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Green building glossary
This glossary gives a general description of a wealth of terms and acronyms used in sustainable development.
As the glossary is very extensive, we've split it into sections. Use the list below to find the area you want.
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Z |
A
Abiotic|
ACH (Air changes per hour)|
Acid rain|
Acidification|
Action Research |
Adaptable buildings|
Adobe|
Advanced Sustainable Performance Index (ASPI)|
Aerobic digestion|
Afforestation|
Agenda 21|
Air infitration|
Air-to-Air heat exchanger|
Ammonia|
Annual fuel utilisation efficiency (AFUE)|
Aseismic buildings|
Attenuation|
Autoclaved concrete|
Available biological capacity|
B
Balance point|
Balancing pond|
Benchmarking|
Bio-accumulation|
Biodegradation|
Biodiversity|
Biocatalyst|
Biocide|
Biodegradable|
Biodiversity|
Biodiversity responsibility|
Biofuel|
Biological productivity|
Biological wastewater treatment|
Biomagnification|
Biomass|
Bioretention area|
Biosphere|
Biotic|
Blackwater|
Brownfield|
Brown roof|
Building ecology|
Building envelope|
Building Related illnesses (BRI)|
Built-in obsolescence|
By-product|
C
Caliche|
Calorific value|
Cap-and-trade system|
Carbon credit|
Carbon cycle|
Carbon dioxide (CO2)|
Carbon emissions|
Carbon footprint|
Carbon Management|
Carbon monoxide (CO)|
Carbon sequestration|
Carbon sink|
Carbon tax|
Carrying capacity|
Catchment|
Certified emission reduction (CER)|
Chloroflourocarbon (CFC) |
City system|
Circular metabolism|
City metabolism|
Climate change|
Closed loop-recycling|
Co-generation|
Combined Heat and Power (CHP)|
Combined sewer|
Community Plan|
Compost|
Composting|
Composting toilet|
Compressed earth blocks|
Contaminated land|
Controlled waters|
Corporate social responsibility (CSR)|
Cost-benefit analysis|
Cradle-to-cradle|
Curtilage|
D
Daylight|
Daylight transmittance|
Daylighting design|
Decarbonisation|
Deforestation|
Defuturing|
Degree days|
Demand Side Management|
De-regulation|
Design criteria |
Detention basin |
Development gap|
Dieback|
Diffuse pollution |
Dioxins|
Disposable culture|
Distortionary subsidy|
Distributed generation |
District energy or heating|
DJSI|
E
Earth Berming|
Earth construction|
Earth sheltering|
Earth Summit|
Eco-centric|
Ecodesign|
Eco-efficiency|
Eco-friendly|
EcoHouse|
Eco-label|
Economies of Density|
Economies of Scale|
Economies of Scope|
Ecosystem|
Ecological cost|
Ecological deficit|
Ecological footprint|
Ecology|
Eco-taxation|
Eco-systems|
Edible landscaping|
Education for Sustainable Development|
Efficacy|
Embedded Generation
Embodied energy|
End-of-pipe technology|
Energy Conservation|
Energy efficiency|
Energy efficiency ratio (EER)|
Energy recovery ventilator (ERV)|
Energy Services|
Energy services company (ESCO)|
Engineered wood|
Environmental education|
Environmental footprint|
Environmental impact|
Environmental impact statement (EIS)|
Environmental management system (EMS)|
Environmental sustainability|
Environmantal tax|
Entreprises pour l'environnement (EPE)|
Eutrophication|
Evaporative cooling|
Evapotranspiration|
Existence value|
Expanded and extruded polystyrene (EPS)|
Extended detention basin|
Extended producer responsibility|
F
Factor Four|
Factor Ten|
Fair Trade|
Flood estimation handbook (FEH)|
Fenestration|
Filter drain|
Filter strip|
Filtration|
First flush|
Flood frequency|
Floodplain|
Flood routeing|
Flow control device|
Fly ash|
Food Miles|
Footprint of cities|
Fossil fuel|
FTSE4GOOD|
G
Geographical information systems (GIS)|
Geothermal energy|
Genuine progress indicator|
Geotextile|
Globalisation|
Global economy|
Global hectare|
Global warming|
Global Warming Potential (GWP)|
Grandfathering|
Greenbelt or Greenfield|
Greenfield runoff|
Green roof|
Greenhouse effect|
Greenhouse gases|
Greenwash|
Greywater|
GRI (Global Reporting Initiative)|
Ground source heat pump|
Groundwater|
H
Habitat II|
Hazardous waste|
Heat island effect|
Heat pump|
Heat recovery ventilator|
Heat transfer|
Heavy metal|
High density housing|
High-density polyethylene (HDPE)|
Highway drain|
Holistic education|
Hydrochlorfluorocarbon (HCFC)|
Hydroflourocarbon (HFC)
Hydrology of soil types (HOST)
Human capital|
Heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC)|
Hydrograph|
Hydrology|
I
Impermeable surface|
Index of Sustainable Economic Welfare|
Indicator|
Indoor air quality (IAQ)|
Industrial Revolution|
Infiltration|
Infiltration basin|
Infiltration potential|
Infiltration trench|
Intelligent buildings|
Integrated Resource Planning (IRP)|
Interflow|
ISO 9000 and ISO 14000|
J
K
L
Lagoon|
Laminated veneer lumber (LVL)|
Landfill|
Latent heat|
Latent load|
Law on New Economic Regulations (Loi NRE)|
Leachate|
Lean Construction|
Least Cost Planning (LCP)|
Less Economically Developed Countries (LEDCs)|
Liechtlehm|
Life cycle assessment (LCA)|
Life cycle cost analysis (LCCA)|
Light shelf|
Light to solar gain ratio (LSG)|
Local Agenda 21|
Locally sourced materials|
Low density|
Low density housing|
Low-density polyethylene (LDPE)|
Low-E glazing|
Low tech (Low technology)|
M
N
Natural Capital|
Natural cooling|
Natural Monopoly|
Natural resource|
Natural ventilation|
Negative correlation|
Negative impact of cities|
Net metering|
New urbanism|
Night-time ventilation|
Nitrogen oxides (NOx)|
Non-renewable resource|
Non-use value|
O
Off-gassing|
Off-grid electricity|
Offsetting|
OHSAS 18001|
Open system|
Option value|
Oriented strand board (OSB)|
ORSE (Observatoire sur la Responsabilité Sociétale des Entreprises)|
Overshoot|
Ozone (O3)|
Ozone Depletion|
Ozone layer|
P
Participatory budgeting|
Particulate|
Parging|
Particle board|
Passive building design|
Passive cooling|
Passive solar heating|
Passive system|
Payback period|
Performance Based Regulation (PBR)|
Perlite|
Permaculture|
Permeability|
Permeable surface|
Persistant organic pollutant|
Pervious surface|
Phenols|
Photosynthesis|
Photovoltaic (solar) cell|
Polluter pays principle|
Pollution|
Polyethylene|
Polyethylene terephthalate (PET)|
Porous surface|
Portland cement|
Positive correlation|
Post-consumer recycled content (%)|
Post occupancy evaluation (POE)|
Potable water|
Pound|
Pozzolan|
Pre-consumer recycled content (%)|
Pressure-state-response|
Q
R
Radon|
Rainwater harvesting or rainwater use system|
Rammed earth|
Recurrence interval|
Recycled rain water|
Recycling|
Regulatory impact analysis|
Rehabilitation|
Remediation|
Renewable energy|
Renewable energy certificate (REC)|
Renewable portfolio standard (RPS)|
Renewable resource|
Reserve|
Resource|
Resource rent|
Retention pond|
Re-use|
Runoff|
R-value (RSI)|
S
Sustainability asset management (SAM)|
SBF 120|
Section 38|
Section 102 or 104|
Section 106 (Town and Country Planning Act 1990)|
Section 106 (Water Industry Act 1991)|
SEER (Seasonal energy efficiency ratio)|
Self-regulating|
Sequestration|
Sewers for Adoption|
Shading Coefficient (SC)|
Sick Building Syndrome (SBS)|
Site and regional controls|
Soakaway|
Soil Index Value (SOIL)|
Solar panel/collector|
Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC)|
Solvents|
Source control|
South|
Sprawl|
Stack effect|
Standard of living|
Stay-in-place insulating formwork|
Strawbale construction|
Stratosphere|
Sub-catchment|
Subsidiarity|
Substrate|
Suburban sprawl|
Sustainable drainage systems (SUDS)|
Sulphur dioxide (SO2)|
Surface water management|
Suspended solids|
Sustainability|
Sustainability indicators|
Sustainable|
Sustainable cities|
Sustainable Cities Programme|
Sustainable development or sustainability|
Sustainable Energy|
Swale|
T
Technology foresight|
Thermal break|
Thermal insulation|
Thermal mass|
Thermal storage capacity|
Threshold|
Timber certification|
Total Primary Energy Supply (TPES)|
Traffic calming|
Transpiration|
Triple bottom line|
Troposphere|
Visible transmittance (Tvis)|
U
V
W
X
Z
NBS eNews|
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NBS Reading List
This area of the site lists books relating to Green Building which we think you might find useful.
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