Rating Systems for Sustainability

Abstract

Loftness_and_Dagmar2013_1461458277_146145841 Sustainable design is a collective process whereby the built environment achieves unprecedented levels of ecological balance through new and retrofit construction, with the goal of long-term viability and humanization of architecture. Focusing on the environmental context, sustainable design merges the natural, minimum resource conditioning solutions of the past (daylight, solar heat, and natural ventilation) with the innovative technologies of the present. The desired result is an integrated “intelligent” system that supports individual control with expert negotiation for resource consciousness. International experts in the field address the fundamental questions of sustainable design and landscape management: How should the sustainability of landscapes and buildings be evaluated? Which targets have to be set and which thresholds should not be exceeded? What forms of planning and governance structures exist and to what extent do they further the goals of sustainability? Gathering 30 peer-reviewed entries from the Encyclopedia of Sustainability Science and Technology, Sustainable Built Environments provides comprehensive, multidisciplinary coverage of these issues and other aspects of sustainable building and landscape design.. Content Level » Upper undergraduate Keywords » Bioclimatic Design - Biodiversity in Cities - Daylighting Controls Geothermal Conditioning - Encyclopedia of Sustainability Science and Technology - Green Infrastructure - Green Roof Science and Technology - Healthy Built Environment - Indoor Environmental Quality - Landscape Planning - Natural Ventilation - Passive Solar Heating - Passivehouse (Passivhaus) - Sustainability Rating Systems - Sustainable Buildings - Sustainable Landscape Design - Sustainble Built Environments - Urban Forestry