BD+C White Paper 2006: Green Buildings and the Bottom Line

The ‘New Reality’ of Green Building
From Environmental Cause to Financial OpportunityClick here to download the White Paper  (PDF 3.93MB)

Three years ago, when we published our first White Paper on Sustainability, we could not have predicted with any degree of certainty whether the green building movement would survive. We can now safely report that green building is alive and well and active in virtually every major city in America. Green building has, however, changed dramatically in recent years. What started out as a charismatic environmental crusade has matured into an established sector of the U.S. construction industry. Green building’s early adherents have proven that they can build high-quality, high-performance structures in a professional, businesslike way. Their passion has not diminished, but it has become more firmly grounded
in the realities of the marketplace. This “new reality” has begun to attract the attention of the financial community. Investors are asking: Do green buildings command premium rents? Do they lease up faster than “conventional” buildings? Are they more valuable than other real estate investments? What is the market potential for green buildings in the future? In the following pages, we will examine the bottom-line issues of green building across a wide range of building types. We conclude with 10 constructive recommendations—an “Action Plan”—for consideration by stakeholders in the green building movement. Click here to download the White Paper  (PDF 3.93MB)