Sustainable Design Elements & Strategies

REES commonly utilizes green building elements in our projects. These are even further enhanced when the project is LEED Registered or reaching for LEED Certification.

Below are some common green building elements that may benefit your next project.

Finishes are important in any project. You need the durability and look you want at the price you expect. There is no reason you can’t successfully incorporate sustainability into your project at the same time. We’ve successfully implemented green strategies into our projects using a variety of high-quality materials.

Natural and Rapidly Renewable Materials

• Bamboo Flooring.
• Cork Flooring.
• FSC Certified Wood Sample.
• Natural Stone regional to project area.

Materials with High Recycled Content

• Shaw Carpet Tile – Recyclable post project .
• Ceiling Tiles – Recyclable post project.
• Sheet Rubber Flooring.
• Exposed Steel Elements.

Environmentally and Indoor Air Quality responsible materials and methods

• High-VOC Adhesives eliminated from carpet installation using alternate fastening methods.
• Low-VOC Adhesives where adhesives can’t be eliminated.
• Low-VOC paints and sealers.

Protective and Energy/Cost-Saving Elements

The building envelope is your first line of defense between what can often be a harsh environment. This makes it paramount to ensure a solid design, sound construction, and the right mix of materials. But the envelope should not prevent you from enjoying your environment. This can be a challenge. Fortunately, using sustainable methods to design your building is a great solution that has satisfied client after client. Properly done, the envelope should enhance the user’s interior environment, protect from harsh exterior elements, and reduce operating costs for the client.

• Building Overhangs, Sun Screens, Grilles, and Louvers – These are used to take advantage of solar angles that vary by time of year. In the summer, these overhangs shade glazing. In the winter, the lower sun angle allows the sunlight to enter the window for wanted heat gain. This simple but effective design helps reduce HVAC operating costs year round.
• Properly Insulated Envelope System – Building envelopes are notoriously underdesigned. Having the proper amount and type of insulation is the single best way to reduced HVAC equipment and operating costs. The amount of insulation starts with the recommended value provided in ASHRAE 90.1-2007, which is often higher than local code requires. This includes roof and wall insulation.
• High Performance Low-E Glass – The weakest point of any envelope are the windows. Windows have to be properly designed and installed to be an effective barrier against air infiltration or exfiltration. Low-E, thermally broken, gas-filled windows are specified on every REES project.
• Window Shading Devices – Allows control of unwanted heat gain and allows natural light when desired by building users.
• Energy Management System – Our projects use smart technology to control the way the building’s HVAC systems work, saving money and equipment wear on the project.
• Lighting Management System for Exterior Lights – keeps energy costs down.
• Air Barriers – reduces the air that moves through the envelope making your HVAC do less work, saving energy and equipment wear.
• Efficient Lighting – Lighting technology continues to improve. New T5HD lamps use less energy and produce more watts and light. This means fewer fixtures required and operating cost savings.
• Alternative energy strategies – Photovoltaics, slush tanks, and thermal massing are all strategies that can be incorporated into your project.
• Low-flow or waterless fixtures.

Enhancing Elements

• Views and Daylighting – Often up to 80% of Interior Spaces designed by REES have views to the outside and natural daylighting See Sample.
• Indirect Lighting in the Open Office Areas – Increasing user comfort by reducing glare and eye-strain, indirect lighting is an important strategy.

Site Elements

The site is an often overlooked aspect of sustainability that allows the successful incorporation of Sustainable Design Elements. Good site design not only is more aesthetically pleasing, but can actually make a building perform better.

Storm Water Retention On-Site

• managing site runoff protects native wetlands and waterways and is a responsible way to not overcharge the local water treatment system.

Rainwater Recycling

• when used for graywater or landscaping, this is an effective cost saving strategy and responsible sustainable practice.

Parking for Low-Emission Vehicles

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Vegetated Roofs

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Light colored roofing and paving

• using light materials contributes the reduction of the heat island effect. The heat island effect reduces user comfort onsite, and creates a hotter design environment. This causes HVAC systems to be oversized.