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Bake-out

A process used to remove volatile organic compounds (VOC’s) in a building by operating a building’s HVAC systems at elevated temperatures using 100 percent outside air after all the furniture and finishes (carpeting, ceiling tiles, etc.) have been installed.

Baseline Building Performance

The assumed annual energy cost for a building design intended for use as a baseline for rating against standard design practices.

Basis of Design (BOD)

Includes design information necessary to accomplish the owner’s project requirements, including system descriptions, indoor environmental quality criteria, other pertinent design assumptions (such as weather data), and references to applicable codes, standards, regulations and guidelines.

Bicycle Storage

Covered and/or secured storage for building occupants commuting by bicycle. This amenity is considered a sustainable building technique in that it encourages human-powered transportation options. Some local governments offer subsidies or incentives to include bicycle storage in an existing or proposed building project.

Bio-Based Product

A product (other than food or feed) that is produced from renewable agricultural (plant, animal and marine) or forestry material.

Bioaccumulants

Substances that increase in concentration in living organisms as they take in contaminated air, water, or food because the substances are very slowly metabolized or excreted.

Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD)

A measure of the amount of oxygen consumed in the biological processes that break down organic matter in water. The greater the BOD, the greater the degree of pollution.

Biodegradable

Material that is capable of decomposing under nature conditions within a reasonably short period of time. Biodegradable matter is generally organic material such as plant and animal matter and other substances originating from living organisms, or artificial materials that are similar enough to plant and animal matter to be put to use by microorganisms. Major methodological breakthroughs in microbial biodegradation have enabled detailed genomic, metagenomic, proteomic, bioinformatic and other high-throughput analyses of environmentally relevant microorganisms providing unprecedented insights into key biodegradative pathways and the ability of microorganisms to adapt to changing environmental conditions.

Biodiesel

A diesel-equivalent processed fuel made from biological sources that can be used in unmodified diesel-engine vehicles. It is a renewable fuel that can be manufactured from algae, vegetable oils, animal fats, or recycled restaurant greases.

Biodiversity

Refers to the variety and variability among living organisms and the ecological complexes in which they occur. Diversity can be defined as the number of different items and their relative frequencies. For biological diversity, these items are organized at many levels, ranging from complete ecosystems to the biochemical structures that are the molecular basis of their makeup.

Biogeochemical Cycle

Movements through the Earth system of key chemical constituents essential to life, such as carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and phosphorus.

Biological Contamination

Contamination of a building environment caused by bacteria, molds and their spores, pollen, viruses, and other biological materials. It is often linked to poorly designed and maintained HVAC systems. People exposed to biologically contaminated environments may display allergic-type responses or physical symptoms such as coughing, muscle aches and respiratory congestion.

Biomass

(1) Total dry weight of all living organisms that can be supported at each tropic level in a food chain. (2) Also, materials that are biological in origin, including organic material (both living and dead) from above and below ground (i.e., trees, crops, grasses, tree litter, roots, animals and animal waste).

Biome

Entire community of living organisms in a single major ecological area.

Biopesticides

Certain types of pesticides derived from such natural materials as animals, plants, bacteria and certain minerals. Biopesticides fall into three major classes including Microbial Pesticides, Plant-Incorporated-Protectants (PIPs) and Biochemical Pesticides.