Sustainable Building Technical Manual：Site Issues.pdf

SUSTAI ABLE BUILDI G TECH ICAL MA UAL Green Building Design, Construction, and Operations Produced by Public Technology Inc. US Green Building Council Sponsored by U.S. Department of Energy U.S. Environmental Protection Agency P U B L I C T E C H N O L O G Y , I N C . 2 5 Y E A R S O F P R O G R PART III Site Is s u e s Introduction Sustainable site planning and design do not impose building design on the site. Rather, they identify the ecological characteristics of the site, determine whether it is appropriate for its proposed use, and design ways to integrate the building with the site. The intent is to lessen the environmental impact of human activity, while using natural characteristics of the site to enhance human comfort and health, and potentially provide a significant portion of the building’s energy requirement. Preservation of site resources and conserva- tion of energy and materials in construction and building operations are important results of good site design. This section of the manual emphasizes the need to consider the regional and global effects of building and development. Far from being merely a location for construction, each site consists of interconnected living systems, all linked to the environment beyond the site’s boundaries. The connected outdoor spaces—garden, plaza, greenbelt, and wilderness—also link people, both physically and socially. Keeping a building site in harmony with its surroundings is vital not only to our environment, but also to our sense of community. The chapters in this section provide practical guidelines for developing site-integrated buildings and maintaining the ecological integrity of the site. Chapter 5, “Sustainable Site Design,” covers pre-design planning: assessment of existing natural and cul