Meeting Market Demands
The growing concern over the environmental impacts associated with green house gas emissions coupled with rising energy costs and tighter budgets have led to greater interest in how commercial offices are built and operated. Buildings which incorporate design and construction strategies to conserve resources, operate efficiently and improve the overall work environment for occupants are now demanded in today's environmentally focused built environment.
The popularity of these strategies is evident in the surge of sustainable and high performance buildings being constructed. For instance, the number of buildings receiving the USGBC's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification nearly doubled from 2007 to 2008. During the same year the number of EPA Energy Star buildings grew by 30%. This growth is expected to continue with McGraw-Hill Construction projecting the value of green building construction to increase to over $60 billion by 2013.
The popularity of these strategies is evident in the surge of sustainable and high performance buildings being constructed. For instance, the number of buildings receiving the USGBC's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification nearly doubled from 2007 to 2008. During the same year the number of EPA Energy Star buildings grew by 30%. This growth is expected to continue with McGraw-Hill Construction projecting the value of green building construction to increase to over $60 billion by 2013.
The Cost and Return on Investment
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A recent study1 of LEED & Energy Star buildings conducted
by the Burnham-Moores Center for Real Estate at San Diego University and The CoStar Group found significant advantages to using these
strategies. The study shows an increase in rental & occupancy
rates and sale price compared to Non-rated buildings. In another
study the GSA2 estimated construction cost for achieving LEED certification
to be between a 0.4% savings to a 2.1% premium in new courthouse
construction and office building modernization projects.
Meeting the Demand
There are three key characteristics that should be standard in any
well-designed building; they should be sustainable, high performance
and relatively cost neutral. A well-designed building includes
sustainable features that reduce a buildings impact on the environment
during construction, operation, and maintenance. The building
should also have high performance features that create a more
flexible and accessible workspace while improving the indoor
environmental quality for the occupant. Lastly, it needs to be
competitive in both first- and life-cycle costs compared to traditional
buildings.
Market Demand =
The key to creating a building with these characteristics is the practice of Integrated Design. The project team must think holistically, early in the design process. By understanding the relationship between the natural environment and the built environment, advantages are gained so that the resultant whole is greater than the sum of the individual parts. Considering access floors during the design process is critical because they provide both sustainable and high performance benefits in a cost effective solution. Through underfloor service distribution buildings can easily achieve their design goals.
1Download a copy of the study "Does Green Pay Off?" by Dr. Norm Miller.
2GSA LEED Cost Study, October, 2004
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