The requirement of a commercial building is that it is low Essay

The requirement of a commercial building is that it is low maintenance. This requirement could have a major influence on material selection and design - Essay Example The efficiency of a building is directly related to the integration of the numerous elements. The orientation of the building, the window/wall ratio and visible/thermal properties, the efficiency of the components of each element, the choice of materials and their ventilation requirements, and the balancing of the heating and cooling requirements of each element. Commercial buildings should consider the needs to address early in the process the integration of the building orientation and envelop components with the heating, cooling, ventilating and lighting requirements. The size, location and properties of the windows have a direct effect on the lighting requirements and heating and cooling loads of the building. According to (Cohen, 1994), the choice of certain windows can enhance the equality and quality of the lighting system while reducing the cooling and heating loads. The cost of low quality windows can increase the cost of the light system and the heating/cooling components such that these items will cost less or have less impact to the construction budget. Most often, the building design and construction process needs not to address and control the infiltration of the outside air. A complete understanding of all these elements and aspects of a building is important in building, including commercial builders. The requirements as stated above have major influen... These are low materials that are not durable as regards wall and floor finishes, the fixtures, and the equipment. The products selected will affect the energy plug loads, the water consumption, and other goods and services. The environmental concerns include but are not limited to recycled contents, locally and regionally produced; renewable, local and state environmental goals and targets, and the ability to be reused or recycled are not mostly considered. Design for good air quality, efficient and effective lighting and comfortable temperatures should be of a great importance. CONSTRUCTUION ADMINISTRATION The construction phase is critical to the success of a performance building in order for the design intent to be realized it is necessary that the site be managed to reduce water win-off, to control dust migration, to control construction waste, and limit other environmental impacts which most commercial buildings lack. To control construction waste, construction materials need to be organized extract reusable items, recyclable items. Compact items and hazardous items depending on the experience of the contractors, firms new to high performance buildings will require education on all aspects of site management, waste collection, verification of installed items, collection of material data on all items, and their importance to the final quality of the building. In as much as commercial buildings are known for low maintenance, the occupant's condition of mind which expresses satisfaction with the thermal environment is very important (ISO, 1994). Thermal comfort therefore describes person's psychological state of mind about their thermal climate and is usually described simply in terms of