Building Systems Integration for Enhanced Environmental Performance

As the environmental impact of buildings become increasingly recognized, the role of building designers and the initial decision making process that determines materials, systems, and construction processes becomes more critical. This timely book addresses sustainability in building design through a series of examples presented as three dimensional models of well integrated building systems. The book organizes buildings into three sections - structure, envelope, and mechanical systems - based on the integration of paired building systems. The book demonstrates the performance of each systems pair in terms of interaction and contribution of each individual system and the synergetic benefits resulting from the unique pairing. The last section of the book is devoted to buildings that have a higher degree of integration and cannot be studied as paired systems. Each building is illustrated with full graphical display, text and analytical drawing to demonstrate its performance in a particular environment.