Hello and welcome to the resources page for the Fall Semester Green Building class.
Below you will find links to reading materials and lessons as well as homework requirements for each week. These will be added to as the semester progresses so please keep checking.
Tentative Syllabus
CLICK HERE to view the tentative syllabus for the semester but please remember that this may change at any time and changes may be announced in class but not shown on the syllabus.
Week 1
Reading material – CLICK HERE to visit realgreenhome.net
Please read the article entitled “What is a REAL “Green” Home?”
Homework: Write half a page on whether or not you agree with the author of this article’s opinion on what make makes a home truly “green” and why you agree or disagree. Email Word (.doc) file to instructor at the following address andrew.lemann@mso.umt.edu
Due date: Sunday, Sept. 5th, 5pm.
Week 2
Homework. Decide on a Student Project for the semester and email outline to instructor by Sunday 5pm. Choose either a standard project (see tentative syllabus for outline) or self-directed project relating to green building. The latter must be approved by instructor who will email his response (approved or otherwise) in reply to your submission this week. If changes are required you will have until the end of next week to resubmit.
Due date: Sunday, Sept 12, 5pm.
Week 3
Begin rating your project using either LEED for Home or the National Green Building Standard. CLICK HERE to read more about how to do this (scroll down towards the bottom of the page…). We will be in the computer lab LA-240 on Thursday evening. I will be available to answer questions so it will be a good idea for you to have started doing your rating so that you have some intelligent questions to ask.
Homework: Complete green building rating – email report as either an (Excel file or a pdf) to instructor by 5pm Sunday
p.s. CLICK HERE to check out a cool house in Wales
Week 4
Work through the following lessons on using Sketchup and Google Earth for designing and analyzing a #D model of a simple building.
Week 5
Click here to view Tuesday’s presentation by Russ Hellem
Homework: read the following article from buildingscience.com and briefly answer the following questions:
1. Why did older houses not have problems with condensation in attics?
2. What are the two fundamental rules of building science according to Jo Lstibruek (pronounced Stee-brick)?
3. Briefly list the order in which we should approach the task of air-sealing and insulating a house so as not to create health, safety, and durability problems?
Finally write me one paragraph about what you thought was the coolest thing about Russ’ Duplex and why.
Wk 6
No homework this week but here are some notes if you want to brush up
Class notes – week 6 – Passive Solar Design 1
Class notes – week 6 – Passive Solar Design 2
More next week
Wk7
Class notes – week 7 – Passive Solar Design 3
2010 Fall Class – Green Building List
Homework: Review the notes on Passive Solar Design for Weeks 6 & 7. Answer the following two simple questions:
1. List the ten principles of Passive Solar Design.
2. State which of these ten is the most important and why?
For the field trip this week; review the class’s list of Green Building Features and for each of the six main categories briefly describe one thing that the home does well and one thing it could do better. (Come to the field trip prepared to ask questions that will help you with these answers).
Wk8
For this week I’d like each of you to attempt to write a short (half page or so)description of a POSITIVE view of the future. I believe that if we hope to achieve anything we have to be able to imagine it first. The first step to a hopeful future is a creative vision of what that might look like.
So I’m looking for a totally positive vision, no matter how many reasons you can think of for why it won’t or can’t work. Ignore all of the negatives and impossibilities and let your imagination go to work.
Have fun with it.
Wk 9
For homework, write me a quick couple of paragraphs on how you think Alternative Energy fits into Green Building
Week 12
For homework this week please answer the following questions about LEED. You can find most of the answers on the US Green Building Council’s website uscbg.org but be prepared to spend some time looking for them as it is not a well designed web site.
1. How many different LEED rating systems are there currently in effect? (hint: LEED for New Construction is one of them)
2. Under “V3 LEED 2009 for Schools New Construction and Major Renovation”
2.a. Name the seven categories in which points are awarded
2.b. List how many possible points are available in each category
2.c. List the total number of points available
2.d. List how many points are required to reach each of the certification levels (Certified, Silver, Gold, Platinum)
2.e. How many required points are there altogether?
3 a – e. Answer the same questions above for “V3 LEED 2009 for Commercial Interiors”
4 For each of the buildings toured this week name three unique “green” things about the building. For each of these unique features list which of the LEED point categories (Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, etc) you think they might qualify for points under (can be more than one).
Please have the answers to me by Sunday at 5pm.
We only have one class next week due to Thanksgiving. I have scheduled more time in the computer lab LA-240 on Tuesday for you to work on your projects. Completed projects are due on Sunday, Nov 28th at 5pm. No exceptions!
In the remaining classes you will each present your project to the class and grade each other’s projects. To be fair I require that all projects be completed and submitted at the same time. Then the presentations will be done in random order. The good news for you is that the work for the class is done by the 28th however I do still require attendance and participation in the remaining classes.
If there is time left after everyone presents I will show you about Energy Modeling.