| Green Building
Keeping
Green Competitive By Charlie Popeck Last
month we addressed the question "what does Green Building cost?" and
identified several cost types associated with the design, construction, operation
and maintenance of buildings. Since those of us in the AEC industry are
commonly involved with "first cost" factors, namely designing and constructing
buildings, I'd like to focus on several factors that contribute to keeping these
first costs competitive.
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The commitment level of the owner will
drive many decisions that will earn easy LEED points -like proximity to mass transportation,
Brownfield redevelopment and key integrated design decisions like installation
of a green roof.
A high commitment level will keep the project team focused
on the specific goals of the owner, while making it harder to allow key environmental
strategies to be value engineered out of the project.
When the decision
is made to green the building: The earlier the better. Many projects have gotten
to the construction documents phase or later, then a decision is made to target
LEED certification. Obviously there will be re-design costs associated with this
decision. A truly integrated, cost-effective design can only be accomplished when
sustainability is programmed from the start.
Project
delivery method used: The integrated approach to design and construction
requires input from the contractor who will actually be constructing the building.
This can be achieved through collaborate project delivery methods like
design-build or construction manager at risk. Additionally, CM @R allows the owner
to choose his team based on qualifications, not only price, and dovetails well
with the collaborative approach encouraged by Green Building. Experience
level of the design and construction team: Choosing design and construction
firms experienced in Green Building will not only make for a smoother running
project, but will also reduce the costs associated with having an inexperienced
firm learn on your dime.
If choosing an inexperienced firm, make sure
that the management is willing to educate their team members about Green Building
and the LEED process. Design process utilized: All
of the items above contribute to an integrated design process, which is the key
element in achieving a high-performance green building. But a truly integrated
design involves much more. This process will typically include energy modeling
simulation, building commissioning and life cycle cost analysis. Unfortunately
not many buildings, even LEED certified buildings will follow a truly integrated
process.
Designers AND contractors must learn to step back and fully analyze
the ramifications of each and every decision made to ensure an integrated design. There
are currently more than 200 LEED certified buildings, and as times goes on, owners
are becoming smarter about building green, teams are becoming more experienced,
more low-cost products are available, and therefore first cost premiums are decreasing
steadily. If approached in an integrated manner, a green building can be constructed
for very little or no additional cost.
Moving forward, the U.S. Green Building
Council is now offering additional points for tracking real-world project data
to prove just how cost-effective Green Building really is. So stay tuned. More
green buildings, indifferent parts of the country, being measured and documented
more accurately will be providing more accurate data on costs in the very near
future.
Charlie Popeck is the President of
Green Ideas Environmental Building Consultants. Green Ideas specializes in helping
Design, Construction and Facility Management teams to understand and implement
the LEED System into their businesses. He can be reached at 602-512-0557 or www.egreenideas.com.
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