Green Building Primer

Landscaping designed to reduce the heating and cooling load of a building can greatly reduce its energy needs. Vegetation can greatly reduce unwanted heat gain by keeping the sun from directly striking a building and preventing reflected light from entering. Trees, shrubs, and grass additionally provide cooling through evapotranspiration. Vegetation also affects wind velocity, and depending on plant locations, can protect a building from cold winter winds, slow air leakage, and funnel cool summer breezes into the building.