Whole Building Design

From Swikipedia

Introduction

Whole Building Design is the integration of a building's systems to maximize environmental and financial functioning by considering energy systems, building materials, design methods, site preservation, and indoor air quality so that a structure can run at its maximum efficiency.

Brief Description

The goal of Whole Building Design is to create a successful high-performance building by applying an integrated design and team approach to the project during the planning and programming phases.

Components:

1. Integrated Design Approach: This approach takes into account the views of all the members of the building stakeholder community, and the technical planning, design, and construction team regarding the project objectives, and building materials, systems, and assemblies looked at from many different perspectives. Thus, this approach is a deviation from the typical planning and design process of relying on the expertise of specialists who work in their respective specialties somewhat isolated from each other.

2. Integrated Team Process: The integrated team process involves a design team and all affected stakeholders who work together throughout the project phases and to evaluate the design for cost, quality-of-life, future flexibility, efficiency; overall environmental impact; productivity, creativity; and how the occupants will be enlivened. The 'Whole Buildings' process draws from the knowledge pool of all the stakeholders across the life cycle of the project, from defining the need for a building, through planning, design, construction, building occupancy, and operations.

Design Objectives:

Some of the objectives of the Whole Building Design include:

• The design should be accessible to all people be considering the building elements, heights and clearances implemented to address the specific needs of disabled people.

• The aesthetics pertaining to the physical appearance and image of building elements and spaces as well as the integrated design process should also be followed.

• Appropriate building materials should be selected on the basis of life-cycle costs (weighing options during concepts, design development, and value engineering) and basic cost estimating and budget control should be done so as to develop a cost-effective design.

• The design should be functional/operational taking into account the spatial needs and requirements, system performance as well as durability and efficient maintenance of building elements.

• While working on historic buildings, design must consider historic preservation of such a building.

• The building design should be such that it results in increased productivity of the occupants, by considering their physical and psychological comfort attributed by building elements such as air distribution, lighting, workspaces, systems, and technology.

• The physical protection of occupants and assets from man-made and natural hazards is also important, thus, safety and security should be built-in in the design.

• Finally, the building elements and strategies used should be sustainable, so as to cause least environmental damage.

References:

http://www.servicemagic.com/article.show.Green-Building-Glossary.13478.html

http://www.wbdg.org/wbdg_approach.php

http://www.concretethinker.org/technicalbrief/Whole-Building-Design.aspx