Green Communities Coalition

An edited version of this Insight first appeared in the ASHRAE Journal.

We came across this article on the Building Science website by Joseph W. Lstiburek and wanted to share it with you.  Its a very good paper on what it means to have a "green" building.
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Many “green” buildings don’t save energy (see “MISLEED-ING” sidebar). Why? They have too much glass, they are over-ventilated, they are leaky to air, they are fraught with thermal bridges and they rely on gimmicks and fads rather than physics.  

Basically, the current green and sustainability craze can be summed up as architects and engineers behaving badly. The good news is that most of this nonsense can be easily remedied when adults finally get involved. The bad news is that the failures are beginning to bubble to the surface and we are in danger of ruining the “green brand.”

Before you can have a “green” building you need a building first. Presumably this building needs to be able to stand up, not be blown away in a hurricane, not fall down in an earthquake, not burn, not leak rainwater, not be moldy, not rot, not corrode and otherwise be able to meet applicable building codes such as having a basic provision for ventilation like that specified by Standard 62.1.

Download and read the entire document here.