Currently, the public has a strong sense of the need for environment protection and the use of sustainable, or “green,” design in buildings and other civil structures. Since green design elements and technologies are different from traditional design, they probably have impacts on the building environment, such as vibration, lighting, noise, temperature, relative humidity, and overall comfort. Determining these impacts of green design on building environments is the primary objective of this study. The Zero Energy Research (ZOE) laboratory, located at the University of North Texas Discovery Park, is analyzed as a case study. Because the ZOE lab is a building that combines various green design elements and energy efficient technologies, such as solar panels, a geothermal heating system, and wind turbines, it provides an ideal case to study. Through field measurements and a questionnaire survey of regular occupants of the ZOE lab, this thesis analyzed and reported: 1) whether green design elements changed the building’s ability to meet common building environmental standards, 2) whether green design elements assisted in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) scoring, and 3) whether green design elements decreased the subjective comfort level of the occupants.

Recital presented at the UNT College of Music Recital Hall in partial fulfillment of the Master’s of Music degree.

Recital presented at the UNT College of Music Voertman Hall in partial fulfillment of the Master’s of Music degree.

Recital presented at the UNT College of Music Kenton Hall in partial fulfillment of the Master’s of Music degree.

Recital presented at the UNT College of Music Recital Hall in partial fulfillment of the Master’s of Music degree.

Recital presented at the UNT College of Music Recital Hall in partial fulfillment of the Master’s of Music degree.

Recital presented at the UNT College of Music Recital Hall in partial fulfillment of the Master’s of Music degree.

Recital presented at the UNT College of Music Kenton Hall in partial fulfillment of the Master’s of Music degree.

Recital presented at the UNT College of Music Kenton Hall in partial fulfillment of the Master’s of Music degree.

Recital presented at the UNT College of Music Voertman Hall in partial fulfillment of the Master’s of Music degree.

Master's recital presented at the UNT College of Music Voertman Hall in partial fulfillment for the Master of Music (MM) degree.

Recital presented at the UNT College of Music Voertman Hall in partial fulfillment of the Master’s of Music degree.

Recital presented at the UNT College of Music Kenton Hall in partial fulfillment of the Master’s of Music degree.

Recital presented at the UNT College of Music Kenton Hall in partial fulfillment of the Master’s of Music degree.

Recital presented at the UNT College of Music Kenton Hall in partial fulfillment of the Master’s of Music degree.

Recital presented at the UNT College of Music Voertman Hall in partial fulfillment of the Master’s of Music degree.

Recital presented at the UNT College of Music Kenton Hall in partial fulfillment of the Master’s of Music degree.

Recital presented at the UNT College of Music Recital Hall in partial fulfillment of the Master of Music (MM) degree.

Master's recital presented at the UNT College of Music Voertman Hall in partial fulfillment of the Master of Music (MM) degree.

Recital presented at the UNT College of Music Voertman Hall in partial fulfillment of the Master of Music (MM) degree.

Recital presented at the UNT College of Music Kenton Hall in partial fulfillment of the Master of Music (MM) degree.

Recital presented at the UNT College of Music Voertman Hall in partial fulfillment of the Master of Music (MM) degree.

Recital presented at the UNT College of Music Recital Hall in partial fulfillment of the Master of Music (MM) degree.

Rain gardens are low impact developments designed to mitigate a suite of issues associated with urban stormwater runoff. The site for this study was a Denton City rain garden at the Denton Waste Water Treatment Plant. Nitrogen and phosphorus removal was examined in light of two overflow events comprised of partially treated wastewater from an upslope anaerobic digester pond. Nitrate removal efficiency was examined across differing dry spell intervals of 5, 8, and 12 d, displaying a moderate negative correlation (r2 = 0.59). Continued phosphorus removal capacity was assessed, showing phosphorus removal in cases where P was in excess of 0.8 mg/L, reflecting an equilibrium phosphorus concentration. A high expanded shale component in the soil media (25%) was likely a factor in the continued removal of phosphorus. Overall the rain garden proved to be a large source of nitrate (+425%) and total nitrogen (+61%) by mass. The study showed that while the rain garden intercepted a large volume of partially treated wastewater during the overflow events, preventing it from reaching a nearby creek, the mitigation of an acute event has extended to a chronic one as nitrogen is gradually processed and flushed from the system as nitrate.