Ask the Green Architect: Top Ten Green Building Questions

Emily Rabin
Thursday, September 15, 2005 - 5:00pm
Introducing green-building guru Eric Corey Freed, whose "Ask the Green Architect" column will
appear in this space each month. We're kicking things off by covering the basics -- Freed's top
ten frequently asked questions. Next we'll need to hear from you. Email your building-
performance puzzles, air-quality queries, and construction conundrums to
Experts@GreenBiz.com.
Typically, I am suspicious of lists with an even number of ten items on it. It makes me think only
eight or nine could be found and they made up a couple. Today, I am breaking my own rule and
bringing you the ten most often asked questions I receive about green building.
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After nearly 15 years in green building, I have observed widespread misunderstanding of some
basic principles of sustainability. In the future, all buildings will be green. It is inevitable in order
for our species to survive. The sooner everyone comes to a basis of understanding how to be
environmentally responsible, the better off we all will be.
These are the most common questions I receive in regards to building green:
 Why do green buildings cost more than traditional buildings?
 What is a "LEED" building?
 What do you mean by a "green" building?
 What is indoor air quality?
 Which is better: a recycled material or a natural material?
 How can I determine if a material is green or not?
 Where can I purchase green building materials and products?
 Are there any building code restrictions on the use of green materials?
 Why should I care about green building?
 Why aren't ALL buildings built to be green?
1. Why do green buildings cost more than traditional buildings?
This is not true and a common misconception promoted by ignorant architects and contractors
afraid of building in a different way. A good architect knows how to save their clients money.
The client sets the budget, and a project should come in below that budget. With a clear direction
of budget, there is no reason you cannot build a green building for the same price or less than a
traditional building.
The issue arises when you try to compare "apples and oranges." For instance, if you are
comparing a building with solar panels to a traditional building without solar panels, of course it
appears the traditional building costs less. This is focusing solely on the up-front cost of
building. This model fails to take into account how the building with solar panels will
immediately begin producing energy and lowering your monthly electricity bill. The lifecycle
cost of the solar building will be much less. This monthly benefit, called a return on your
investment, quickly pays for any additional up-front cost for purchasing the solar panels.
Numerous studies have shown investments into green products and systems will pay for
themselves at least ten times over the life of the building. Luckily, the benefits and opportunities
to save money on the operational costs are enormous. The combination of energy savings, water
reduction and maintenance costs will catch the attention of building owners and translate to
bottom line benefits.
The first step is energy efficiency. If every home in the U.S. used an Energy Star refrigerator, we
could close ten aging power plants.
The next step is energy reduction. Replacing your burnt out light bulbs with compact fluorescent
bulbs would prevent enough pollution to equal removing one million cars from the road. Natural
light easily replaces the need for lights in the first place.
The energy savings alone in a green building could pay for green improvements several times
over with a return on investment within 1-7 years.
In the case where you are comparing similar materials, the costs end up being the same. For
instance, a bamboo floor installs the exact same way as a traditional wood floor. The material
costs are now the same, and use of the bamboo does not result in the clear cutting of a forest.
Finally, green buildings offer social benefits not easily seen. Student test scores are 15% higher
in spaces lit with natural daylight. WalMart has discovered their retail sales increase in stores
with natural light. Office workers report greatly reduced absenteeism in an environment with
natural, non-toxic materials.
Although there are green materials that cost more than their traditional counterparts, there are
also many more whose cost is far below the standard. Advances in recycling, new materials and
better designs have allowed for a new generation of environmentally-friendly products that are
less costly to produce. Of course, green materials also have a very important long term benefit of
not destroying our planet's resources.
2. What is a "LEED" building?
Since its founding in 1991, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has emerged as a
recognized and respected leader among green professionals.
To help the construction industry define green building, the USGBC discovered a need for a
method of scoring buildings to evaluate their "green-ness." LEED (Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design) is their green building rating system, which defines a voluntary guideline
for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings.
LEED has quickly become the industry standard for green building in the United States. Today,
LEED buildings can be found in 12 countries and all 50 states. There are currently over 20,000
LEED Accredited Professionals trained in this rating system and nearly 2,000 buildings on their
way to certification. This represents about 8 percent of the U.S. new construction market, and
this number is growing quickly.
Still in its early stages, some have found LEED to be confusing and difficult to implement.
While LEED lists prescriptive requirements, there are no practical applications listed. A member
of the construction team is left to guess how to meet the qualifications of each LEED point.
The USGBC had enough foresight to understand this, and the LEED system is structured to be
open ended and consensus-based. The systems is continually being refined and draft versions are
left open for comment and debate. In the near future, LEED will simply get better and better.
The LEED system works by dividing the building into five categories:
Sustainable Sites
Water Conservation
Energy & Atmosphere
Materials & Resources
Indoor Environmental Quality
LEED lists opportunities for a building to earn points in each. The final number of points
determines the green level of the building, rated as Certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum.
To date, LEED has been adopted by 8 federal agencies, 20 states and 41 U.S. city and county
governments as the green standard in the construction of all municipal facilities.
This widespread acceptance of LEED will ensure future versions will overcome any criticism.
3. What do you mean by a "green" building?
Buildings of the world consume:
40% of the world's energy & materials
25% of the wood harvested
17% of our water
The average American house uses:
13,127 board feet of lumber
6,212 square feet of sheathing
2,000 square feet of flooring
In the U.S., buildings account for:
36% of total electricity consumption
62% of electricity use
30% of greenhouse gas emissions
37% of ozone depletion potential
And, ironically enough, most of us spend 90% of our time indoors.
Our way of life is killing us. Our buildings consume over 40% of our energy and resources and
their use represents 70% of our total consumption. The environmental damage caused in the last
hundred years is a direct result from how our buildings are built. Architects, designers, and all
building professionals are in a position to affect great change on our environment, moreso than
any other group, since our buildings are responsible for most of the damage.
"Green building" (also known as "sustainable," "ecological," and "eco-designed") is a way of
looking at buildings in terms of reducing energy use, conserving water, improving indoor air
quality, and reducing dependence on our natural resources. Although the basic concepts for
green building have been around for decades, it has only been in the last few years that we have
seen this explosive growth in the greening of the construction industry.
Once only of interest to hard-core environmentalists, the rise in energy prices, our dependence on
fossil fuel and growing concerns over the damage done to our planet has boosted green building
into the spotlight of mainstream interest.
Today, those in the business of designing and constructing buildings are faced with the new
challenge of environmental responsibility. The rise in energy costs, shortage of building
materials and growing consumer demands are driving this market to seek out better and more
efficient ways to build our buildings. In addition, new legislation, stricter building codes, and
rising health costs are forcing builders to build green whether they want to or not.
Research has shown that although an overwhelming majority of designers feel a responsibility to
offer green building solutions, only a fraction of them do so. They blame this discrepancy on a
"lack of information."
More important than any statistic however, is the good feeling you have when you know you've
done what's right for both your family and your community. Promoting continued health,
financial savings, and social responsibility, Green building is the construction standard for the
future, and the smart solution for today.
4. What is indoor air quality?
Asthma, once rated seventh, is now the leading chronic illness in children. One of the primary
causes of asthma is indoor air quality. The toxic chemicals found in most common building
materials have been linked to asthma and other respiratory problems. The importance and need
for green building is increasing exponentially as our health is affected.
Indoor pollution sources that release gases or particles into the air are the primary cause of
indoor air quality problems in homes. Inadequate ventilation can increase indoor pollutant levels
by not bringing in enough outdoor air to dilute emissions from indoor sources and by not
carrying indoor air pollutants out of the home. High temperature and humidity levels can also
increase concentrations of some pollutants.
There are many sources of indoor air pollution in any home. These include combustion sources
such as oil, gas, kerosene, coal, wood, and tobacco products; building materials and furnishings
as diverse as deteriorated, asbestos-containing insulation, wet or damp carpet, and cabinetry or
furniture made of certain pressed wood products; products for household cleaning and
maintenance, personal care, or hobbies; central heating and cooling systems and humidification
devices; and outdoor sources such as radon, pesticides, and outdoor air pollution.
Apart from controlling the materials inside a building, the best way to control indoor air quality,
especially in existing buildings, is through an increase in natural ventilation. With a lack of fresh
air, pollutants will accumulate to levels that can pose serious health and comfort problems.
Asthma afflicts about 20 million Americans, including 6.3 million children. Since 1980, the
biggest growth in asthma cases has been in children under five. In 2000 there were nearly 2
million emergency room visits and nearly half a million hospitalizations due to asthma, at a cost
of almost $2 billion, and causing 14 million school days missed each year.
The consequences of poor indoor air quality go beyond mere comfort issues and extend into that
of our future health.
5. Which is better: a recycled material or a natural material?
Recycled or natural? This question harkens back to the old "paper or plastic?" debate. In reality,
most architects and contractors do not want to get into a philosophical (and perhaps even
semantic) argument about the pros and cons between these two types of materials.
There is no perfect material. All materials have some negative impact on our environment. The
key is in setting priorities for the project.
For instance, for a residential kitchen countertop preference might be given to non-toxic and
non-off-gassing materials. The indoor air quality and the health of the inhabitants (I believe) are
more important than anything else. In the walls, perhaps using recycled plastic vapor barriers
makes more sense.
Our society is undergoing a difficult transition as we move out of the Industrial Age and into the
"Ecotopian" age. I have many friends who would eschew any and all plastics, even if they were
100 percent recycled. I tend to be a little more practical. While we have this over-abundance of
plastic heading for a landfill, perhaps it is wise to use this up in the form of recycled plastic
products. I have set the next 5-7 years as a grace period for the use of recycled plastics in my
own practice. After such time, and the supply of virgin plastics have been reused, the need for
any oil based plastics will have been replaced with naturally based alternatives.
There are natural materials that off-gas (such as the natural occurrence of formaldehyde in
wood). Simply being a natural material does not guarantee the health of that material.
As the designer, you will have to determine the appropriate material for the given installation. By
setting your priorities for the health, energy use, durability and other factors will help you decide.
6. How can I determine if a material is green or not?
The biggest obstacle in the adoption of green materials is a lack of understanding of how to look
at materials. Our old method of "price first, features second, appearance last" is short sighted and
explains how we put ourselves in this environmental catastrophe.
The primary thing one must understand about green materials is to realize it is not black and
white issue. There is no one perfect green material. All materials have both positive and negative
environmental attributes. The key is in understanding which of these will benefit your specific
project.
For example, many people will ask me if concrete is a "green" material. They want a simple
"yes" or "no" answer. But the real answer is not so black and white.
If we look at the good things about concrete:
Durable, (technically) recyclable, natural, non-off gassing, made from natural sand, stone, and
water, and
We can see it casually appears to be a green material.
But on the other hand, the bad thing about concrete is it's chief ingredient, Portland Cement.
Portland cement is mined out of the Earth, heated to intense temperatures and as a by-product
this releases tons of greenhouse gas. Suddenly, the green concrete you hoped for is a potentially
bad source of pollution.
So how do we resolve this? How do you take a complex issue of concrete and look at it in a
black-and-white way?
Perhaps you remember a few years ago, when dolphins were getting caught in the tuna fishing
nets. There was a large outcry among consumers, "Don't buy tuna! It is killing the dolphins!"
After all, dolphins are cute and deserve to be protected. (The tuna, I guess, were not cute enough
for saving.)
With the news of Flipper dying in a tuna net, the public responded and tuna sales plummeted.
The industry changed seemingly overnight. What would otherwise be a complicated issue of
marine fisheries, agriculture and industry was reduced to the beautifully black and white dictum
of "Don't buy tuna!"
So getting back to our example of concrete. How do we make concrete appear to be a black and
white issue?
If the main problem with concrete is its content of Portland cement, we can replace up to 50% of
that Portland cement with a material called fly ash. Fly ash is a by-product of the coal industry. It
is typically buried in a land fill where it seeps mercury into our water table. By putting it into our
concrete mix, it turns out the fly ash makes the concrete stronger and more workable.
Is concrete a green material? Fly ash concrete is a green material.
This is how you make something into a black and white issue. This is the process you must go
through with every material in your building.
Is wood a green material? FSC-certified Wood certified by the Forest Stewardship Council is a
green material.
Is steel a green material? High recycled content steel is a green material.
Ask yourself these six questions when looking at any material:
Where did this material come from?
What are the by-products of its' manufacturer?
How is the material delivered and installed?
How is the material maintained and operated?
How healthy are the materials?
What do we do with them once we are done with these materials?
This is a shorthand approach looking at the entire lifecycle of a material.
(For more information on green-materials certification programs, visit Web sites for the Forest
Stewardship Council, Green Seal and Scientific Certification Systems.)
7. Where can I purchase green building materials and products?
The primary complaint people make in regard to green materials is their inability to find them.
Given the ubiquity of such systems as LEED and Energy Star, finding green materials has never
been easier.
Several clear sources come to mind:
Internet Searches: A recent search for "green materials" on the Internet yielded thousands of
results. The way to filter these into a usable form is to look to the experts.
building Green: The publishers of the Environmental Building News and GreenSpec have put all
of their unbiased and perfectly presented information together in a wonderfully straightforward
site. Their reasonable fee (one week subscriptions start at $12.95) will provide access to their
wealth of research reports and product findings. Organized by CSI categories and Homeowner
Categories, Building Green has emerged as the Consumer Reports of green building.
GreenHomeGuide: Although targeted at homeowners, GreenHomeGuide provides reviews and
descriptions of green products by the real professionals using them. Their Know-How sections
provide all of the information you would need for greening a kitchen or a bathroom.
Sales Reps: If you already have relationships with the sales representatives coming to your
office, communicate to them your desire for more green products. Start the conversation and you
will be surprised by the suggestions they provide.
American Institute of Architects: For years, the AIA Committee on the Environment (COTE) has
been a place where architects could discuss how to green their buildings. Although the resources
and influence of the COTE varies by AIA Chapter, you may find a whole world waiting for you
full of knowledgeable architects ready to help you.
U.S. Green Building Council: A valuable source for data in regard to green building, great for
making the argument to skeptical developers and city officials. One of the reasons for the
creation of the USGBC was to provide a credible authority on green building, so use them as
such. You can point to their combined experience and knowledge to find hundreds of reports and
case studies.
Local Showrooms: Each month new showrooms are opening up around the country offering
green materials. While these initially opened up around the green buildings hubs (San Francisco,
Austin, Portland) new stores are open in Santa Monica, Chicago, and even Fairfield, Iowa.
City Offices: Dozens of cities have a Department of the Environment or equivalent concerning
themselves with green building, environmental justice and toxics disposal. If you cannot locate
one in your city, look at the county and state level. Your local recycling collection company can
also point you to a waste management authority or commission. Such departments are invaluable
resources and will be able to provide you with information you never knew existed.
8. Are there any building code restrictions on the use of green materials?
One would assume a building code would favor green materials, given their tendency toward less
toxic materials.
In reality, building codes have little input in regards to the finishes or fixtures in a building.
Generally, codes exist to protect the health, safety and welfare of the inhabitants. You should be
able to use green finish materials as freely as traditional building materials.
The structural members in a building (walls, floors or beams), do impact the occupant health,
safety and welfare, and, therefore, fall into the purview of the local building code.
Alternative materials such as straw bale or adobe, despite it's time tested history, are still not
accepted by many building departments. Cost-saving measures such as the use of finger jointed
wood studs are also frowned upon by the local building inspectors. You will have to check with
your local building department before planning any construction project with these non-
traditional methods.
Any wood intended for structural use must be inspected and grade stamped prior to use, or it will
not comply with the building code. Ask the supplier for grade stamps, some provide this service
in house for a reasonable fee. This does not apply to finish and non-structural wood.
That said, it is always best to check with your local jurisdiction before using any materials.
9. Why should I care about green building?
With most of us spending more than 90% of our time indoors, green building is the healthy,
common sense choice for a better life. In traditional construction, the quality of our indoor
environment is often far more polluted than outdoor one due to the building materials,
inadequate lighting, and a variety of other variables.
Green Buildings are sited, designed, constructed and operated to enhance the well-being of
occupants, and to minimize negative impacts on the community and natural environment. Our
buildings consume 40% of the world's total energy, 25% of its wood harvest and 16% of its
water. Compared to traditional construction, a green built home takes some of this pressure off
the environment.
Logically, our society can no longer build this way. It is simply a matter of time before we run
out of the resources needed. The sooner we change our habits and how we build our buildings,
the better position we will be in to minimize the devastation.
In the future, all buildings will be green. This is inevitable. Soon, we will have no choice.
But perhaps the best justification of Green Building is how you cannot afford to not employ
green principles. The occupants and owners of a building are losing money on every green
feature they discarded. Architects are in a position to save their clients a great deal of money in
the operational costs of a building. After all, a great deal more will be spent on the operations,
maintenance and employees in a building than ever was spent upon initial construction costs.
In short, a green building has the potential to:
 Provide a healthier and more comfortable environment
 Improve long-term economic performance
 Incorporate energy and water efficient technologies
 Reduce construction and demolition waste
 Bring higher resale value
 Include renewable energy technologies
 Improve indoor air quality and occupant satisfaction
 Are easier to maintain and built to last
All of these will save your clients money. Do you think that will get a building owner's
attention?!
10. This all seems to make logical sense to me. Why aren't ALL buildings built to be green?
Research has shown that 83% of designers feel they have a responsibility to offer green solutions
to their clients, but only 17% do so. They blame this difference on "not enough information."
In truth, the construction industry represents 20% of the U.S. economy, comprising $1.27 trillion
of our gross domestic product. With such large amounts of money and influence, the
construction industry is inherently risk adverse. We have been building our buildings in
relatively the same fashion for the last hundred years. What is the incentive for an architect,
contractor or developer to add risk?
Luckily, the numerous benefits within green building are causing the industry to take notice. The
initial acceptance was towards green finishes, where the risk is low. After all, it is the same exact
process to install a bamboo floor as an old growth wood floor.
The next wave of adoption was in systems to add to the building. Solar panels can be placed on
the roof without much risk. They are simply added to the project much in the way one would add
a heating system.
The final surge in acceptance is now being seen in structural systems of the building. This final
obstacle is slowly being overcome as developers realize a stuck frame building in Minnesota is
different from a stick frame building in Arizona.
Platform and balloon frame construction have been around since the 1830's. Invented as a direct
result of the mass production of nails and dimensional lumber, balloon framing allowed low skill
workers to put together a building. At the time, this system was ideal for the rapidly growing
population and their expansion westward. The art of joinery was almost completely lost and
millions of new homes were able to be built in areas previously thought impossible.
Now we see the limitations and problems with such a system. Once you build out of sticks, the
structure has to be insulated, sheathed, wrapped and waterproofed. All of these weaknesses are
opportunities for you as the designer to minimize the ecological impact.
The trick to widespread adoption lies in showing the industry the benefits far outweigh any
perceived risk. In order to build out of an alternative construction method, you will have to sell
client and contractor on the idea in order to succeed. You can do this in three simple ways:
Experiment with a productized construction system: rather than start with building out of Adobe,
perhaps an easier sell to your client would be an alternative construction system sold as a
product. Green construction methods such as Structural Insulated Panels (SIP's) and Insulated
Concrete Forms (ICF's) have emerged as a viable alternative to the 175 year old method of frame
building.
Visit other construction sites using this technology; see firsthand how other builders are using
these materials. Talk to them about the process.
Ask your sales representative for help: when reviewing any product, the sales reps are there to
support your decision making. Ask them to present to your client or contractor in order to
convince them of the viability of this material.
By more architects and contractors opening up themselves to new ideas, we will see more
buildings built in an environmentally responsible manner.
Got A Question?
Send your questions about environmental management issues to Experts@GreenBiz.com
We can't guarantee that we'll answer every question, but we'll try.
Eric Corey Freed teaches the Sustainable Design curriculum at the Academy of Art University in
San Francisco, Calif. He is currently on the board of directors of Architects, Designers &
Planners for Social Responsibility and a committee member of the AIA Committee on the
Environment (COTE). This article has been excerpted from his upcoming book, The Inevitable
Architect: A Phase by Phase Guide to Green Building.