That said, I wonder what role building codes and inspectors played in all of this? I just wrote an article in Sustainable Industries on the <a href=”http://www.sustainableindustries.com/greenbuilding/26191524.html”intersection of building code and green building called “Cracking the Code.” The story is about efforts to “green” the code and issues builders have with the code but some of my interview subjects told me that they are available and willing to talk with build teams from the very start of a project to help them deal with all sorts of issues green and not before any concrete is poured.

This problem, it seems to me, is something that should have been caught by one of the members of the build/design team, yes, but failing that, where was the inspector?

that being said, the “basics of building science” aren’t readily understood in most of the offices I’ve worked in. there aren’t any unyielding rules (except “water runs downhill”) for most of the interplay of systems, and understanding the subtleties of the interplay usually requires someone who makes an effort at that part of the build process. As more practices try to place an emphasis on “green” they are going to have to equally place an emphasis on understanding how systems work together.

In the scenario that you have described above, you’ve mentioned so many different systems that different trades are responsible for. You’ve mentioned half a dozen systems like the gas hot water heater for the hydronic in-floor heating, domestic hot water, washer dryer, exhaust fan, fixed windows, there’s definitely coordination that needs to occur between these trades. Perhaps this specific occurrence is a break-down in communication between the trades and general contractor. Perhaps lack of experience.

As for too much focus on energy, well, certainly when looking at the bottom line, the single largest operating expense for a building is the electrical bill. It would not surprise me one bit that there’s so much emphasis on this area. As that’s one area that drives ROI for a green built project. Sometimes business decisions over shadow the big picture. I think that all projects that are managed in a good way should be looked at in a holistic manner.