Program Content

The Sustainable Building Advisor (SBA) course is offered over the course of 9 months, with two full days of class each month. The course content is delivered in the form of lectures and field trips, and students enhance their learning with writing assignments and a team project. The local course provider can tailor aspects of the curriculum to fit regional and geographic factors. The course culminates with a final presentation about the team project and a graduation celebration.

The SBA course provides students the knowledge, tools and resources to accomplish the following:

  • Identify and articulate key sustainable building practices and goals
  • Analyze the costs and benefits of implementation
  • Work with designers, architects, builders, operators, and utilities managers to achieve them in their projects
  • Apply LEED, Built Green, and other relevant criteria and established guidelines effectively
  • Take a leadership position in their organizations and communities in a rapidly growing field

Unit Topics

Download a print-friendly version of the course outline (pdf).

Unit 1: Fundamentals of Sustainable Building and Design
• The case or rationale for green building
• A view of the current state of green building in the region and nationally
• The principles of sustainable design
• An introduction to the practicum project

Unit 2: The Importance of Place: Site, Transportation and Land Use Issues
• An introduction to sustainable site design
• An understanding of the site planning process
• Sustainable site analysis and conduct a site assessment
• Importance of transportation planning, siting, relationship to sustainability
• Strategies to achieve sustainable transportation patterns and site development

Unit 3: Energy Efficient Design
• How the design of building energy systems impacts the human experience and the global environment
• The value of contextual, holistic approach to building energy system design
• How a building dynamically interacts with its occupants and the local climate, including renewable energy flows
• Fundamental building energy systems, including HVAC and lighting

Unit 4: “Green” Materials Selection
• Factors in material selection and the issue of trade-offs
• Resources to assist in determining materials appropriateness
• Analytical process to evaluate materials for a project
• Material considerations when using the LEED rating program
• Material considerations when designing a green home

Unit 5: Indoor Environmental Quality & Health
• Benefits of improving indoor environmental quality
• Common indoor air pollutants
• Barriers and solutions to achieving good indoor air
• Implementation issues to help achieve good quality indoor air
• Ventilation system design strategies
• Linkages between health, well-being and productivity
• Physical, psychological and financial benefits of daylight and view

Unit 6: Water and Site Design
• Benefits of adopting a natural systems-based approach
• Sustainable site development patterns
• Impact reduction through landscape layout, plant selection and placement
• Outdoor water conservation strategies and practices
• On-site management methods for storm water and wastewater
• Indoor water conservation

Unit 7: Sustainable Job Site Operations
• Construction waste management, site protection and IAQ protection
• Incorporating green building materials
• Planning and practices for sustainable construction Unit 8: Building Operations and Maintenance
• Facility management (FM) functions, duties of FM department, FM professionals, and FM position in sustainability
• Building Commission (Cx), what it is, how it is accomplished, and its critical importance to the performance of a building
• Effective operations and maintenance
• Effective training programs within a building