Green Engineering Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Green Engineering - Essay Example The Durst Organization developed and constructed the Four Times Square in New York between 19996 and 1999 (â€Å"Wired New York Meetup Group† 1). There are 48 stories in the building, which makes it the newest, and the greenest skyscraper in Manhattan (â€Å"U.S. Department of Energy† 1). The building was the first green skyscraper in U.S, which continues to track its energy performance with Energy Star (â€Å"The Durst Organization† 1). Overview of Four Times Square Notably, the building presents the application of two principles of Green Engineering. These include principle 1, which reckons that designers need to strive to ensure that all material and energy inputs and outputs are as inherently safe as possible (Anastas and Zimmerman 96). It also presents principle 3, which claims that separation and purification operations should adopt a design that would minimize energy consumption and materials use (Anastas and Zimmerman 96). The Four Times Square building e ntails 1.6 million square feet of environmentally friendly architectural design. Indeed, this was the first green skyscraper and the second tallest building in the U.S. ... Department of Energy† 1). Upon completion, the Four Times Square reflected an environmentally responsible building where the designers examined the construction technology and all building systems for their impact on human health, environment sustainability, and energy reduction (Kaplan1). The evaluation made the building to be the first skyscraper to adopt state-of-the-art standards for energy conservation, indoor air quality, recycling systems, and the use of sustainable manufacturing processes (â€Å"Wired New York Meetup Group† 1). The Four Times Square has environmentally efficient gas-fired absorption chillers and a state of the art curtain wall with excellent shading and insulating performance (â€Å"Wired New York Meetup Group† 1). More so, the residents of the building are responsible of the building where the designers distributed a library of green information and environmental guidelines to the residents and the architects (Kaplan1). In addition, the t enants and their architects had substantial information on how to maximize the building as well as maintain the dream of the designers. Furthermore, the designers guaranteed lower operational costs upon the completion of the building. As such, we can establish that the Conde Nast Building adopts the principles of green engineering where it manifests quality and safe design as well as a promotion of the environmental, energy, and health factors. How the Four Times Square Works The Four Times Square adopts a low-energy design and renewable energy. The lighting at the building is very energy-efficient as it includes high performance fixtures with central controls. Notably, the designers used DOE-2 energy simulation modeling software to establish the most