Green building has not gotten as much traction as it should, given its many benefits, writes Lance Hosey, Chief Sustainability Officer with RTKL.
Despite reports that LEED-certified buildings can cut greenhouse gas emissions and water consumption by half, while costing 25% less to operate, only about 1% of the U.S. building stock is green. Hosey attributes this situation to six misperceptions about sustainable design:
1. Myth: Sustainability Equals Environmentalism. Reality: Green design is not just for tree huggers. It also produces economic value.
2. Myth: Sustainability Equals Technology. Reality: Sustainability is not just about solar panels and wind turbines.
3. Myth: Sustainable Design Costs Too Much. Reality: Today, LEED-certified buildings can be built at the same cost or even lower cost than conventional construction.
4. Myth: Sustainable Design Takes More Time. Reality: Integrated design, which brings together a project's key stakeholders, designers, consultants and contractors early to get consensus on goals, can save time by ensuring more thorough coordination and avoiding costly changes later.
5. Myth: Sustainability Isn't About Design. Reality: Green design is not just about specifications in a technical manual. For instance, decisions about a building’s shape have a significant impact on the resources needed.
6. Myth: Sustainable Design Isn't Beautiful. Reality: The look and feel of design are essential to sustainability. “Following the lessons of sustainability to their logical conclusion will inspire more designers to reconsider the impact of every decision, including form and image,” Hosey says.
Related Stories
| Apr 25, 2012
Thornton Tomasetti/Fore Solutions provides consulting for Biologics Support Center
Project receives LEED Gold Certification.
| Apr 25, 2012
McCarthy introduces high school students to a career in construction
High school students from the ACE Mentoring Program tour the new CHOC Children’s Patient Tower in Orange, Calif.
| Apr 25, 2012
J.C. Anderson selected for 50,000-sf build out at Chicago’s DePaul University
The build-out will consist of the construction of new offices, meeting rooms, video rooms and a state-of-the-art multi-tiered Trading Room.
| Apr 24, 2012
ULI Real Estate Consensus Forecast, projects improvements for the real estate industry through 2014
Survey is based on opinions from 38 of the nation’s leading real estate economists and analysts and suggests a marked increase in commercial real estate activity, with total transaction volume expected to rise from $250 billion in 2012 to $312 billion in 2014.
| Apr 24, 2012
McLennan named Ashoka Fellow
McLennan was recognized for his work on the Living Building Challenge.
| Apr 24, 2012
AECOM design and engineering team realizes NASA vision for Sustainability Base
LEED Platinum facility opens at NASA Ames Research Center at California’s Moffett Field.
| Apr 20, 2012
McCarthy completes Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital Replacement Facility
The new hospital’s architectural design combines traditional Santa Barbara Spanish colonial architecture with 21st century medical conveniences highlighted by a therapeutic and sustainable atmosphere.
| Apr 20, 2012
Registration open for Solar Power International 2012 in Orlando
President Bill Clinton to deliver keynote address at ?largest solar energy event in the Americas.
| Apr 18, 2012
Positive conditions persist for Architecture Billings Index
The AIA reported the March ABI score was 50.4, following a mark of 51.0 in February; greatest demand is for commercial building projects.
| Apr 17, 2012
Princeton Review releases “Guide to 322 Green Colleges”
The guide profiles 322 institutions of higher education in the U.S. and Canada that demonstrate notable commitments to sustainability in their academic offerings, campus infrastructure, activities and career preparation.
