ARET 4111 - Green Building Rating Systems

Course Description

Green building rating systems attempt to measure how sustainable a building is using a variety of different requirements and metrics. In this course, students will survey a number of ratings systems currently used by building professionals as a way to learn about the different strategies and technologies that are currently employed to make buildings more sustainable. The history of the various systems will be studied so that the students can see the evolution of the green building movement. Issues such as climate, building size, energy modelling, third party certification, and life cycle analysis will be discussed, so that current green building practice can be put into context. The various rating systems will be compared and contrasted to see which are most applicable to a given project.

Learning outcomes

• Describe the history and evolution of ratings systems and their importance in the green building movement.
• Evaluate a project and identify the most applicable green building rating system.
• Apply a green building rating system to determine the level of sustainability of a building project.
• Recommend to a project team suitable strategies that will improve the sustainability of a given building.
• Prepare project documentation that clearly demonstrates sustainability performance to stakeholders.
• Reflect on their own personal experiences and biases and identify how they influence your approach to sustainable buildings.

Course topics

• Module 1: Introduction to Green Building Rating Systems
• Module 2: Green Building Rating System Landscape
• Module 3: Location and Transportation
• Module 4: Sustainable Sites and Water Efficiency
• Module 5: Energy and Atmosphere
• Module 6: Materials and Resources
• Module 7: Indoor Environmental Quality
• Module 8: Green Building Rating System Processes

Required text and materials

Students are responsible for purchasing the required materials on their own:

• U.S. Green Building Council. (2014). LEED core concepts guide (3rd ed.).

Note: This item can be purchased directly from the following link. 

Assessments

To successfully complete this course, students must achieve a passing grade of 50% or higher on the overall course, and 50% or higher on the final mandatory exam.

Recommended requisite(s)

It is recommended that students have knowledge and skills relating to building design and construction.