Letters - September 2003

September 1, 2003

Building Design and Construction

Corrections

In "Off-Strip bars and pools whet the appetites of the hip and cool" (BD&C, August 2003), the design architect for The Palms facilities was The Jerde Partners, Venice, Calif. KGA Architecture was executive architect.

The following corrections correspond to the Annual Design/Construct Top 300 survey (BD&C, July 2003). In the listing for EYP Mission Critical Facilities Inc. (p. 50), the volume is $30 million, not $10 million. The listing for Walter P. Moore Enginees + Consultants (p. 42) indicated that the firm was unranked last year. In 2002, the firm ranked No. 12. The headquarters for Lockwood Greene (p. 47) is Spartanburg, S.C., not Rochester, N.Y. The square footage for the hospital in the Environmental Systems Design Inc. listing (p. 42) is 813,000 sq. ft., not 313,000 sq. ft.

‘Green’ here to stay

PSA is taking steps to incorporate "green design" in our practice. It's here to stay because it encompasses all aspects of planning, design, construction, and operations.

Federal, state, and local agencies are making LEED certification mandatory for their buildings. Companies are beginning to look at the "triple bottom line" and consider economic, environmental, and social aspects when making decisions on projects.

Building owners of existing facilities are realizing a 10-20% savings in energy usage by having their buildings "retro-commissioned.” Building commissioning is also a prerequisite if the client is going to have the building LEED certified.

Tim S. Kraft, AIA
CIO and LEED-Accredited Professional
Phillips Swager Associates
Dallas, Texas

Costs going down

From Turner Construction’s perspective, the rating system provided via the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED certification program does provide the Project Team with the best benchmarking available to analyze how “green” a building really is. It also allows the contractor to analyze what the cost impacts (both first and life cycle) might be for different levels of greenness.

As more sustainable projects are built, more green products, equipment, and materials are becoming available, which is negating the perceived cost premiums often associated with sustainable designs. Turner’s recently completed Toyota South Campus project, a 600,000-sq.-ft. office building, achieved LEED Gold certification at a cost that was competitive with speculative office space in the Torrance, Calif., area.

The cost impact is minimized when there is a commitment by the client early on <m> during the programming or conceptual phase <m> to design and build a sustainable project. This allows the project team to thoroughly analyze, research, and price all available sustainable features that ought to be considered. With an integrated building design approach coupled with accurate pricing and lead times, the first-cost impact will certainly be minimized (if not eliminated) and the life-cycle payback will almost always justify any “premium” that might exist.

It is only a matter of time before sustainable buildings become the rule rather than the exception.

Roderick Wille

Senior Vice President

Turner Construction Company

Dallas, Texas

There are tremendous benefits to gain for use of sustainability, primarily from the owner's viewpoint: reduced energy costs, improved productivity and occupant satisfaction, increased awareness and responsiveness to the environment, etc.

Some of the pitfalls impact more the design and contractor side of the overall equation. While there may or may not be increases to the construction costs of a particular project, there certainly is more effort required of the design and construction teams to follow some of the sustainable philosophies. This is increased dramatically if formal use of the LEED Program, including actual certification submittals, is required.

The LEED Program also seems to be self-promoting at the same time [that it is] helpful. To use LEED, a design team is required to pay a fee to register the project and [to] purchase the rights to use the program from the USGBC. Clarifications, questions, or interpretations [related] to LEED also must be directed to the USGBC, often with additional fees required. Some costs associated with LEED can be reduced if an organization belongs to the USGBC – again, at potentially expensive annual fees.

Does the program warrant the costs for the benefits? Probably. It is still one of the only programs available that is very user-friendly at all levels and disciplines of design and construction. The information, once provided, is very detailed and educational for project use, regardless of whether LEED certification is to be sought. Future development of additional LEED versions for various building types will continue to promote the concepts of sustainability for all aspects of design and construction.

Dale A. Anderson, AIA, NCARB, LEED

Project Manager, Sustainable Design Specialist

Architects BCRA

Tacoma, Wash.

I have been in the “green building movement” for about 10 years now and have seen a tremendous transformation and acceptance, especially in the last 3-5 years.

We designed the first LEED Gold elementary school and are working on many more LEED-hopeful buildings. Our clients are embracing “high-performance” concepts, and many are quite excited about incorporating very visible and educational green building features into their projects. Others are asking for more behind-the-scenes strategies, and still others are just watching and learning. It’s wonderful to see each owner’s transformation as they learn from what others are doing and get excited about possibilities in their own projects.

LEED has been a wonderful tool for us to use, to help owners and designers focus on specific strategies. We hope one day to be “beyond LEED,” but for now it seems to be exactly what the industry needs to become aware of what the issues are and create strategies that deal with those specific environmental concerns.

Bryna Cosgriff Dunn, AICP
Director of Environmental Planning & Research
Moseley Architects
Richmond, Va.

Green in St. Louis

The Federal government and big business are some of the greatest supporters of sustainable design and principles. It is interesting to note that despite the current administration’s negative environmental record and production-oriented energy policy versus one based on renewable energy, considerable interest in conservation and support for sustainable design is coming from Federal agencies and the business sector.

Membership in the national organization [USGBC] is only open to companies. For most local chapters this is also the case. Our local chapter (one of the first five or six in the country) is the exception with membership open only to individuals. We feel this distinction is important because it opens the door to grassroots involvement at the local level.

Ralph C. Bicknese, AIA

Hellmuth + Bicknese Architects

St. Louis, Mo.