This page contains content from the 2008–09 academic year. For current information, visit the Harvard Extension School website at www.extension.harvard.edu.
Sustainable Buildings: Design, Construction, and Operations
ENVR E-119
Sustainable Buildings: Design, Construction, and Operations (12989)
(Website)
John D. Spengler, PhD, Akira Yamaguchi Professor of Environmental Health and Human Habitation, Harvard School of Public Health. Nathan Gauthier, BS, Assistant Director, Harvard Green Campus Initiative, Harvard University. Leith Sharp, MEd, Visiting Scientist, Exposure, Epidemiology and Risk Program, Harvard School of Public Health. Rafal Schurma, MArch, Principal Architect, VvS. Agnes Vorbrodt-Schurma, ALM, MArch, Principal Architect, VvS.
Course tuition: noncredit and undergraduate credit $800, graduate credit $1,725.
Fall term:
Mondays beginning Sept. 15, 7:35-9:35 pm, Science Center, Hall A. Optional sections to be arranged.
Online and on-campus options. See Distance Education.
Lecture 1 video.
Our built environment has a substantial impact on energy and material resources as well as being a critical determinant of health, comfort, and productivity for occupants. In response, there are numerous local, national, and international entities adopting green, sustainable criteria for new construction and renovations. This course approaches sustainable development for buildings by examining how building components and systems affect human performance and well being. Sustainable development starts with site planning and evaluation, and proceeds through construction, commissioning, and occupancy phases. The course includes many case studies of historic and contemporary structures exemplifying various sustainability features. The course presents rating systems for high performance buildings developed by the US Green Building Council and other international organizations. Field trips are arranged to tour buildings and green roofs in the Boston area. (4 credits)