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SBIC's Federal Large and Commercial Buildings Program

Whole Building Design Guide Presentation
Beyond Green™: A High-Performance Approach to Building Design Construction, and Operations, Two day workshop

SBIC's Federal Buildings program addresses the pressing need to meet the sustainability objectives laid out in:

  • Executive Order 13423 "Strengthening Federal Environmental, Energy and Transportation Management"
  • The Energy Policy Act of 2005 (PDF)
  • The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007
  • And, Executive Order 13423 Technical Guidance

Architects, engineers, building owners and managers in both the public and private sectors have come to realize that an integrated design approach is critical to achieving truly high-performance buildings. This approach is premised on a 'whole building' understanding and requires an analysis of the interdependencies of systems. For example, consideration of site access, building orientation, and storm water runoff are codependent; so too are HVAC, fire protection, security and acoustics. It is no longer acceptable for a building system to be designed as if it had no effect on other systems and other design decisions.

Along with an introduction to high-performance buildings using the whole building approach, developing the owner's project requirements, and total building commissioning, our program focuses on:

  • Site planning and design: energy, sustainability, accessibility and security,
  • Building form and envelope: energy, sustainability, accessibility and security,
  • Renewable energy: PV, solar thermal, passive solar design strategies, getting to 'zero energy' and seeking carbon neutral,
  • Lighting: daylighting, efficient electric lighting and controls, lighting for security,
  • HVAC: low energy strategies, sustainability, control strategies, security issues,
  • Water: conservation, energy use, sustainability and security,Environmentally preferable materials,
  • Indoor environmental quality: acoustics, glare, air quality,
  • Discussion of green building rating systems, and
  • Tools and resources: ENERGY-10 energy-efficient design software and the Internet-based Whole Building Design Guide

To learn more about SBIC's Federal Buildings Program contact Executive Director, Bud DeFlaviis at (202) 628-7400, extension 201 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .