.35.B78 2011
720'.47--dc22
2011003267
At Earthscan we strive to minimize our environmental impacts and carbon footprint through reducing
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by Ashford Colour Press Ltd.
The paper used is FSC certified.
acknowledgements_03_acknowledgements.qxd 30/03/2011 20:47 Page ii
THE GREEN BUILDING....................................................................................................... 1
The Imperative to Green Design............................................................................................. 1
Architectural Quality, Quality of Service.............................................................................. 2
SECTION 1: PROCESS............................................................................................................ 3
Introduction........................................................................................................................................... 3
Inception.................................................................................................................................................. 5
Design....................................................................................................................................................... 11
Tender....................................................................................................................................................... 16
Construction......................................................................................................................................... 17
Operation............................................................................................................................................... 19
Refurbishment...................................................................................................................................... 20
SECTION 2: ISSUES.................................................................................................................... 21
Introduction........................................................................................................................................... 21
Comfort................................................................................................................................................... 22
Health........................................................................................................................................................ 32
Environment.......................................................................................................................................... 35
Objectives............................................................................................................................................... 39
SECTION 3: STRATEGIES................................................................................................. 43
Introduction........................................................................................................................................... 43
Urban and Neighbourhood ....................................................................................................... 43
Site Selection and Analysis............................................................................................................ 51
Site Planning.......................................................................................................................................... 53
Building Form........................................................................................................................................ 58
Building Envelope ............................................................................................................................... 61
Finishes ..................................................................................................................................................... 73
Services, Equipment and Controls........................................................................................... 78
Renovation............................................................................................................................................. 86
SECTION 4: ELEMENTS....................................................................................................... 91
Components......................................................................................................................................... 91
Materials .................................................................................................................................................. 109
SECTION 5: EVALUATION.............................................................................................. 123
Introduction........................................................................................................................................... 123
Design Evaluation Tools .................................................................................................................. 124
Building Performance Simulation Tools .................................................................................. 127
Environmental Rating Systems.................................................................................................... 130
Life Cycle Cost.................................................................................................................................... 136
REFERENCES ....................................................................................................................................... 139
INDEX............................................................................................................................................................. 143
CONTENTS
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