+INDEPENDENT 8/7/08 4:05 PM Page 8
green opportunities // lance a. williams
Green building and sustainability
will grow as people become more
aware of both the inherent chal-
lenges and opportunities.
O
ver the last decade and a half –
particularly since the formation of
the U.S. Green Building Council
(USGBC) and the introduction of
the LEED Rating System – owners
and operators have considered the
significant implications of energy
efficiency and high-performance
buildings as never before.
It was USGBC's intent to focus
on both challenges and solutions in
convening an industry wide, long-
term dialogue designed to be ongo-
ing and periodically updated, as
evidence revealed that industry
was actively engaged in the debate.
However, there have been many
significant objections raised to
making the business case for green
8 b&c southwest fall 2008
Overcoming Resistance
> Incorporating green and sustainable building into a firm’s
objectives is challenging compared to business as usual –
and understanding green’s long-term value is the first step.
building. They include: holds the prospect of a cost-neutral par
» Perceived costs of building green with traditional buildings.
and sustainably – When developers » Return on investment, especially
and building owners have historically for people with a short-term finan-
looked at cost, they have been faced cial stake in a building project –
with a dilemma tied to their impression Those planning to make a windfall prof-
that building green represents a premi- it on a short-term investment in a green
um over traditional building activities. building will probably want to invest in
Research has demonstrated that a different kind of project. The advan-
invariably, when the decision to build tages of building green are primarily
green occurs by the design phase, the vested in long-term lifecycle benefits.
added cost of building green is in the » Operations and management
single digits depending on the level of (O&M) planning for the greening of
LEED certification being sought. existing buildings – O&M planning is
Increasingly, as more projects are an important element in high-perform-
undertaken, the cost of building green ance buildings. Building systems do not
continues to plummet and the future operate effectively by themselves.