The Green Building Decision Kit aids you with the decision making process of
‘green’ residential or small commercial construction (either new or
remodeling). ‘Green’ relates to sustainable living practices in conjunction
with the construction industry such as:
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minimizing the amount of waste that goes into landfills.
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reducing fuel (energy) consumption… during construction and the lifecycle of
the resulting structure.
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using renewable products… in the construction process and renewable energy
systems to reduce energy bills and pollution
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incorporating intelligent design to utilize the characteristics/climate of the
location.
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creating a healthy indoor environment with low or no-VOC (volatile organic
compounds) products, mold/mildew resistant construction, water and air
filtration technologies and more.
The Green Building Decision Kit is designed for ease of use. The presentation
of information is broken down into common sense sections and easy to
understand language. Rather than make you search through a massive book or
database to find information, the Kit incorporates a unique, patent-pending
matching tab system that allows for easy retrieval of pertinent details. The
Display and Companion Pages are provided digitally in Acrobat Reader format so
the user has the option to minimize (or eliminate) what is printed on paper.
The Green Building Decision Kit encourages the use of a design charrette. The
modern-day definition of a charrette refers to any collaborative session in
which the group drafts a solution to a designated problem. It provides a forum
for ideas and offers the unique opportunity for immediate feedback while
integrating the aptitude and interests of a diverse group of people.
The Green Building Decision Kit includes information about traditional
construction in addition to various green alternatives. In this way, you have
what you need to make comparisons and, therefore, informed decisions.
Additionally, the Green Decision Matrix software included with the kit
provides a comparison of options in each area of discussion based upon the
users input. The Matrix software begins with input regarding the user’s
priorities (i.e. costs, living style, embodied energy, environmental impacts…)
and uses these priorities during the ‘weighting’ process to provide a most
favorable to least favorable list for each component.
The Green Building Decision Kit also provides helpful tools to use during
charrettes. These include a one-minute timer and clickers for the purpose of
brainstorming. The Kit is packaged in a cylindrical tube (like construction
plans) with instruction pages, Display pages, tools and a USB thumb drive with
flash memory (containing the software and digital Display and Companion Pages).