Doty & Miller and Sustainable Design

 

Philosophy:

At Doty & Miller we believe each of us has a responsibility to do what we can to understand our relationship with nature and enhance life on our planet. The need to understand how we do this as architects led us to the movement of sustainable or green design.

Definition of Sustainability:

Sustainability has been defined as the ability to provide for the needs of current generations without diminishing the capacity for future generations to do the same.

Definition of Sustainable Design:

The process of sustainable or healthy, high performance or green design involves a universal integrated approach to solving the needs of the built environment while conserving energy and natural resources and promoting community, history, and the environment for all time.

Reasons for Sustainable Design

• Conserves nonrenewable resources.
• Provides healthy, nurturing, indoor environments.
• Achieves better long-term building economics.
• Reduces liability for building owners and those involved in the real estate and construction industries.
• Enhances each individual's indoor environmental experience.
• Promotes community.
• Encourages preservation of historic buildings and neighborhoods.
• Supports local economies.
• Provides opportunities for higher individual performance in schools, offices, and manufacturing facilities.
• Increases retail sales and reduces user absenteeism

Features of Sustainable Design

• Natural day lighting.
• Improved insulation for reduced energy consumption.
• Building orientation to suite local site conditions.
• Integrated control systems to promote conservation.
• Use of rapidly renewable materials.
• Use of recycled content materials.
• Conserve water.
• High indoor air quality with monitoring systems.
• The use of durable natural materials.
• Involvement of local community in building use and construction.
• Promotes local source of construction materials.
• Recycles construction waste.
• Preserves existing buildings and infrastructure.
• Conserves water and loss of topsoil.
• Promotes alternative energy sources and systems.
• Provides for verification of all building systems performance.

Standards of Sustainable Design

The current national standard for determining a buildings sustainability has been developed by the US Green Building Council, a non profit organization out of Washington D.C.. The standard is called LEED which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. This is a graded rating system which establishes certification levels from Certified to Platinum, depending on how many points you get for sustainable features. The rating system is broken down in the following categories.

• Sustainable sites
• Water efficiency
• Energy and atmosphere
• Materials and resources
• Indoor air quality

For instance, one point is given to any project involving a LEED accredited professional. Bill Doty passed the accreditation exam in 2001 and Intern Architect Heather Kuhne passed the accreditation exam in 2003

See our additional information section by clicking on the link below for a directory of links to green sites including the US Green Building Council's website, and more information on the LEED rating system.

Directory of Environmental Links