What exactly does a "green building" mean?
What comes to mind at the mention of "green building?" Solar panels? Natural light? Local materials? Well, what about birds?We, as members of Biology 565 - Conservation Biology at UNC-Chapel Hill - set out to produce a project under the umbrella term of "green building" and this is where it took us:
Green Building directed us to think about building design in general, and this led us to encounter William McDonough.
In the "Designing the Next Industrial Revolution" speech McDonough gave at Bioneers 2000, he suggested that a building should be judged not just by its energy performance, but also by the number of birds that could be heard singing outside the building. McDonough uses this Rachel Carson reference to suggest that birds can be seen as an indicator of ecosystem health. Our buildings should be considered part of the environment, and they should be designed accordingly. A silent building in an area previously inhabited by birds has the same toxic effect as DDT.
In the same speech, McDonough states that he thinks "design is the first signal of human intention." When we look at all the habitat destruction and toxic building materials that have been used since technological innovations of the industrial revolution, we must ask ourselves, "Did we really intend for this to happen? Is this something we designed?"
Our project takes a local focus on the UNC campus. To briefly summarize, we:
- Compiled an indicator list of songbirds, and plants to attract them
- Surveyed 40 UNC campus buildings to assess their "bird safety"
- Took a critical look at Wilson Hall, the notorious bird killer
Methods
Several approaches were taken to explore William McDonough’s assertion. First, the North Carolina Botanical Garden’s new Visitor Education Center was used as a model in order to explore and test the merit of McDonough’s statement. The type of ecosystem present pre-development was determined and a list of the most abundant birds associated with that type of ecosystem was compiled, accompanied by a brief life history of each bird. Using scientific literature written about avifaunal sensitivity, six species of birds were grouped as “indicator species” of ecosystem health. Local bird experts were also consulted in the compilation of this list. The next approach to McDonough’s quote addressed the issue of a building’s effect on the spatial pattern and habitat of local birds. Important ecological consequences of development such as habitat fragmentation and edge effects were explored in light of their effects on bird populations. Strategies were then recommended to maintain native avian diversity in a building’s vicinity. The major strategy recommended was to maintain existing vegetation. An extensive list was compiled of important landscape plants and the species of birds that each attracts. The last approach to McDonough’s quote took a closer look at existing buildings on the local University of North Carolina’s campus and evaluated them qualitatively based on some bird safety guidelines such as number and size of windows, reflectivity of glass panes, and surrounding vegetation.