Sustainability / energy saving
We realize the importance of environmental responsibility in our professional and our personal lives. Our vision of environmental responsibility and the practice of Sustainable Design are based upon a definition of sustainable design criteria. As sustainability encompasses a very large realm of responsibility, we limit its scope to sustainable design criteria within our field of expertise. Therefore, we have adopted the following criteria for sustainable design: “Sustainable design criteria minimizes Environmental Impact throughout the conception, creation, utilization, and ultimate demolition of a structure or system while providing a healthy, comfortable and productive environment for people.” Strict adherence to the values expressed in this definition allows us to provide quality engineering services to our clients based upon sound engineering principles, environmental responsibility, effective economic decision making, and educated compromises.
BFA approaches the design for high-performance and sustainable buildings with a focus on Lifecycle and maintainability. We consider how all elements of a building’s design work together to meet the needs of its owners, occupants, and environment early on in the project’s development. This allows our design team to provide creative and viable strategies that will enable our clients to imagine how it is possible to move towards fully sustainable and resilient design. At the start of each project, the client and design team set a strategy that allows them to design a project based on energy-efficient systems (low carbon materials), water, materials, climate change, community and the environment, and operations.
Our team is well-versed with the concepts of sustainable site development, water efficiency, energy efficiency, atmospheric protection, and uses of renewable materials and resources that are the basis for the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Rating System®, and have utilized the system on several of our recent design projects. Every choice we make in design has an environmental consequence. A sustainable design perspective is essential to retain the vital resources of our planet.
Bowman, Foster & Associates has always diligently represented clients’ interests in maximizing energy efficiency and designing sustainable building systems that operate effectively with the minimum amount of maintenance possible. BFA has extensive experience in not only the design of new and renovated buildings to Green and LEED standards but also in the documentation required to earn LEED and Green Globes certification. Use of Lifecycle assessment (LCA), 3D design tools (AutoCAD Revit, Trace 3D Plus), total building energy modeling, certified staff, and experience 3rd party commissioning that allow our team complete integration of the building MEP systems with the architectural and site components. Our LEED/GGP Accredited Professionals can utilize these tools to produce a facility that maximizes sustainability and is certifiable through the USGBC LEED & Green Globes process.
Building for sustainability was once considered extremely expensive, but recent technological advancements and increased demand have resulted in a decrease of initial construction costs associated with “going green.” According to recent research, the cost to build a sustainable LEED-certified building is associated with approximately a 1% increase on initial costs at the lower end and 11.5% increase at the higher end. In other words, an initial construction cost of $1M would only cost an additional $10K for the lowest level of LEED certification or an additional $115K for the highest level of LEED certification. So how do you build sustainable and not just waste money on a costly plaque? Design smart:
- Begins at Conception of project
- Integrated project team approach Incorporate long term sustainability goals, not just low hanging fruit
- Understand client maintenance abilities and approach
- Save energy dollars
Sustainable and Principles that have been in used in nearly every job completed by Bowman, Foster & Associates:
- LEED / Green Globes (17 ACCREDITED facilities in past 10 years, hundreds built using sustainable practices)
- UFGS 01 33 29 Sustainability Reporting
- UFC 1-200-02 High Performance and Sustainable Building Requirements
- NAVFAC Sustainable and Energy Data Record Card/High Performance Sustainable Building Checklist (NSEDRC/HPSB)
- ASHRAE 189.1 Standard for the Design of High-Performance Green Buildings
- ASHRAE 90.1 Energy Standard for Buildings
- Life Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA)
- Energy Policy Act (EPAct) of 2005
- Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) 2007
- Low Impact Development
