High-Performance Green Buildings: ASHRAE Standard 189.1-2011*

*Approved by USGBC (BD+C) and AIA (HSW, SD) for continuing education credit (1.5 CE learning units).

Buildings in the United States account for 39 percent of carbon dioxide emissions, 40 percent of energy consumption and 13 percent of water consumption. They also occupy valuable land, contribute to urban heat islands, atmospheric pollution, and landfill waste. More and more building owners and municipalities want a standard for buildings which exceed minimum building codes. ASHRAE Standard 189.1-2011 Design of High-Performance Green Buildings addresses this demand. It’s a mandatory-language code-intended standard with provisions related to building sites, water use, energy efficiency, general environmental impact, and indoor environmental quality. This newsletter presents an overview of the standard and provides some insight regarding its potential impact on future building codes and building designs.

Presenters: Dennis Stanke, former Chair of ASHRAE Standard 62.1 and current Chair of ASHRAE Standard 189.1 and Susanna Hanson current member of the committee responsible for ASHRAE Standard 90.1.