Page 063 - building and community
Source section: Section 4 - Green Building Core Concepts and Application Strategies PDF page: 63 Guide page: 56 OCR quality: medium (244 words)
OCR Text
A site’s relationship to the local bioregion, watershed, and community will help determine how a project can contribute to a sustainable environment. A sustainable project serves more than the immediate needs of the building. Good site design can provide ecosystem services and create a sense of place. Site design also plays an important role in helping projects adapt to the effects of climate change. Thoughtful site design begins with a thorough assessment of the site. By getting to know a site’s best features and its challenges, the team can appropriately integrate the building and grounds into the local ecosystem. Good site design benefits the project by creating synergies between building and site, and it also benefits the larger community through strategies such as rainwater management and habitat conservation. When assessing and designing a site, the team must consider many things:
- Isthere adequate open space surrounding the project, or could the project provide open space to the building and community?
- Whatis the local climate of the project?
- Has the site been previously developed?
- What species in the area might use the site as habitat and be affected? Zz = iS] b a Ww fa} a = ] SITE DESIGN AND MANAGEMENT Ww a rc] Projects often set broad goals for sustainable design and management ofa site, such as reducing the e environmental impacts of landscaping, minimizing maintenance costs, and contributing to the restoration o and regeneration of an area. Achieving these goals requires careful plant selection, integration of innovative 6 irrigation systems, and a new approach to outdoor lighting design. Ww a ° oO a w Ww ad 56