Course Syllabus for ENVMT 20 Introduction to Green Building and Ecological Design

Introduction to Green Building and Ecological Design
SYLLABUS
Spring 2009 ENVMT 20 # 25427 3.0 units
Bruce Douglas P.E, lbdpe@sbcglobal.net Robin Freeman M.A. 510.434.3840 robinf5713@aol.com,, Leslie Geathers, BArch. nativearch@sbcglobal.net
Please subscribe to the course email list: GreenBuildingDesign-subscribe@yahoogroups.com to receive announcements, and see related materials. Also, some information will be posted on Robin Freeman’s Classes at www.ecomerritt.org under links. See Environmental Jobs at the same site.

Texts:
Introduction to Green Building, Freeman, Geathers, Douglas et al. $15 CD $2
Sustainable Architecture White Papers, Brown et al. approx. $17 Builder’s Booksource

January 15 through February 19: Thursdays, 7-9:20 pm
5 Sat/Sun, 9:00am-noon, 12:30-5:30pm (1/17,24,25,31;2/1)
Optional Lab ENVMT 50 Thur. 5pm – 7pm #23734 1.0 unit and TBA

1. Thursday, Jan 15: (Freeman, Geathers, Douglas) Program, Course Introduction. Class introductions, What does Green mean to you? Ecosystem function. Assignment: Systems Input-output map. Read Chapters 1,2 in Intro. To Green Building

2. Saturday, Jan 17: 9am (Freeman, Geathers) Dress for walking. Bring food for a community lunch. Greenhouse construction & mtls list. Ecosystem and Watersheds walk; Biomimcry at the Environmental Center, Working Groups;. Sustainable Architecture Overview. Visit Shorebird Nature Center
Assignment: Home Site Analysis; Read Intro. To Green Building Chapters 3,4; Read Sections. 1&2 in White Papers and write a brief paragraph or 2 about how what you read affects you personally; your own thoughts; you don’t need to describe the content.

3. Thursday, Jan 22: (Freeman) , Imagination, Design, and Thriving Human Communities; Discuss input/output/systems.
Assignment: Input/Output/Systems due. Read Intro. To Green Building Chapters 7 and 9

4. Saturday, Jan 24: (Geathers, Freeman) Bring Community Lunch Design Determinants and Architectural Program for Environmental Center Self Reliant House. Greenhouse Construction Details. Hand out project –Design Basics, Review Home Site Analysis. Assignment: Home Site Analysis Due. White Papers: Paragraph due and read Sections 3 and 4 and write your response; due Jan. 31 – Intro. To Green Building Chapters 5,6,8,10

5.Sunday, Jan 25: (Douglas) Bring Community Lunch Solar site mapping, building monitoring, Energy, Energy Conservation ,Passive Solar, Resources use.
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6.Thursday, Jan 29 : (Freeman) Green Building Materials; Availability, Design and Choice, Natural Building, Regenerative Design, Universal Design, Permaculture Design, Ecological Design – in class design exercise
Assignment: Final Project group work

7. Saturday, Jan 31: (Douglas) Bring Community Lunch Building Monitoring, Water capture, conservation, re-use systems. Greenhouse roof water systems installation. Guest/field TBA (Rana Creek/Eco-House)
Assignment: See Sunday below – water filtration systems

8. Sunday, Feb 1: (Geathers, Freeman) Bring Community Lunch Greenhouse roof water systems installation. Review Bubble Diagrams, Site project assessment and programming . Guest/field TBA (Rana Creek/Eco-House)
Assignment: White Papers Paragraphs due and read Sections 5 and 6; think of how concepts relate to the final project. Research roof water and greywater filtration systems for final project specifications – cost, availability, type, reviews

9. Thursday, Feb 5: (Geathers) Design project review and graphics in class
Assignment: Final Project group work. Guest TBA (Rana Creek)

10. Thursday, Feb 12: (Freeman) LEED, Building Performance Checklists, Permits. Group project work.
Assignment: Final Project group work

11. Thursday, Feb 19: (Douglas,Freeman, Geathers) Presentations and Pot-luck Presentations Due

COURSE REQUIREMENTS: Course Requirements for a letter grade (Non-credit also available on line): You will grade yourself based on completion of the assignments, reading, attendance, participation and final presentation. This course is required for the Green Building and Energy Management major.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: You will be able to use architectural, construction and green building terms to approach and analyze design and construction projects and to put them into personal, site, local, regional and global context.