A simple rooftop photovoltaic system can reduce a building’s overall energy demand, such as the 20 kilowatt system atop Boston’s MATCH School, which produces 14 percent of the school’s electricity.
A decade ago, if you asked average building owners if they had ever considered constructing green buildings, the thought bubble above their heads might have contained a cartoon of a mud-walled bunker with rooftop cisterns covered in large, unwieldy solar panels – more survivalist than sustainable. However, in the Boston area today, with such obviously green buildings as Kendall Square’s Genzyme Center and the not-so-obvious Stata building at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology paving the way for an increasing number of high-profile green buildings, those thought bubbles are more likely to contain dollar signs.
Awareness and acceptance of sustainable design has increased in the region, but so has the perception that green buildings are expensive and only for owners with the deepest pockets. However, two significant factors will contribute to a change in environmentally responsible building design and construction over the next decade.
The first is the challenge to its members by the American Institute of Architects to achieve a 50 percent reduction in the amount of fossil fuels used to construct and operate buildings by 2010, and by 2030, to design carbon neutral buildings.
The second factor is that in cities like Cambridge and Boston, 80 percent of the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions come from buildings.
With an ever-growing cacophony of environmental warnings, from Al Gore’s documentary, “An Inconvenient Truth,” to the United Nations’ recently released report on global warming, there now is near-universal acceptance of the reality of global warming and the irreparable harm done to the climate by increased carbon production.
Not quite so clear is the connection to building construction and operation, but that is changing. At the end of March of this year, Cambridge launched the Cambridge Energy Alliance, a pilot program for cities that aims to reduce peak electricity load by 15 percent, annual electricity and water consumption by 10 percent and GHG emissions by 10 percent in five years. Boston and New York City are announcing similar programs and other New England communities will launch similar initiatives with incentives for building owners to meet or exceed energy-reduction goals. Already, local, state and regional authorities are beginning to set stringent standards for green building design, construction and operation.
High-profile, high-design green buildings have raised public awareness that the global environmental movement is here to stay. The LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) and the USGBC (U.S. Green Building Council) acronyms have become well-known far beyond the architectural community. Large-scale programs and local initiatives are needed and, if successful, will have significant impacts on the design and operation of new buildings.
Small-Steps Approach
For the average building owner or developer, there are small steps that can be taken to reduce energy use and such easily achieved measures can add up to a more significant impact than the well-publicized innovations of higher-profile projects. And because the building code requires more energy-efficient construction for new buildings but does not affect the operation of older buildings, renovation and adaptive reuse of existing buildings are easy targets for significant decreases in energy use.
The value of the little-steps approach is illustrated in a recent study by the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, the state’s development agency for renewable energy. The study contrasted a series of deliberately sustainable school buildings completed in Massachusetts in the last six years with comparable non-sustainable schools, and concluded that the initial cost of the green buildings was, on average, only 3 percent more than the cost of the conventional buildings.
Specifying greener building materials is one of the easiest ways to make a building more sustainable. Green buildings use recycled and recyclable materials and locally manufactured materials that reduce fossil fuel consumption related to the manufacturing and transportation of products. Onsite recycling of construction materials reduces waste and provides raw materials for future recycled products. Selecting materials that are free of formaldehyde and other off-gassing agents improves indoor-air quality (IAQ) and eliminates “sick building syndrome.” Flooring materials that are easy to clean and maintain; mold-resistant ceiling and wallboard; furniture and woodwork without formaldehyde; and paint with low or no volatile organic compounds will improve indoor-air quality and reduce operating costs.
Greater energy efficiency can be achieved by installing more energy-efficient light fixtures that use less energy when switched on and operate on occupancy sensors to shut off. In many cases, the utility company will give rebates to offset the added cost of more efficient electric fixtures and appliances.
Many new and renewed buildings are sporting light shelves, simple reflective shelves installed on the interior or exterior of the upper portion of windows to bounce daylight off the ceiling and down into interior spaces. This replaces or reduces the need for artificial light with full spectrum, free daylight. And as recent studies demonstrate, people perform better when daylight is maximized.
Breaking Down Barriers
For projects where the developer will not own the completed building, the extended return on investment in green design may not be a compelling argument to go green. So while our collective response to confronting the environmental crisis assumes that we will willingly pay more now for long-term benefits, even the minimal 3 percent additional cost noted in the MTC study may not be worth it to a developer who is not going to retain ownership or operate the building after completion.
But even this barrier to green design is beginning to erode in the marketplace. Financial institutions and insurance companies are beginning to open their eyes to the greater value and lesser risk inherent in green buildings.
A recently publicized real estate study concluded that LEED certified buildings may hold value or gain value better than conventionally designed buildings. The fact that green development might have less risk and greater attractiveness in a competitive market will inevitably result in financial investors and lenders moving their money into green buildings. Financial institutions may adopt visions of a sustainable future and favor development that offers the lower risk and higher return of green development.
Several states have passed green-building tax credit laws and Massachusetts is poised to do so. Like the historic building and affordable housing tax credits, green-building tax credits are expected to provide bottom-line incentives to spur green development.
The small-steps approach, however, still requires the collaboration of visionary owners and architects. At the start of a project, it is important for the architect to understand the client’s goal for the building and for the client to understand the opportunities for more sustainable design. Integrated design is the name given to this design process, during which phase owners and the design team establish environmental and project goals at the outset of a project. From that point on, environmental goals are integrated into the decision-making process so that selection of materials and systems, construction procedures and building startup all contribute to a more environmentally responsible building.
Thoughtful and creative designers and builders can embrace energy conservation and alternate technologies that contribute to the quality, character and long-term value of the building. Green measures should no longer be treated as luxury options to be relegated to the cutting-room floor during value engineering. An integrated design process is a fundamental ingredient of the LEED certification process, and owners and architects must challenge each other to take up the banner of environmentally responsible design.
As more and more businesses and communities adopt green standards, and society’s expectations for sustainability increase, buildings designed and built in the next decade will make today’s innovation the norm of tomorrow. Building owners and developers, architects and contractors must embrace green buildings as a basic element of sustainable communities rather than another cost imposition on the bottom line.
