Procure Products
in the Green Procurement CompilationLearn & Plan Topics
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The Workplace Environment as a Catalyst for Social Change
We know workplace design can influence functional behaviors, but can it be a catalyst for social change? Can organizations use the environment to...
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Health
Good health has both physical and psychological components. Being healthy means the absence of disease and illness, as well as feeling posi...
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Spatial Equity
Organizations today are less hierarchical and work is more team based, more mobile, and more cross functional. A key to spatial equity is that sp...
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Materials, Furniture, and Furnishings Replacement
Daily wear and tear means that materials, furniture and furnishings require periodic replacement.
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Space Reconfiguration and Renovation Projects
As needs change over time, tenants often need to convert space or phase the conversion of individual space or rooms to meet these changing needs....
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Under 10,000 SF Interiors Gut Rehab Project
This page provides Sustainable Strategies to consider as a space has or will undergo a major tenant gut rehab for projects under 10,000 SF.
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Buildings and Health
The challenge for building design and operations is to identify and eliminate health risks while also providing positive physical, emotional, and...
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Circadian Light
Circadian rhythms are physiological processes that occur in the body approximately every 24-hours. Medical research has linked circadian disrup... -
The Importance of Daylight
While many people prefer to be in spaces with abundant daylight, a critical question is to what extent the benefits of daylight matter to those who ... -
Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ)
Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) is most simply described as the conditions inside the building. It includes air quality, but also access to da...
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Sense of Place
What makes a workplace special? What fosters a sense of attachment, engagement and identity? These are the kinds of questions that underlie the ...
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Occupant Comfort
Comfortable workers are more likely to be productive and engaged with their work than those who struggle to work in spaces that create barriers and ... -
Keys to Success
Sustainable design, construction, operation, and renovation are best thought of as an integrated process, rather than a collection of things. The pr... -
Project Guidance
For each project there is a selection of issues and questions you should consider before selecting specific materials or products. This will help...
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Building Systems Upgrades
This page details Sustainable Strategies to consider as your space undergoes a building system upgrade to improve energy, water use, and occupant co... -
Best Practices & Case Studies
One of the best ways to learn and make the case for high-performance building innovations is to point to others’ experience in implementing th... -
Biophilic Design
Learn why nature is so important to us, what we know about the benefits of nature, and how biophilia is being applied in buildings, particularly in ... -
Building Selection
A variety of physical building characteristics and operations policies should be evaluated for compliance with and support of the spaces’ heal...
Daylighting
Daylighting uses natural daylight as a substitute for electrical lighting. While it will likely be counterproductive to eliminate electrical lighting completely, the best proven strategy is to employ layers of light - using daylight for basic ambient light levels while providing occupants with additional lighting options to meet their needs.
An effective daylighting strategy appropriately illuminates the building space without subjecting occupants to glare or major variations in light levels, which can impact comfort and productivity.
In order to provide equitable access to daylight ensure the space is optimized to disperse daylight well. Locate private offices toward the core of the space and specify low workstation panels. Use glass walls and light-colored surfaces on walls and desks to disperse daylight throughout the space. In all daylighting strategies, it is important to consider glare and to take steps to minimize it. Find more strategies below:
GSA | Saving Energy through Lighting and Daylighting Strategies
Whole Building Systems
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Lighting - Optimize Daylighting
Large windows can provide daylight to interior spaces, but the daylight can be best used when complementary technologies are employed. Lighting cont...
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IEQ - Daylight
An effective daylighting strategy sufficiently illuminates the building space without subjecting occupants to inconvenient glare or light level fluc...
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IEQ - Daylight / Views
Providing daylight access and views for occupants is important in reaching performance goals as part of the IEQ strategy. According to a study done ...
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Lighting - WBDG.org | Daylighting
http://www.wbdg.org/resources/daylighting
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Lighting - GSA | The Fort Carson Energy Research Project: Daylighting and Lighting System Performance
https://app_gsagov_prod_rdcgwaajp7wr.s3.amazonaws.com/Fort_Carson_Energy_Research_Project_Lighting_508.pdf
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Lighting - GSA | Saving Energy through Lighting and Daylighting Strategies
https://www.gsa.gov/cdnstatic/Lighting_and_Daylighting_Two_Pager_508_compliant_2-9-15.pdf
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Lighting - GSA | Saving Energy through Lighting and Daylighting Strategies
https://app_gsagov_prod_rdcgwaajp7wr.s3.amazonaws.com/Lighting_and_Daylighting_Two_Pager_508_compliant_2-9-15.pdf
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Lighting - GSA | The Fort Carson Energy Research Project: Daylighting and Lighting System Performance
http://www.gsa.gov/portal/mediaId/196915/fileName/Fort_Carson_Energy_Research_Project_Lighting_508.action
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Lighting - Green Tips
Allow optimal daylight penetration, orientating interior space layout accordingly.
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Lighting - Green Tips Behavior
Train workplace specialists and occupants the value of maximizing daylight for the occupants.
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Lighting - Green Tips Impact
Design work space options to include access to daylight to synchronize circadian rhythms.
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Lighting - EQc5
Daylight and Quality Views
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Lighting - EQc7
Daylight
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Lighting - EQc7
Daylight
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Lighting - Example Survey Questions
Has each proposed site undergone an evaluation of daylighting potential?
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IEQ - EQc5
Daylight and Quality Views
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IEQ - EQc7
Daylight
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IEQ - EQc7
Daylight
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Planted Roof - EQc5
Daylight and Quality Views
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Lighting - Green Tips Impact
Design windows to allow daylight to penetrate as far as possible into the space. Consider using light shelves to reflect daylight off the ceiling an...
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Lighting - Guiding Principles for Sustainable Federal Buildings
The lighting systems must be commissioned (and recommissioned), and integrative design processes should be employed. Energy efficiency necessitat...
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IEQ - Guiding Principles for Sustainable Federal Buildings
Provide occupants with safe and healthy ventilation and thermal comfort, in alignment with applicable ASHRAE standards and statutory requirements....
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Lighting - Energy Use
By consuming 17% of the building’s total electricity consumption and further influencing overall energy demand by the waste heat it emits, lig...
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IEQ - Views
Views to the outdoors provide building occupants with not only natural daylight but a visual connection to the environment. This visual connection h...
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Lighting - Green Tips
Reduce electrical lighting consumption and associated waste heat by pairing harvested daylight with automated dimmers and photosensors.
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Lighting - Green Tips Behavior
Provide placards explaining how blinds are best used to control glare to avoid over shading and preventing daylight from entering the space.
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Lighting - Example Survey Questions
Is there a requirement that daylight should be maximized by appropriate window placement, size, glazing type and controls?
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Lighting - Example Survey Questions
Is there a requirement that electrical lighting should be integrated with daylighting, taking into account daily and seasonal variations?
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Lighting - LEED ID+C: Commercial Interiors (v4)
LEED ID+C: Commercial Interiors emphasizes daylight as a beneficial lighting strategy for the whole building. The rating system puts a preference on...
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Lighting - Lighting Impact on Occupants
Lighting Ecosystem Lighting in the workplace can be better understood as an ecosystem that includes lighting design as just one component of a netw...
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Lighting - Green Tips
Employ a layers of light approach - using daylighting for basic ambient light levels while providing occupants with additional lighting options to m...
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IEQ - Lighting Engineer
The lighting engineer, in cooperation with the rest of the integrative team, should ensure as much natural daylight permeates the space as possible....
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Submetering - Impact on Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ)
Submetering systems help to improve resource efficiency and conservation practices in a building, which can be used to improve indoor environmental ...
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Lighting - Architect
The interior architecture and building layout play a significant role on the lighting strategy. Maximizing daylight requires meticulous planning of ...
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Lighting - Economic Lighting Upgrade
sdsdWhen designed and installed together, this bundle can decrease the electricity needed to provide adequate and high-quality light to your space. ...
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Lighting - LEED O+M: Existing Buildings (v4)
Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design for Operations & Maintenance: Existing Buildings (LEED O+M: EB) addresses lighting systems through...
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Lighting - LEED BD+C: New Construction (v4)
Limiting light trespass and resulting sky-glow from inefficient outdoor lighting is addressed in LEED, among other lighting-specific categories. Red...
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Lighting - Green Globes New Construction (NC)
Green Globes certification for NC projects directly necessitates a sustainable lighting strategy in the categories of Site, Energy, and Indoor Envir...
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Lighting - Green Globes for Existing Buildings
The lighting system is primarily addressed in the Energy and Indoor Environment categories of Green Globes for Existing Buildings. Incorporating hig...
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HVAC - Lighting Engineer
The lighting engineer ultimately determines the power used by the lighting system. The engineer’s equipment selection also affects how much of this ...
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IEQ - Lighting Environment and Views
Providing access to uniform general lighting, daylight and views has demonstrated beneficial returns in occupant morale, comfort, and productivity. ...
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Lighting - Lighting Designer/Engineer
The lighting engineer is responsible for ensuring that all lighting regulations are met, interior and exterior spaces are sufficiently and elegantly...
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Lighting - Efficiency
With payback periods often less than one year, lighting projects offer some of the simplest measures when seeking to reduce energy costs. For exampl...
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Lighting - Health
Poorly designed lighting systems, characterized by uncomfortable fluctuations in luminance levels or excessive glare, causes visual discomfort and l...
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Lighting - System Overview
Lighting accounts for nearly 20% of the total electricity costs of commercial buildings in the United States.1 Effective lighting systems invol...
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Lighting - Occupant Behavior on Energy Efficiency
Occupant behavior plays a critical role in achieving the designed energy efficiency of lighting systems. Energy modeling accuracies can often vary b...
Materials
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Interior Glazing
Interior glazing is an option that may replace part of the standard wall construction to allow natural light to penetrate into the interior spaces... -
Daylight Controls
Daylight controls measure the amount of daylight/ambient light in a room and adjust the electric light levels accordingly. Daylight controls shou... -
Steel Frame
Window frames are one component of a window assembly. In naturally ventilated buildings window frames allow the window to be opened to bring in fre... -
Aluminum Frame
Window frames are one component of a window assembly. In naturally ventilated buildings window frames allow the window to be opened to bring in fre... -
Interior Light Shelves
Interior light shelves direct daylight deep into a space by bouncing natural light from the light-colored shelves up to the ceiling, where it is r... -
Clerestory Window
Clerestory windows allow daylight to penetrate into a space. They are designed to allow daylight to penetrate a space, and therefore are located ... -
Skylights / Solar Tubes
Skylights/light tubes allow daylight to penetrate into a space. They are typically located in the roof/ceiling and can vary in size. Certain solar... -
Glass
Glass doors are useful for allowing light into a space, and may be used as part of a daylighting strategy, both on the exterior and internally. Gl... -
Wood Frame
Window frames are one component of a window assembly. In naturally ventilated buildings window frames allow the window to be opened to bring in fre... -
Glass - Tinted / Colored / Fritted
Although clear glass is the most common glass component of a window system, tinted glass may be used to reduce solar heat gain. Multiple colors are ... -
Skylights / Solar Tubes
Skylights/light tubes allow daylight to penetrate into a space. They are typically located in the roof/ceiling and can vary in s... -
Systems Furniture
Systems furniture is frequently used in open office areas because of its flexibility in being reconfigured and rearranged. It is generally comprised... -
Shades
Shades are window coverings that block or reduce sunlight penetration through windows. Shades are available in different operational styles such as ...