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 Green
Building
Requirements
Guidelines
 Introduction
Siting
and Form
Landscape
Landscape
Introduction
Reqd/Suggested
Practices
Minimize
Stormwater Runoff
Water-efficient
Irrigation
Use
of Water Features
 Shade
Buildings
Enhance
Building Ventilation
Environmental
Landscaping
Urban
Agriculture/Gardens
Shelter
& Habitat for Wildlife
Recycled
Materials
Transportation
Envelope
and Space Planning
Materials
Water
Systems
Electrical
Systems
HVAC
Systems
Control
Systems
Construction
Management
Commissioning
Appendices
Case Studies
Additional Resources
Site
Map
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Shading
Buildings
For buildings
with high cooling loads, landscaping can reduce solar heat gain, cooling
energy and increase the attractiveness of outdoor spaces. Plants can
reduce ambient air temperatures by up to 10°F and surface temperatures
by 20°F.
- Plant trees
with dense canopies and mature height of 40 ft. next to east and
west building facades to shade windows and walls from low-angle
sun.
- Plant trees
with higher deciduous canopies along south and southwest sides of
buildings, to provide summer shade while maintaining solar access
in winter.
- Plant trees
approximately half the width of the tree’s mature canopy from
the building and spaced at 1/4 to 1/3 the canopy width. For greater
shading and cooling, plant a multi-layered composition of shrubs
and small trees with a minimum height of 10 ft. and width of 4 ft.
next to building facades.
- Two further
shading techniques are to:
- Place vine-supporting
trellises with tight lathing above windows and doors facing south,
southwest and southeast.
- Mount vertical
vine lattices 12 to 36 in. away from walls, to create a shaded,
cool air pocket.
Cautions
- Adequate quality
and quantity of soil is required to allow plants to grow to mature
size.
- Drip irrigation
systems are needed for dry periods.
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