ASCE Guide for Sustainable Building Strategies

The American Society of Civil Engineers  has published a new book, Whole Building Life Cycle Assessment: Reference Building Structure and Strategies, which serves as a guide for project teams to define and model the structural system within a reference building design as required by green building standards and rating systems.

To build sustainably going forward, civil engineers are encouraged to look at a building as a whole, to ensure a durable, well-designed environmentally compliant structure that will meet or exceed mandates throughout the building’s lifetime.

Organized into two parts, the first part sets out terms of reference including definitions, reference building options, and general considerations in reference building design. The second part describes specific strategies the structural engineer may employ to reduce life cycle impacts on a project.