Sustainable Building Design and Energy Efficiency Flashcards
6 cards from real Building Engineering practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 Sustainable Building Design and Energy Efficiency flashcards as text
What is commissioning (Cx) in the context of sustainable building delivery?
Answer: A systematic process to verify that building systems are installed and operating per design intent
Building commissioning involves planning, verification, functional testing, and documentation to confirm that all systems perform as the designer intended and as the owner requires.
What is an energy audit and what does it assess in an existing building?
Answer: A systematic examination of energy flows to identify opportunities to reduce consumption and cost
Energy audits analyze a building's energy use patterns, envelope, systems, and operations to identify and prioritize cost-effective efficiency improvements.
What is the purpose of specifying low-VOC materials in sustainable building design?
Answer: To improve indoor air quality by reducing volatile organic compound off-gassing from building materials
Low-VOC paints, adhesives, carpets, and composite wood products emit fewer harmful chemicals into indoor air, protecting occupant health and supporting LEED IAQ credits.
What does embodied carbon refer to in building materials assessment?
Answer: The greenhouse gas emissions associated with extracting, manufacturing, transporting, and installing building materials
Embodied carbon is increasingly important as operational energy efficiency improves — the emissions locked into materials may represent 50% or more of a building's lifetime carbon footprint.
What is daylighting in sustainable architecture and what are its benefits?
Answer: The use of natural light through windows and skylights to reduce artificial lighting energy use and improve occupant well-being
Effective daylighting design reduces lighting energy by 30–60%, improves occupant productivity and health, and can be integrated with daylight harvesting controls for maximum savings.
What is the purpose of blower door testing in building performance verification?
Answer: To measure the airtightness of the building envelope by pressurizing or depressurizing the building
A blower door test quantifies air infiltration through the envelope, expressed as air changes per hour at 50 pascals (ACH50), identifying leakage that increases heating and cooling loads.