Green Building Lessons for a Sustainable Future
Summary
This course gives students a thorough understanding of green building principles and LEED requirements to prepare them for taking the LEED Green Associate™ Exam and becoming a LEED Green Associate professional. LEED, or Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design, is a green building certification program from the U.S. Green Building Council® (USGBC®).
As the field of green building undergoes explosive growth, this course helps prepare students to enter a workforce with sought-after skills and experience. And because LEED is a global green building rating system, students with LEED credentials have skills that are in demand internationally.
In this course, students delve into what sustainability means to them personally and to the built environment. With hands-on activities and group projects, students examine practical aspects of green building, such as net-zero energy, sustainably sourced materials, and healthy air quality; and they practice designing green building components, such as sustainable landscapes and efficient water systems. Whether students who take this course become LEED Green Associates or not, the course helps them develop a sustainability mindset, empowering them to improve the health of the planet one project at a time.
Modules
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Module 1: Introduction to Sustainability and Building Design
In this lesson, students explore the foundational concepts of integrative, or “whole building,” design. They are each assigned a role to be part of an integrative team that will design a building for a university campus. They begin by conducting independent research to understand the scope and purpose of their…
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Module 2: Location, Transportation, and Sustainable Sites
In this lesson, students examine a variety of transportation options that can improve the sustainability of a development. Then student teams regroup to incorporate sustainable transportation options, such as accommodations for alternative transportation vehicles, carpooling programs, and bike lanes, into their smart-growth designs. The lesson helps motivate students to consider…
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Module 3: Water Efficiency
In this lesson, students complete a lab activity to compare the effects of rainwater runoff on natural and impervious surfaces. Then they investigate how poorly managed rainwater and acid precipitation can negatively impact infrastructure and the environment and how low-impact development strategies, in contrast, can facilitate the sustainable management of…
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Module 4: Energy and Atmosphere
In this lesson, students synthesize their data and ideas from Lesson 2. They share their results with the class and evaluate the effectiveness of the eco-audit. Students strategize as a class and then work in small groups to plan how to recommend and promote progressive changes to more effectively manage…
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Module 6: Indoor Environmental Quality
In this lesson, students identify how components of indoor environmental quality (IEQ) work together to create an ideal environment for occupants. First they list all the key topics and vocabulary they’ve learned in this module; then they build a mind map to process those concepts and explore interconnections. Students then…
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Module 7: Innovation and Design Process
In this lesson, students explore the foundational concepts of integrative, or “whole building,” design. They are each assigned a role to be part of an integrative team that will design a building for a university campus. They begin by conducting independent research to understand the scope and purpose of their…
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