Program Content

The Sustainable Building Advisor (SBA) course is offered over the course of nine 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