How
to Use These Guidelines
These Guidelines
provide designers and builders with guidance on the ways that buildings
can provide better health, ecological and resource performance effectively
and economically. It is most helpful when decisions have the greatest
effect: during the conceptual and schematic stages of design; during
construction; and in commissioning.
Most chapters
provide advice for conceptual and schematic stages of design. In
these early stages, it is easy to explore, and accept or reject
design strategies. The Construction Management and Commissioning
chapters focus on later stages of development. Builders make many
material and equipment choices during construction, and commissioning
ensures that design intentions and performance targets are realized.
Each chapter also
provides plain-language summaries of "Required Practices"
- Santa Monica Municipal Code ordinances that have a significant
effect on the environmental performance of buildings.
The Guidelines
are tailored to introduce designers and builders to green design
and construction strategies that may be unfamiliar, while avoiding
information overload. To that end, information is presented in several
ways, with details appropriate to early design, construction or
commissioning.
Each of the following
chapters is organized into five sections.
The Chapter
Introduction discusses its environmental, resource or health
objectives. It also provides an overview of general strategies with
merit. The Required and Recommended Practices are put in context
to explain the relation of each to the others – when to consider
their use, which to use together, and which are most effective.
The Summary
of Required and Recommended Practices lists “Required Practices”
of the Santa Monica Municipal Code ordinances; and “Recommended
Practices” in a table that shows their performance in several
key design and construction issues. These issues include Environment,
Ease of Use, Other Benefits, and Capital Cost.
Environment
addresses environmental, health and resource-conservation performance
of the practice used alone. “Low” is a slight but definite
improvement, compared to current standard practice in Southern California.
For example, less than a 5% improvement in energy consumption. “Moderate”
is better – a 5% to 10% improvement. “High” is reserved
for the most effective Practices – more than a 10% improvement.
Ease of Use
indicates how easily a Practice can be implemented. A “High”
rating means that competent professionals should have little or
no extra difficulty in its use. “Moderate” implies that
the designer or contractor may be required to learn some new techniques
or take extra care the first time they apply the advice, but are
unlikely to have major difficulties. “Low” indicates that
special expertise will likely be required, and particular care and
attention is needed to ensure the best results.
Other Benefits
points out benefits other than reduced environmental, health or
resource impacts. One example is the social and livability benefits
of pedestrian amenities. Another is the enhanced marketability of
buildings with operable windows used for natural cooling.
Capital Cost
estimates the effect of the Practice on the total cost of construction,
relative to current standard practice. “Low” indicates
little or no extra cost – less than 1% of total project capital
cost. “Moderate” means increased costs between 1 and 5%;
“High” indicates a cost increase of greater than 5%.
The Required
Practices explain how to comply with Santa Monica Municipal
Code ordinances with particular influence on the environmental impacts
of buildings, using plain language and illustrations. All building
projects must comply with the Required Practices, whether they are
new construction or substantial remodels.
The methods shown
in the Required Practices are acceptable to building inspectors,
plan checkers and governing City departments, as satisfying the
particular SMMC ordinance. However, the Required Practice discussions
should be considered as a supplement to the Municipal Code; the
ordinance itself should be consulted, and form the basis for compliance
decisions made by City staff.
The Recommended
Practices present different ways to accomplish a given objective
– a flexible ‘toolbox’ of technique. It is unlikely
that all of the Recommended Practices would be used in any one project,
though often several are best used together.
The information
in a Recommended Practice provides details appropriate to early
design, construction or commissioning. Discussions are brief, to
make them easy to use for a busy – and time-starved –
professional.
The
Further Information section provides sources for more detailed
information useful in later stages of design development and preparing
contract documents. They offer resources beyond the scope of these
Guidelines. These references will be useful to readers interested
in gaining a deeper under-standing of practice, theory and current
research.
