Landscape architects unveil design guidelines
Posted on November 1st, 2007By Michael Burnham
Greenwire: The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) unveiled draft recommendations today for the nation’s first eco-friendly landscape design guidelines.
The Washington, D.C.-based association aims to integrate its “Sustainable Sites” initiative’s stormwater runoff, vegetation and landscape design principles into national green building certification standards. The U.S. Green Building Council has agreed to include the landscape architecture principles in its widely used Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification standards for buildings.
ASLA is also exploring how The Green Building Initiative, National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and other organizations could integrate the land-use principles into their green-building rating tools, said Jim Lapides, an ASLA spokesman.
“This is a broad brush stroke,” Lapides said. “It will enable people to look at planning and developing the whole site sustainably.”
In addition to addressing soil hydrology and vegetation issues, ASLA’s rating tool would address unquantifiable principles such as the impacts plants and open spaces have on human health.
“Landscape design isn’t just about stopping stormwater pollution from going into Chesapeake Bay, for example,” Lapides explained. “This is about how people use the natural environment and benefit from it.”
ASLA will seek feedback on its sustainable sites recommendations through the end of the year from landscape architects, developers, urban planners and others. The organization plans to publish final guidelines in May 2009 and conduct pilot projects in 2010 and 2011.
Green building survey
In other news, NAHB yesterday published the results of a recent survey of 800 registered voters. Respondents interviewed during the week of Oct. 15 were asked what factors would drive them to buy a green home or remodel their home to be more energy- and water-efficient.
Sixty-four percent of those polled said lower electricity bills would be the most important factor. The second-highest scoring reason, at 55 percent, was because a green home — such as one that optimizes natural light, airflow and non-toxic interior materials — would be a healthier place to live.
“That’s a pretty strong showing for altruism,” said Neil Newhouse, a partner with Public Opinion Strategies, which conducted the poll. “But cost is the overriding concern; that’s something that all green players — builders, regulators and advocates — need to keep topmost in their minds.”
NAHB is slated to launch a green home rating tool, akin to LEED, in February at its annual building conference (Greenwire, Oct. 24).
