Green Building & Environmental Trends : Green Building & Construction LEED AP Consulting : Rich Cartlidge : Environmental Trends, Urban Development

Today as I drove around Maryland with my mom running day after Christmas errands we passed a development called Spencer's Crossing and my mom asked if I would like to take a look. At first I was slightly perplexed as to why I would want to look at Maryland real estate, but my mom quickly changed my mind by telling me the development was Maryland's first LEED for Homes community! The community is the first in the nation to receive LEED Gold status and Certified Green status by the GE Ecoimagination program.

While the developers make some lofty promises such as 53% reduced heating and cooling costs they back these claims up with two guarantees, which for the lawyers among us translates to an enforceable promise. The two guarantees are unique and perhaps just what the green building movement needs to catch on in the mid-atlantic. The first guarantee is a heating and cooling guarantee which calculates the amount of energy needed to heat and cool the home and then guarantees that your costs will not exceed that amount. The second guarantee a comfort guarantee which assures that the homes temperature will not vary by more than 3 degrees from the center of any conditioned room. I can tell you based on my experience that the home was very well constructed and that I was unable to feel any noticeable drafts.

However, the most impressive feature of these homes was not their excellent construction or luxury features but rather their 60% reduction in property taxes offered as a result of the Baltimore County tax credit which is guaranteed for a period of 3 years and perhaps longer if it continues to be funded. The tax credit is Codified in the Baltimore County Code 11-2-203.2.

Do you think tax credits are the way to promote green building or are performance guarantees such as those provided by the builder of this community the better way to go?

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I consider myself truly fortunate to be a resident of Tampa, Florida particularly during times such as this past week when the North Eastern Seaboard where I grew up is covered in snow. The state of Florida is likely associated by most of my readers with Disney World, golf, and vacation. However, what many people don't know is that Florida is home to a variety of robust and diverse ecosystems ranging from the salt marshes along the coasts to the Everglades. Further, Florida, at least the majority of the state, has a very rich history and is perhaps one of the last true frontiers left in America a place where true cowboys raise cattle and reap the harvest of the land. The Florida Legislature has recognized the need to build sustainably moving into the future and to that end have enacted the following legislation.

255.2575  Energy-efficient and sustainable buildings.--

(1)  The Legislature declares that there is an important state interest in promoting the construction of energy-efficient and sustainable buildings. Government leadership in promoting these standards is vital to demonstrate the state's commitment to energy conservation, saving taxpayers money, and raising public awareness of energy rating systems.

(2)  All county, municipal, school district, water management district, state university, community college, and Florida state court buildings shall be constructed to meet the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system, the Green Building Initiative's Green Globes rating system, the Florida Green Building Coalition standards, or a nationally recognized, high-performance green building rating system as approved by the Department of Management Services. This section shall apply to all county, municipal, school district, water management district, state university, community college, and Florida state court buildings the architectural plans of which are commenced after July 1, 2008.

While this legislation may not seem very progressive to those of you who live in some of the more progressive cities such as our nations capitol it is a great step forward for Florida. What I find to be the most interesting piece of this legislation is section 3 which encourages the fostering of green building professionals and a continuing education program which can help guide Florida's builders into the future. For additional information regarding Florida's green building and renewable energy initiatives I encourage you to take a look at the excellent resource assembled by DSIRE which can be found here.

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Image: Socketsite

Recently here at GBET we have been discussing green building and the economy and more specifically green building and ROI. As an advisory board member of Build2Sustain I am very hopeful that green building will continue to prosper through increased transparency. A recent article posted on Reuters and published by GreenBiz focuses on a report released by Rob Watson. The report makes several interesting findings which if accurate are truly exciting and emphasize the need for attorneys, contractors, and developers to begin participating in green projects before they are left behind. Among the key findings of the report:

The estimate of reduced vehicle miles traveled (VMT) has grown to 780 million VMT to date versus 400 million in 2008. By 2030, the annual gasoline savings are expected to equal current U.S. imports from the Middle East.

• Total water savings from LEED through 2009 is estimated at 15 billion gallons, comprising 0.5% of annual non-residential water use. By 2030, LEED results in nearly 1.3 trillion gallons of saved water, equivalent to 30% of current annual non-residential water use.

• Annual carbon dioxide savings from LEED buildings is approximately 2.9 million tons from energy efficiency and renewables, a figure that is expected to grow to 130 million tons per year by 2020 and almost 320 million tons annually by 2030.

• Based on average materials costs, green building materials represented approximately $7 billion in cumulative spending through 2009, which is expected to reach a cumulative $230 billion by 2030. Moreover, the embodied energy in buildings that are renovated instead of demolished is expected to save as much energy in 2030 as we import this year from Saudi Arabia. In addition, an average of over 60% of construction and demolition waste was diverted from LEED projects, totaling 25 million tons to date.

• An average of at least 580,000 employees are currently enjoying improved indoor environments in LEED buildings at present, and the "green building workforce" is expected to approach 29 million by 2020 and almost 64 million by 2030. The productivity benefits from LEED buildings to date range from $230 to $450 million.

 

As the United States continues to participate in climate change discussions and to contemplate implementing a carbon trading system through legislative efforts in Washington the estimated carbon dioxide savings from a green building could become even more important in the future. If you are not currently participating in green projects I encourage you to do so. Further, if you are afraid of participating in green projects I would love to hear your reasons.

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We all know that the economy is in bad shape and that the prospective for new construction starts is dim. So what exactly does this mean for the future of green building here in the United States and across the world? Here in the United States there is an increasing trend towards being "greener" and more eco-conscious, which means that many individuals are willing to pay a premium for green features. This willingness of American consumers to pay a premium for green design and construction means that builders have an incentive to build these types of structures. However, a recent article in an Israeli paper Haaretz suggests that green buildings do not carry the same premium abroad.

"I don't want to be the one to tell you," said one apartment purchaser on an Internet forum, "but as someone who has already bought an apartment in the Kfar Sava Hayeroka neighborhood ("Green Kfar Sava"), and I believe I represent the opinion of 90% of the purchasers, it doesn't matter if there is special garbage collection or solar-powered lighting. The reason people buy in the neighborhood when it comes down to it is location, prestige and a good price. You won't find 'greens' among us."

"A contractor would prefer to build a large, spacious lobby or a pool in the building, so the benefit from an upgrade will be visible and the customer will pay accordingly," said Yisrael Kurtz, an urban economic consultant specializing in eco-friendly construction who is also one of the managers of Geo-Green, a subsidiary of the Geocartography Knowledge Group polling and research firm. "In eco-friendly construction, the contractor doesn't know what he will get out of it and if he can charge more, which is a major hurdle for builders in Israel and abroad."

"Currently there is uncertainty and ignorance among contractors and consumers on the subject," Kurtz said. "Therefore it is impossible to conclusively determine the value of a 'green' apartment in Israel. At the Kfar Sava Yeroka project, for example, the apartments are selling for 10% more than second-hand units in the center of the city, but it's possible the higher prices are not the result of 'green' construction but because of high demand for the location and for the project as a result of the lack of new projects in the city."

 What I found most interesting is the fact that the article suggests that consumers and contractors are ignorant on the subject of green building. As much as I criticize LEED and the USGBC for their lack of leadership on the energy performance front they have done a greater good for the green building movement here in the United States by educating the public and the building trades about the benefits of green building.

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Today Rob Watson, the father of LEED, replied to my post When LEED Falls Short regarding Dartmouth College's poorly performing LEED certified buildings on his site. Rob had some interesting comments regarding my post such as:

What is striking about this comment and about the (albeit pained) tenor of the blog piece is that LEED is to blame! Forget the architect, forget the engineers, forget the contractors . . . LEED is to blame. I guess it's sort of like, "My bank account can't be overdrawn, I still have checks left!"

The other area where LEED and ASHRAE didn't do very well in the early years was in plug loads, which were essentially excluded from the standards. We are now dealing with a modern campus that is totally wired with 17-inch plasma screens and energy-chewing high-def video games on top of the requisite ear-splitting stereo systems, etc. In all likelihood, none of this was taken into account in Dartmouth's energy modeling.

And let's be frank: Most (not all) energy modeling in the U.S. still sucks. The models themselves are not very good. No one has put much money into developing them or recalibrating the algorithms based on actual detailed building performance measurement.

As its founder I fully understand Mr. Watson's need to defend LEED and to shift the blame for poorly performing buildings to other causes such as poor energy modeling. However, I stand firm in my conviction that LEED is in some ways still to blame. Lets not forget that LEED has requirements for energy modeling! If these energy models are so failed as Mr. Watson claims they are then why isn't LEED and the USGBC doing something to develop a better modeling system? LEED is supposed to serve as a leader in making the buildings of tomorrow more sustainable (a goal which I fully support and the reason I became a LEED AP). I suggest LEED and the USGBC start investing in developing a energy model that accounts for the loads placed on buildings in today's high tech world.

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Poorly performing buildings are perhaps the greatest threat to green building certification systems such as LEED. In an effort to combat these poorly performing buildings a new danger is being created.The USGBC wants to tackle poorly performing buildings by increasing the amount of data available and as part of that goal has laid out their  plan for doing so here.(PDF) LEED is certainly moving in the right direction by seeking to make more data available in regards to building's performance. However,  a building labeling system such as that being floated by both the USGBC and as part of the Waxman-Markey Climate Bill could derail the momentum of the green building movement and spur litigation.

To be effective a green building labeling system must cover ALL buildings and not just the newer, LEED certified buildings. Whether this label is an actual physical label attached to the building or a "virtual" label where information is stored online and made accessible over the web remains to be seen. A physical label would be less susceptible to fraud but also raise the potential for discrimination.

Preston over at Jetson Green summarized the framework for a labeling system under the the Waxman-Markey Bill as follow:

• The Administrator of the EPA shall create the labeling program to apply to both the residential and commercial markets. 
• The purpose of the labeling program is two-fold: (1) to enable and encourage knowledge about building energy performance of both owners and occupants, and (2) to inform efforts to reduce energy consumption nationwide. 
• The Administrator is to consider already existing programs, such as Energy Star and the HERS index, while developing a model label. 
• The Administrator will create a report telling Congress which building types have measurement protocols and labeling requirements with energy performance data (and which don't). 
• The Administrator is to propose measurement protocols and detail how to complete performance labels.
• The Administrator will provide a final rule detailing measurement protocols and requirements for applying the protocols. 
• The Administrator shall propose a model building energy label within one year after the date of enactment, and the label will show achieved performance (and, interestingly, will not preclude designed performance data).  
• The Administrator will then publish a final rule containing the label applicable to covered projects. 
• The Administrator will coordinate with Zero Net Energy Commercial Buildings Initiative to provide labeling demonstration projects for all sorts of different building types. 
• The Administrator will work with state energy offices or other state authorities to implement the program, and will also work with these officials to encourage use of the labeling program at the local and county level. 
• States are to implement the label in such a way that the information is available to owners, lenders, tenants, occupants, or other relevant parties that can utilize the information.
• Three years after the date of enactment, the Administrator will report to Congress on the effectiveness of the program and the need for any legislative changes. 
• The Secretary of Energy and the Administrator will use the program in their agencies and try to get other agencies to implement the label. 

 A building labeling system will surely create litigation. Whether the litigation will involve the actual labels themselves or the methodology and regulations established by the government in the label's implementation remains to be seen. What are your thoughts?

A big thanks to Preston and Jetson Green for their excellent coverage of this topic.

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San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, one of the speakers for West Coast Green, wrote an interesting article explaining how LEED, a program of the USGBC, is paving the way to green jobs and green buildings in San Francisco. While the West Coast has always been a hotbed of green building the impact that LEED has had on the economy and environment there is truly astounding. According to Newsom San Francisco currently has 40 municipal projects seeking LEED certification  in the pipeline with more to come. Among these projects are:

• San Francisco’s Department of Public Works leads the way with 59 design professionals now LEED accredited. DPW projects include 10 libraries, two hospitals, several office buildings and two museums including the LEED Platinum California Academy of Sciences -- the largest and most-visited LEED Platinum building in the world.
• San Francisco’s Planning Department has 21 LEED Accredited Professionals managing entitlements for both residential and commercial green buildings, now required by our building code.
• San Francisco’s Public Utilities Commission, with 15 LEED APs is creating a new headquarters building slated for LEED Platinum, and the new Tesla Water Treatment Plant is under construction targeting LEED Silver. SFPUC also manages energy retrofits in public buildings.
• San Francisco Recreation and Parks is renovating multiple recreation centers to be LEED Silver, and the arboretum nursery in Golden Gate Park is slated for a LEED Platinum upgrade.
• San Francisco’s Redevelopment Agency completed the first LEED Silver certified municipal project, the Plaza Apartments, for the formerly homeless with on-site supportive services.
• San Francisco International Airport is renovating Terminal 2 to achieve a LEED Silver certification.
• The Port of San Francisco has two LEED Gold targeted projects underway including the EcoCenter at Heron’s Head Park and the new Exploratorium Museum, plus a new cruise ship terminal is on the drawing boards.

Clearly green building is here to stay! The potential economic gains for those professionals who chose to pursue LEED certification and become the next generation of leaders in the sustainability movement are great. What are you, your firm, or your company doing to position yourself for the increase in green building to come in the years ahead?

Image: www.bilumni.com

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Today I was pleasantly surprised to hear that 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, the building we all refer to as The White House is moving one step closer to becoming The Green House. The White House making efforts to become LEED certified redefines LEEDing from the top! No matter what your political affiliation I feel it is important for our nation's most symbolic piece of real estate to set the example for our country to shift towards more sustainable practices. The White House has progressively moved towards greater energy efficiency by installing a solar water heater under President Carter, embracing CFL lights under President Bush, and planting an organic vegetable garden under President Obama but is still a very long way from being a model for America. So what will the White House do to further its efforts to obtain LEED certification? According to White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) spokesperson, Christine Glunz the White House will do the following:

• Implementing computerized energy management systems
• Automatic light sensors that turn off in unoccupied rooms
• Low-flow water valves
• Paints and sealers with low or no volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
• Biodegradable cleaners and recycled equipment will all be used by White House groundskeepers and engineers
• Window films that will lower UV rays and save energy will also be added.
• Leftover materials from the renovation and demolition will be donated to local reuse organizations

Hopefully the government will soon add two more acronyms to its repertoire, LEED, and EBOM.

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This past week LEED certification and the USGBC were dealt a harsh blow by the New York Times. The New York Times shed light on a fact already widely known within the green building community...some green buildings are not living up to their expectations! LEED certification which originated in 1998 is currently in its third version with each version building on the last and focusing more on actual performance. There was a recent uproar over the new version of LEED, version 3.0 and its Minimum Project Requirements or MPRs and annual reporting of water and energy use. Perhaps the next version of LEED will move beyond MPRs and require minimum PERFORMANCE results.

In their followup article the New York Times addressed what LEED is seeking to do in order to beef up its credentials. I found the article to be very interesting and to raise a great point which many individuals tend to forget, LEED is not meant to be the end point of sustainable design and construction but rather a useful starting point and a means of demonstrating comittment to sustainability.

“LEED is a starting place, a reference point,” said Jim Tinson, the chief executive of Hart Howerton, an architectural and design firm in New York and San Francisco. “But it’s not what we’re all about because it can be very limiting.”

Despite LEED's current place as the preeminent green building certification I question whether it will remain the leader. With the current development of several green building codes the LEED system will be challenged to retain its currently popularity. What do you think? Is LEED going to remain a leader or be gradually phased out by green building codes and performance based certifications moving into the future?

Image: Startswithabang

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In the world of politics it is very rare to see a politician who not only understands environmental issues but then also follows through and leads by example. Governor Timothy Kaine of Virginia is one of those rare individuals who is not just full of hot air but rather follows through on his pledges, leads by example and then seeks to make the necessary changes to facilitate sustainable practices for individuals like you and me.This past week Gov. Kaine toured the Virginia Association of Counties headquarters, a building which was constructed in 1866 and entirely renovated to LEED standards. While on the tour Gov. Kaine made the following remarks:

“VaCo has done a tremendous job of making environmental improvements to this historically important building,” says Kaine. “Legislation I signed this year will not only further my Renew Virginia initiative but will make it easier for localities to encourage green construction and green roofing. I hope localities look to the example set by VaCo to provide incentives for the development and deployment of green roofs across Virginia.”

The legislation the Governor refers to is:

• HB 1975 and SB 1058 from Del. Lee Ware and Sen. Mary Margaret Whipple authorizes localities to grant regulatory flexibility and incentives to promote the construction of vegetative roofs and solar roofs on private homes and businesses. The incentives or regulatory flexibility could include a reduction in permit fees when green roofs are used, a streamlined process for the approval of building permits when green roofs are used, or a reduction in any gross receipts tax on green roof contractors as defined by the local ordinance.
   
• HB 1828 from Del. William Fralin allows water authorities to offer rate incentives for vegetative roof construction. The bill also authorizes localities to establish a rate incentive program designed to encourage the use of green roofs in the construction and remodeling of residential and commercial buildings. A locality’s incentives must be based on the percentage of storm water runoff reduction the vegetative roof provides.

What are your local leaders doing to further sustainability?

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Disclaimer: This is not a political post, just my observations about the health care debate and what the green building community can learn from it.

The definition of green building much like that of the term public option in the health care legislation is open to debate. What criteria does a building need to meet in order to be green? Some individuals argue that a building is not a green building unless it obtains certification either by the USGBC or Green Globes or NAHB. While certification does provide a label and verification of a company or individual's achievement it comes with a cost. Federal projects are now required to be build to LEED silver standards. Does requiring LEED certification miss the point?

Much like the health care bill which has people on edge because of their inability to understand its poorly drafted language, individuals often shy away from green building and in particular certification because they are unable to understand it. This past week I spoke with a contractor who is currently involved in several projects and asked him about his experience with green building and LEED specifically. The contractor replied that his buildings were being built or renovated to achieve high levels of water and energy efficiency but that he did not pursue certification because the system was too complex and "wishy washy".

In order to overcome the resistance of individuals to build green or pursue certification it is the responsibility of builders, contractors, attorneys and the USGBC to clarify the system, remove the mystery and inconsistency between credits, and alleviate the fears of those responsible for paying the certification costs that despite their efforts a building will fall short by missing a credit. In its current form LEED certification while very valuable is skeptically viewed by some individuals in the same manner as medical procedures and diagnostic tests performed by doctors. Is it time for green building certification to become outcome based rather than design and construction based?

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One of the biggest criticisms of the LEED certification system is that LEED certified buildings do not live up to their performance expectations. While there has yet to be widespread litigation arising from the gap between expected performance and actual performance a recent change to LEED may soon give rise to both increased litigation as well as better performing buildings. Under LEED versions 1.0 and 2.0 buildings were not required to report energy and water usage. The lack of a reporting requirement was a fact that many building owners who had made promises or implied promises of decreased energy usage to lure tenants and allow them to charge higher rents were likely grateful for considering that many LEED certified buildings were not performing up to their promised levels. Even the best designed building is capable of performing poorly if the owner and management do not properly educate the occupants about the energy saving devices used in its construction. A common example is occupant sensing lighting controls turning off lights when occupants sat still for a prolonged period of time, leading individuals to override the sensors and cause lights to remain on long after occupants had left the room and in numerous cases 24 hours per day. LEED version 3.0 seeks to address this gap between expectations and performance by requiring annual energy and water usage reporting or re-certification every two years. Stephen Del Percio at Green Real Estate Law did a good job of explaining the new system and its potential implications.

The energy reporting obligations imposed under the new system will very beneficial to companies which manufacture systems to facilitate energy usage monitoring. However, the biggest benefit will be to the future owners, operators, and users of such buildings who will now know if their building is performing to its promised standards. Whether this new requirement leads to an increase in litigation or not remains to be seen but it surely is a step in the right direction to establishing the credibility of the LEED system and will help to close the gap between building design and building operation.

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Great River Enegy recently released a white paper detailing the construction of their Maple Grove, Minn. headquarters, the first building to achieve LEED Platinum in the state. The text of the white paper can be found here.Great River Energy not only built a sophisticated building which scored 56 points but also built a structure which can be used to educate others.

The key features of the Great River headquarters are:

1. Uses 50% less energy and 90% less water than a structure built to just state codes
2. Utilizes an in lake geothermal HVAC system
3. In floor displacement ventilation system
4. Daylight harvesting
5. 72 kilowatts of on site solar power and a 200 kilowatt wind turbine
6. Only cost 10% more than a traditionally built structure

The Great River Energy headquarters is an excellent example of how proper research, communication between all team members, and follow up evaluation and corrective action can create a building that is not only sustainable and efficient but also an excellent educational tool to spread the message that green building does not need to break the bank.

We need to rethink the way we evaluate buildings and energy usage for as the CEO of Green River Energy said: "At Great River Energy, we know the cheapest—and cleanest—kilowatt-hour is the one we don’t have to produce. So conservation and energy efficiency have become our first
fuel.”

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While much of the emphasis on green building centers around talk of LEED certification, the best known and most widely accepted certification system, 2009 has introduced several new regulations and codes which are worthy of discussion.

The first of these is the ASHRAE Standard 189. Some of you might remember that ASHRAE attempted to develop their green building standard last year but abandoned their attempt after complaints from several industry groups that their interests were not properly represented. Section 189 is titled "Standard for the Design of High-Performance Green Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings".

On January 27, 2009 the committee was expanded to include 34 voting members and seeks to implement a code which will outline minimum criteria for green building practices, the standard will be applicable to new commercial buildings and major renovation projects. When completed, it will address energy efficiency, a building’s impact on the atmosphere, sustainable sites, water use efficiency, materials and resources, and indoor environmental quality, among other high-performance green building issues.

On January 29, 2009 ICC- 700 was approved as the American National Standard. The new Standard provides guidance for safe and sustainable building practices for residential construction, including both new and renovated single-family to high-rise residential buildings. This is the first and only green standard that is consistent and coordinated with the Code Council’s family of I-Codes and standards. Board President Adolf Zubia said, “this is an enormous step forward in bringing focus to green practices for the built environment. ICC-700 provides a benchmark for green building in the residential market, serving as a new and needed starting point for comprehensive approaches to green residential construction. This is the result of many months of hard work by our members and our partners around the country.”

The standard’s rating system allows builders, designers and communities to choose the levels of high-performance green buildings that best suit their needs. Key provisions include:

• Land conservation
• Rainwater collection
• Construction of smaller homes to conserve resources
• Energy performance starting at 15% above the baseline requirements of the 2006 International Energy Conservation Code
• The use of low VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) materials and detached garages or carports to improve indoor environmental quality
• Homeowner education on proper maintenance and operation to maintain its green status throughout its life cycle

Ultimately the success of these new regulations will come down to how they are implemented. Will ICC-700 or ASHRAE 189 take over from LEED? Highly unlikely, but these two new codes offer guidance and flexibility which will hopefully be incorporated into LEED in the future.

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