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Introduction to Green Buildings

John C. Huang, Ph.D., PE, LEED AP

Course Outline

From green cars to green buildings, building "green" has gathered tremendous momentum around the world in recent years as a result of increased awareness of global warming and record high prices of natural resources. The goal of building "green" for the construction industry is to reduce the life cycle cost of buildings while maximizing health and environmental performance. This course is based on the publication "Sustainable Buildings" - a superb guide published by San Mateo County, California. This guide is one of the best published works on the subject, and provides excellent guidance for architects, engineers, contractors and building owners in a well organized format when it comes to conservation of natural resources, wise use of energy, improvement of air quality and development of livable communities. The green building strategies provided in this course are applicable to various types of construction, from commercial to resdential. In addition, students will learn about LEED Rating System, a nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high performance green buildings. This course includes a multiple-choice quiz at the end, which is designed to enhance the understanding of course materials.

Learning Objective

At the conclusion of this course, the student should be able to:

Course Content

The following publication is used as a part of the course content:

Sustainable Buildings
(2004 edition, 60 pages, PDF file. File size: 2.6 MB).

Please click on the underlined hypertext above to view, download or print the document for your study. Because of the large file size, we recommend that you first save the file to your computer by right-clicking the mouse and choosing "Save Target As ...", and then open the file in Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Because this course is offered as a "live" course, you are required to attend the webinar at the scheduled time and date. Please check the Webinar Schedule under course description on our website for currently scheduled meeting date and time. We will send you an invitation to the webinar through email approximately 24 hours before the webinar (confirmation of the receipt of the invitation is required). The certificate of completion will not be issued unless you attend the webinar and pass a quiz. Thank you for your cooperation.

Course Summary

Green buildings are also called sustainable buildings. They are designed to meet certain objectives such as conserving energy and water; improving air quality; and reducing the overall impact to the environment. Many green building principles and strategies described in this course can be applied to either new construction or renovation projects. Building "green" is an opportunity to use our resources efficiently while creating a healthier environment.

Related Links

For additional technical information related to this subject, please visit the following web pages:

U.S. Green Building Council
Green Building Resource Guide
California Green Building Design and Construction
Santa Monica Green Building Program
NAHB's Model Green Home Building Guidelines

Quiz

Before you attend the webinar, you need to print the quiz questions from your browser for your study during the webinar. At the end of the webinar, you need to complete the quiz and submit your answers to obtain the PDH credits.

Take a Quiz


DISCLAIMER: The materials contained in the online course are not intended as a representation or warranty on the part of PDHonline.com or any other person/organization named herein. The materials are for general information only. They are not a substitute for competent professional advice. Application of this information to a specific project should be reviewed by a registered professional engineer. Anyone making use of the information set forth herein does so at their own risk and assumes any and all resulting liability arising therefrom.