Buildings have a very large carbon footprint. According to the International Energy Agency's 2021 assessment, buildings were responsible for 27% of global emissions. While 8% are direct emissions from energy generated in buildings, 19% are indirect from electricity and heat generated for consumption.
The management of indirect emissions is not under your control. However, the environmental impact caused by direct emissions can be reduced if a sustainable engineering design is adopted for the energy systems in a building. Renewable systems are the way forward, but with sustainable design.
The importance of sustainable design
Sustainable design is a design practice that seeks to eliminate problems that could lead to a negative environmental impact. The central idea of this design principle is to take into account the needs of the present and, at the same time, take into account future generations.
Its objectives are:
- Reduce waste and utilize resources optimally.
- Create healthy environments for users and the broader community.
- Increase the use of renewable energy sources while reducing the consumption of non-renewable energy.
When the design principle is applied to engineering, we obtain sustainable engineering design, where various building systems are designed to be environmentally friendly, have a reduced carbon footprint and realize profits through reduced operating costs and better financial results.
Take, for example, energy management in a building. Sustainable engineering eliminates energy waste, improves energy efficiency and increases the use of renewable energy, such as solar, wind or geothermal energy, leading to a lower impact on the climate and greater savings through the elimination of redundant systems .
How is engineering design adapting sustainable models?
Engineers follow engineering design principles to design, build, and test a product or building. It involves defining the problem, brainstorming solutions, creating prototypes and testing the solutions. With sustainable engineering, engineers adopt sustainable models in their engineering projects.
Consider energy modeling for a building to help with sustainable engineering design. Engineers use energy modeling to simulate building energy systems and analyze energy consumption patterns.
Using energy modeling tools, they gather critical information about system viability, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, inefficient systems, etc., to model energy consumption in heating, cooling and ventilation. Data such as building location, meteorological and climate data are also accounted for when developing a sustainable design for energy systems.
Engineers also use sustainable models such as the geospatially based solar radiation mapping model, the Digital Surface model, and others to obtain maximum output from a solar photovoltaic (PV) system. They analyze the landscape around the building, roof geometry, building orientation, height, atmospheric interactions with solar radiation, and other geospatial data to accurately identify the location for employing solar photovoltaic systems.
Using the data collected, engineers accurately estimate solar energy potential and design the best solar photovoltaic system that is financially viable and can help reduce the building's carbon footprint.
Implement green building methods in your next construction project.
How do NY engineers adapt sustainable engineering projects?
From using advanced Building Energy Modeling (BEM) tools to deploying on-site design engineers, we use advanced sustainable models for engineering projects. We consider even the smallest details like material footprint, toxicity, weather patterns, community impact, etc. for engineering projects.
Our sustainable design principle includes:
- Effective use of resources
- Eliminating excess waste
- Greater system productivity
- Reduced carbon footprint
- Accumulating benefits for society
Whether it is a building under construction or an existing one, we use sustainable models to assess energy consumption needs and energy generation potential. Based on the analysis, we provide engineering designs that reduce costs, increase revenue and become a net-zero energy building.
By adopting sustainability in our projects, we benefit our customers with faster approvals. Our projects meet all local building codes and environmental regulations in New York State and beyond.
Final grade
Climate change is humanity's biggest threat. Buildings with high emissions are one of the sources of GHG that induce climate change. To reduce the environmental impact of buildings, rapid upgrading with renewable energy sources and effective energy management are the need of the hour.
Sustainable engineering design is the way forward to determine the exact needs of buildings and develop eco-friendly modules that can transform a building into zero-carbon structures. Sustainable engineering will also help you comply with local environmental regulations and obtain approvals quickly, saving you money and construction time.
