Sustainable design for individual buildings:
Sustainable building design considers the building's
long-term impact and the health and productivity of its occupants. Costs can be comparable on a first-cost basis,
and savings are significant when the full environmental costs are included. This guide
uses San Francisco's resource-efficient building ordinance for municipal
buildings as a template to describe the issues addressed with sustainable building design.
This legislation's mandates include:
 A switch to low-flow toilets and shower-heads;
A switch to more energy-efficient fluorescent fixtures,
exterior light fixtures, and exit signs;
Recycling of fluorescent lamps;
A requirement for the managers of buildings to produce
and implement a building maintenance plan to ensure indoor air quality;
Requirements for construction contractors to prevent
moisture contamination of building materials;
A requirement for elimination or encapsulation of
fibrous insulation materials.
Design requirements to ensure adequate, accessible,
and convenient recycling areas; (Recycling storage needs depend on the activities
of the users of a building. For non-industrial buildings, the San Francisco
Solid Waste Management program uses the rule of thumb of requiring the same amount
of space for recycling storage as for trash storage.) and
Recycling of construction and demolition debris;
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