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Executive Summary (2012)
BibTeX
@MISC{Dermisi12executivesummary,
author = {Dr. Sofia Dermisi and Asieh Mansour and Elaine Worzala and Dermisi S. Performance and Leed-existing Buildings},
title = {Executive Summary},
year = {2012}
}
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Abstract
Office buildings are a key feature of our urban and suburban fabric allowing the flourishing of economic activity; however, they also cause depletion of our energy sources and contribute significantly to the existing environmental pollution. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) commercial buildings alone accounted for 35 % of the total U.S. electricity consumption in 2006 with a projection to almost 37 % by 2025. The carbon footprint of commercial buildings was estimated at 7 % of the U.S. total carbon dioxide emissions and the water consumption at 3.3 % of the total water consumed based on research conducted in 2008 and 1996 respectively (EPA report). The EPA along with other non-government based environmental protection agencies have sounded the alarm many times in the past on the effect of our built environment on natural resource depletion and contamination for future generations, and commercial buildings have recently started to explore sustainability options more aggressively. Newly constructed buildings have less of a sustainability challenge than existing buildings as most are built to sustainability standards, but existing buildings depending on their building systems, and often require more extensive retrofitting while tenants are occupying the facility. Even before the recent financial crisis, owners of existing commercial buildings across
Keyphrases
commercial building executive summary carbon footprint total u.s. electricity consumption office building total water building system future generation environmental protection agency key feature economic activity recent financial crisis sustainability option extensive retrofitting sustainability challenge u.s. environmental protection agency energy source u.s. total carbon dioxide emission water consumption suburban fabric environmental pollution epa report natural resource depletion sustainability standard alarm many time
