COMMONWEALTH SUSTAINABILITY WORKS
GREEN BUILDING + SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES + STRATEGIC PLANNING

Green Building: Design + Construction
Services For
Businesses Individuals and Households Governments Schools & Libraries NGOs

We work on new construction and remodels. Our involvement may take the form of

• pre-design recommendations (view prices),
• review of bids or construction documents (view prices),
• energy audits (view prices),
• original designs,
• certification using various green building programs (EarthCraft, LEED, etc) (view prices), or
• implementation and installation (limited availability).

Consider these facts – collected by the American Institute of Architects' Committee on the Environment –

• More than 35 percent of our nation's energy supply, including more than 60 percent of electricity, is used for the construction and operation of buildings – approximately $250 billion a year.
• According to the U.S. Department of Energy, systematic approaches to quality improvement and cost effectiveness have reduced energy and operating costs from 30 to 80 percent compared to conventional buildings.
• The annual savings on efficient equipment and design can pay back initial investments quickly. In fact, a rate of return of 25 to 40 percent per year is not uncommon.
• According to a National Bureau of Standards study, the labor cost of employees in typical office facility is 13 times the cost of the facility itself over its life cycle, including construction, furnishings, maintenance, and interest. …research indicates that user-friendly office designs have increased productivity as much as 16 percent.

In other words, how we build our buildings has a tremendous impact upon the environment, our communities, and our health – as well as our pocketbook.

Whatever you are building, you have an opportunity to make it more affordable, more functional, and more beautiful – by integrating the principles of sustainability from the very beginning. Conventional construction in the USA currently creates too many unhealthy, unproductive environments that are unduly expensive to operate. Green design is not limited to straw bale houses and earth ships – it can look just like the house next door. Let us tell you about the dangers of many conventional materials and the wonderful natural alternatives. Let us talk you through all the impacts of living in the structure, of how people will use it, and of the money saved by a user-friendly, resource-efficient design.

We consult with clients on the following issues: Site Selection (transportation networks, solar orientation, geological and hydrological systems, shelter trees, build in existing communities, reducing disturbance at site, preserving natural features) Materials (local availability, low embodied energy, construction waste management, durability and maintenance, low toxicity, certified lumber) Energy Use (alternative energy systems, efficient appliances, programmable systems, commissioning, proper sizing of equipment, insulation, passive solar design) Water Use (efficient fixtures, waste-water reduction systems, landscaping, rainwater collection) Indoor Environmental Quality (air quality, daylight, toxins, thermal comfort, impacts on human productivity) Operation and Maintenance (pest management, ventilation, cleaning, task management, purchasing)

Contact us today to discuss your needs.

	For more information on green building design, construction, and maintenance, we recommend the following web sites: Better Bricks.com Building Science Corporation City of Austin Green Building Program Environmental Building News NAHB Research Center Partnership for Advanced Technology in Housing Southface US DOE Building Technologies Program United States Green Building Council