|
 Goals
of the Program
For those design professionals
seeking in-depth expert design consultation beyond what our
guidelines offer, SBIC offers Peer
Reviews and Design Charrettes as well as Customized Workshops.
Peer Reviews &
Design Charrettes
An expert team of SBIC member designers, engineers, and energy
analysts will provide reviews of proposed building designs, and
recommend resource conservation and energy-efficiency strategies
that are appropriate
to your project and budget. By integrating daylighting, passive solar strategies, natural ventilation, and
renewable energy options, you can significantly reduce your
operating costs over time, while creating a more healthful and
productive environment.
We can help you evaluate the
merits of building integrated photovoltaics, rain water
collection, pervious surfaces, bio-retention, and other
sustainable 'whole building' strategies, and perform cost
analyses to determine which options are right for your
particular project and budget. We'll also look at the benefits
of specifying low or no-VOC green building materials and
finishes, which can significantly improve indoor
environmental quality.
Many building owners and
managers find that these improvements pay for themselves many
times over in the course of the structure's life, and that
simple payback – the time required for material, system, and
design upgrades to be recouped by lower energy costs and other
operational savings – occurs within the first few years of
operation.
Expertise
We offer technical
expertise in each of the following areas:
- Energy
performance analysis using leading-edge design tools
such as DOE 2.1E, Designing Low-Energy
 Buildings with
ENERGY-10, RADIANCE, and computational fluid
dynamics (CFD)
-
Use of rating tools
such as the U.S. Green
Building
Council's LEED rating system
- Production of case
studies, marketing and promotional materials, press
releases, videos, web site content, reporting and
documentation
- Green
building materials and indoor air quality
- Design charrettes, follow-up evaluations, and guidance
on finding potential funding sources for your particular
project
|
Customized
Workshops
SBIC can customize
a workshop to meet the specific needs of any
organization. Because procedures often vary from organization to
organization, SBIC
has made it a point to address these unique differences in the
context of our customized workshops.
 |
In 2001, the Council hosted a peer
review for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation's new
headquarters building, the
Philip Merrill Environmental Center. For more
information, please follow this link to an
article in Environmental
Design + Construction magazine. |
 |
|
