Sustainable Construction, 5th Edition

Chapter 3Ecological Design

In their landmark book, Ecological Design (1996), Sim Van der Ryn and Stuart Cowan defined ecological design as “any form of design that minimizes environmentally destructive impacts by integrating itself with living processes” (p. 18). Although a design rooted in ecology and nature should be integral to creating a green building, ecological design is still in the early stages of evolution, and it will take considerable time and experimentation before a robust version matures. Meanwhile, designers often must use their best judgment when making decisions from among the myriad choices available. The ability to minimize the direct impact of the project on the site due to the construction footprint and construction operations and landscape modifications, such as tree removal and alteration of natural habitats, requires a fairly high level of understanding of the available options, especially in the context of sustainability. Developing a low-energy scheme demands a significant level of knowledge and experience with maximizing the project's potential for passive heating, cooling, lighting, and ventilating; with understanding the best orientation and massing for storing and releasing energy on a time scale compatible with building operation; and with understanding the myriad energy trade-offs that must be considered—for example, between daylighting and solar heat gain. When considering material and product selection, the best choices can be far from obvious. ...