system can lower long-term operating costs while also providing for

THE NEED FOR INTEGRATED DESIGN
We should not expect to produce fundamentally new buildings using the
same traditional design process. To effect change in our building designs,
the project delivery process itself must change from a serial collection of
discrete tasks performed with little interaction between players to a collaborative
and self-conscious effort to integrate design strategies between
all disciplines and all players in the project delivery process. This is integrated
design. It opens up many opportunities for synergistic benefits.
To achieve the goal of integrated design, the definition of the building
team needs to expand in order to overcome the lack of communication
present in the traditional design process. Integrated design demands a
more inclusive team working much more closely together than is traditionally
the case. Community representatives, future users, contractors
and subcontractors, and future maintenance staff can all add considerably
to the success of the final design solution. For example, when the contractor
has been included in the design phase and understands the goals of the
project, challenges and calls for substitutions can be reduced because the
overall design strategies will be better understood. When the overall project
goals are understood, the contractor can often offer creative solutions
that will limit environmental impacts during construction.
To improve overall performance, the team needs to optimize the functioning
of the whole building as a system. Integrated design means capturing
the benefits of multiple systems designed to work effectively
together rather than separately. For example, overall comfort can be
raised and energy consumption reduced if site design, lighting, window
fenestration, air delivery systems, and furniture are thought of together
rather than as discrete parts of the project. However, capturing multiple
benefits requires the engineers, architects, and others to work together to
design the components of the system. The result of such coordination
can frequently lower the first cost as well as long-term cost. This is the
synergy of an integrated design solution.
Integrated design leads to the discovery of design synergies that multiply
benefits. For example, integration between mechanical engineers,
civil engineers, traffic engineers, and architects can lead to successful
low-impact site development that preserves open space while also reducing
costs for stormwater management. A raised-floor air distribution

system can lower long-term operating costs while also providing for
wire management and offering significantly improved user satisfaction.
When the budget is evaluated from a holistic perspective, rather than
simply line by line, the raised-floor distribution system can also reduce
first costs when it is integrated with the design of HVAC, building envelope,
and furniture systems.
MEASURING PERFORMANCE
Benchmarks allow the entire design team to better understand the value
of proposed design solutions. A variety of benchmarking systems have
been developed to track typical and improved performance in terms of
sustainable design, and many of them are referred to in the project actions
sections of this design guide. One especially useful tool for evaluating
environmental performance is the LEED Green Building Rating System.