Enhancing Green Building Performance

This exploration is motivated by some of the author's observations and building users' comments in some of the highly rated green buildings in North America. The observations and users' comments were collected earlier from buildings in Tucson (Arizona), San Francisco (California), Seattle (Washington), and Las Vegas (Nevada). Green buildings are very efficient in their consumption of energy, water, and natural resources; they also provide their occupants with a healthier and productive environment. However, the author's observations and users' comments are in accordance with the claims of some other studies: that the performance of highly rated green buildings is less than what is targeted by the concept of sustainability. The book presents the findings of two studies, which took place in two Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) buildings in Calgary, Canada. The studies examine green buildings from a human experiential perspective to explore factors involved in the perceptions, experiences, and preferences of laypersons. These findings introduce an interdisciplinary perspective to inform future research on improving the current green building rating systems.