Commitment to green building practices pays off

The results are in…when it comes to the business case for sustainability, green buildings “walk the talk.”

In a recently issued white paper, GSA outlined the results of a post-occupancy evaluation study of 22 green federal buildings from across the country; the findings compared to national average commercial buildings:

They cost less to maintain, by 19%
They use less energy and water, by 25%
They emit fewer carbon dioxide emissions, by 36% and
They have more satisfied occupants, by 27%.

The study, conducted by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, built on a good indication of the potential for increased productivity and performance pilot research completed two years ago, with similarly impressive results.

For more than a decade, the federal government has declared its commitment to sustainable building though presidential directives and executive orders, congressional legislation and governmentwide policies. PBS began its sustainable design program in 1999, and they completed their first green roof in 1975.

There’s no question that focusing on sustainability is the right thing to do for our environment: commercial buildings account for 18% of the nation’s energy use. The numbers show that greening federal buildings in most cases makes good business sense, as well. By looking critically at real world performance, this report demonstrates that the GSA is very much on track to achieve its green building goals, and that GSA is delivering high-performance, sustainable workplaces federal agencies need to fulfill their missions on behalf of the American people.

Find out more by reading the white paper. BD+C
--

Robert Peck, is commissioner for the GSA Public Buildings Service.

Global architecture firm Goettsch Partners (GP) announces that James Zheng, AIA, LEED AP, has been named CEO, and Paul De Santis, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP, joins James Goettsch, FAIA, as co-design directors for the practice. As the primary partners in the firm, the three have worked closely together for more than 17 years. Goettsch will also continue to serve as chairman while Zheng now assumes the full CEO title as well as president.

| Aug 12, 2022

Monthly Construction Input Prices Decreased 2% in July, Up 17% From a Year Ago, Says ABC

Construction input prices decreased 1.8% in July compared to the previous month, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Producer Price Index data released today.

Hotel Facilities | Aug 12, 2022

Denver builds the nation’s first carbon-positive hotel

Touted as the nation’s first carbon-positive hotel, Populus recently broke ground in downtown Denver.

| Aug 11, 2022

Report examines supposed conflict between good design and effective cost management

A report by the American Institute of Architects and the Associated General Contractors of America takes a look at the supposed conflict between good design and effective cost management, and why it causes friction between architects and contractors.

Expanding Through Diversification, with Bill Mandara of Mancini Duffy - HorizonTV

Architects | Aug 11, 2022

Mancini Duffy Bill Mandara on expanding through diversification

In this segment for HorizonTV, BD+C's John Caulfield interviews Mancini Duffy's CEO and Co-owner William Mandara about his firm's recent growth, which includes an acquisition and new HQs office.