Commercial green building design and assessment
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Date
2017-12
Authors
Sarsour, Laith
Yadak, Moath
Dweikat, Ansar
Awad, Namir
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Abstract
When constructing a green Shopping Center, visitors will be able to experience a Palestinian energy-efficient green building. Striving for a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design gold rating. A work like this, for sure, will have a great future work with the Palestine Green Building Council to assure that it implements and adheres to green building design guidelines set by LEED.
The Shopping Center’s building will be a model for environmental sustainability on the Palestinian level. This building project can be used as an educational case-study to deliver training workshops to engineers, contractors, university students and other professionals.
The Shopping Center, followed LEED strategies to be a green efficient building that has a less negative impact on the environment and protect the natural resources.
Water and energy consumption in the building will be reduced by using green solutions in design and constructions. The Center building’s orientation is such that it will be able to maintain adequate and comfortable temperatures in both summer and winter months. Green solutions include collecting rainwater from the rooftop of the building in large water containers for reuse. Solar energy will be used to heat water for public use, while wastewater will be refined and reused for irrigating the gardens based on an automatically controlled water system. Moreover, the gardens of the Center will be planted with indigenous plants, which tend not to require large amounts of water.
The Center aims to create a healthy environment that is ideal for both visitors and staff by introducing methods and procedures to reduce the rates of toxic substances that exist in various types of paint, carpets and concrete, which vaporize in certain temperatures and affect breathing and therefore health.
The site will be surrounded with a special fence that prevents the erosion of soil from the construction area, thereby mitigating the environmental impact of the construction process on the adjacent area (silt controlling fence). A washing station for trucks will be created on site to reduce the transmission of dust and mud to the surrounding streets and neighborhoods.