Spring 2007, Volume 10 Newsletter:
Harvard Green Campus Building Resource
The Green Building Resource, a project of the Harvard Green Campus Initiative, is an online project tool and database developed to assist in driving continuous improvement in the implementation of Harvard's Sustainability Principles and the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED rating system.
The HGCI’s Green Building Resource, under development for the last 18 months, is a sophisticated website that has been specifically designed to be user friendly and continuously updated as new projects emerge across Harvard. The Green Building Resource will house all LEED submittals and documentation from each of Harvard’s LEED projects, so that future projects can benefit from the lessons learned by these projects. This will ensure that the documentation effort associated with LEED certification becomes a valuable resource for continuous improvement at Harvard.
The Green Building Resource will also provide specific, experience based guidance for maximizing cost effectiveness of the high performance building design and LEED certification from initial planning, through design and construction, to post-occupancy training and maintenance. As clients, designers, and construction professionals lead the challenge in the implementation of high performance buildings, the HGCI’s Green Building Resource will provide a continually evolving and expanding library of successful approaches, technologies and lessons learned based upon Harvard’s own projects. By doing this effectively, the HGCI will be able to further maximize environmental responsibility and promote human health, while minimizing capital and operational costs.
The Green Building Resource is organized by three major LEED building types (LEED-New Construction, LEED-Commercial Interiors and LEED-Existing Buildings), which draw on the experience gained by the HGCI in over five years of working on LEED projects, and includes specific information on processes, materials and systems used at Harvard to streamline the process for current and future projects. The New Construction section can be navigated by:
Team Optimization: A guide to managing the project team, including model RFP language
Design Phase: Outlines optimal timing and responsibilities for the implementation of project goals during design and construction. An integrated, whole-systems approach is stressed.
Design Element: A roadmap outlining an ideal process to achieve each goal, model Harvard LEED submittals, information on design intent and sustainability principles, financial considerations, LEED requirements, and additional resources for each design element.Specifications: Guidelines and tools for writing and meeting project specifications, including model language and materials tracking tools.
Innovation at Harvard: Innovations that have been successfully implemented at Harvard, such as in plumbing, materials, HVAC systems, etc.
Energy Modeling: A roadmap, case studies, and software recommendations for energy modeling, which allows in-depth comparative analysis of potential building systems and strategies to create the most efficient building possible.
Life Cycle Costing: Life cycle costing is a method of economic analysis for all costs related to building, operating, and maintaining a project over a defined period of time. This section contains implementation, training, calculations, and case studies.
Harvard Case Studies: Comprehensive case studies of Harvard University’s 20 buildings that have used the LEED guidelines highlight successes, lessons learned, examples of life cycle costing, and include model submittals.
The Resource will be ready for use by the Harvard community and Harvard project teams in Fall of 2007, timed with the approval of Harvard’s University-wide Green Building Guidelines. The HGCI project team includes Leith Sharp, Michael Crowley, Andrea Ruedy, Nathan Gauthier and Jesse Foote. The Resource is currently funded by Harvard’s CAPS Office. Continued funding for the project must be secured by October 2007.