Greening
the Future
by Leonard Toenjes
Owners
and governmental agencies are increasingly interested in environmentally sustainable
building and design techniques. In addition, long-time green-building advocates
are being joined by new groups, such as the Green Building Institute, to increase
awareness. Leonard Toenjes says there are proponents and critics of green building
but anticipates interest to grow.
Q: I have noticed
that some owners are keenly interested in sustainable construction techniques.
As a result, I want to learn about green construction and design so that we can
get our share of this business. Do you think this trend will grow and how do I
start learning more?
A: Even though the jury is still out on the economic
impact of green construction and design, owners of many various types are increasingly
interested in implementing green building processes on their jobs for any number
of reasons.
Proponents point to both the immediate and long term environmental
benefits resulting from green construction methods. They also are aware of the
significant public relations and community image benefits for owners and contractors
utilizing green construction techniques.
On the other side, skeptics ask
if the additional initial costs incurred during construction are economically
feasible and truly benefit the owner and the environment. Where public funds are
used for green building projects, there is significant debate on the best, most
prudent use of additional public dollars for an unproven process.
Only
time will tell, but the market for green building construction services is continuing
to grow.
To learn more, there are two prevalent organizations in the green
building construction area.
The first and most recognized organization
to promote and develop a system for recognizing green building was the U.S. Green
Building Council in Washington D.C.
The organization's measurement process
is identified as the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) green
building rating system.
Information on the LEED system is available from
the U.S. Green Building Council at www.usgbc.org
on the Internet.
In brief, there are four levels of LEED certification;
certified, silver, gold and platinum. A series of criteria are measured throughout
the design and construction process to determine the LEED certification level.
In
some areas, state and local governmental agencies are requiring attainment of
a certain level of LEED certification on their project by including it in building
specifications.
New Green Organizations A variety
of newcomers are becoming involved in the green building certification process,
such as the Jessup, Md.-based Green Building Institute.
Organized recently
by a consortium of manufacturers, home builders and other industry partners, it
has adopted a system from green building certification used in Canada and modified
it to fit U.S. green building methods. Their certification and rating system is
slightly different from the US Green Building Council.
Additional information
about their rating system is found at www.greenbuildinginstitute.org
on the Internet.
Various federal agencies are also looking into promulgating
green construction techniques.
Most recently, the Federal Highway Administration
has begun exploring the potential of developing green highway guidelines. Interestingly
enough, highway and road construction already uses a significant amount of recycled
paving materials through grinding and re-mixing.
Whether in commercial
buildings, residences or infrastructure projects, the green building movement
is gaining momentum. Learning more about implementation of these systems from
these two industry sources and integrating them into your firm's way of doing
business can open new opportunities.
Do
you have questions on construction human resources or safety? E-mail them to Leonard
Toenjes at ltoenjes@agcstl.org or craig_barner@mcgraw-hill.com.
If Len picks your question, he will answer it in a future issue of Midwest
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