Senior Housing: Green Building Operations And Maintenance

. Ensuring maintenance and operations personnel are part of a senior housing project's planning and development will help retain the sustainable or green criteria designed at the onset of the construction project. The addition of new green technologies to senior housing also falls on the maintenance and operation staff. Although the goal of reducing waste may be applied during the construction, design and demolition phases of a building's life-cycle, it is in the maintenance and operation phase that green practices such as air quality enhancement and recycling take place.

Waste Reduction

Green architecture or sustainable building seeks to reduce waste of water, energy and materials used during the construction of senior housing. For example, in the state of California nearly 60 percent of waste comes from commercial buildings. During the construction phase of a project, one goal should be to reduce the amount of materials that end up going to landfills. Well designed buildings also help decrease the amount of waste generated by occupants by providing on-site solutions such as compost bins that reduce matter going to landfills.

To reduce senior housing's impact on water treatment plants or wells, several options exist. "Greywater," wastewater from sources such as washing machines or dishwashers can be used to subsurface irrigation, or if the water is treated for non-potable purposes, for example, to flush toilets and wash cars. Rainwater collectors are implemented at senior housing for similar purposes.

Centralized wastewater treatment systems can be relatively costly and use a lot of energy. One alternative to this process is converting wastewater and waste into fertilizer, which avoids these high costs and shows other benefits. Collecting human waste at the source and running that waste into semi-centralized biogas plant with other biological waste can produce liquid fertilizer. Practices like this provide soil with organic nutrients as well as creates carbon sinks that help remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Producing artificial fertilizer at senior housing is also more costly in energy than this process.

Cost

The most commonly criticized issue regarding constructing environmentally responsible senior housing is the price. New appliances, photovoltaic and modern technologies commonly cost more money. Most green buildings cost a premium of roughly 2 percent but yield 10 times as much over the life of the building. The stigma is between the knowledge of the costs up-front vs. life-cycle costs. The savings in money come from the use of more efficient utilities, which results in a decreased energy bills. Studies have shown over a 20-year life period, some green senior housing buildings have yielded %53 to $71 per square foot back on investment. It has been projected that different sectors could save roughly $130 billion on energy bills.

Sustainable building implements processes that are environmentally responsible and resource efficient throughout the buildings life cycle. However, sustainable building does end once the building is constructed by continuing to use sustainable practices in the maintenance and operation of your senior housing building you will reduce your waste and reduce the costs associated with maintaining your home.

by: Susan Williams

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