Taking the LEED

Taking the LEED

While residential construction has nearly halted and commercial construction begins to falter, building and design professionals are still talking about going green, and the designation of LEED, (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification is quickly becoming a standard many want as they plan for construction investments.

“Almost everyone is interested in learning more about LEED and considering LEED certification for their projects,” said Chuck Newman of Newman Architecture in Naperville.

LEED measures the use of environmental efficiencies in the building process, assessing points for each of the “green” criteria met.

Newman’s firm is working with several clients pursuing LEED certification on their projects, including a new school at Old St. Mary’s Parish in downtown Chicago and on several projects at Saint Xavier University. Locally, the firm is considering LEED certification for the new building for Loaves and Fishes in Naperville.

“Many clients now are making LEED certification of their design professional a pre-requisite for being considered for their project.” he said.

And it’s not surprising. According to information from the Illinois Capital Development Board, the financial benefits of “green” construction are estimated to be $50-$75 per square-foot, depending on the number of efficiencies in the design. These benefits include lower energy, waste, and water costs, lower environmental and emissions costs, and lower operations and maintenance costs and savings from increased productivity and health.

For municipal buildings, the movement toward LEED certification is very much about leading by example. Schools and government buildings are leading the charge toward environmentally responsible construction.

Charles Vincent George Design Group is currently working on the design for a LEED certified fire station in Naperville. The overall cost for LEED certification was estimated at approximately 10 percent of the total building cost, or about $200,000 for a project with a total budget of approximately $2.2 million.

“For standard LEED certification, the payback was estimated at more than 25 years,” said Bruce George. By going with a silver certification, which incorporates even more criteria of “green” design, the architects were able to lower that payback to approximately 15 years.

“But that is still a long payback period,” he said.

So if a company is going to invest in this kind of energy efficient architecture, its leaders need both vision, and patience.

One such company is Devon Bank, which just completed its new branch building in Wheeling and is seeking LEED Gold certification for the project.

“When we began our branch project, we had not heard of LEED. But we did want a green roof on our new building,” said Dan Loundy, vice president of business banking. “We discovered green roofs were often incorporated into LEED buildings and through research found that LEED is a good measurement tool and a good check list for things we could do that would further improve the design, energy conservation and comfort of our building.”

In addition to a vegetative roof, which is designed to decrease the heat of the bank in the warm months and increase the life of the roof, the new Devon branch incorporates wind turbines in the parking lot and solar roof panels to help Devon meet 40 percent of its own electricity needs. Additionally, the building sports high-efficiency HVAC systems and windows that improve light quality.

“Some of the things we did for LEED we consider an investment, not an expense,” Loundy said. “It does cost more upfront to build LEED, but when you’re buying efficiency, there are savings that occur on day one.”

For instance, he said, a change from standard heating and air conditioning to high-efficiency heating and air conditioning cost $5,000.

“Just by having high efficiency units, we will save more the $5,000 in the next few years, easily.”

But while some of the savings, such as water, waste, heating and cooling, are fairly predictable, benefits to health and productivity are still relatively uncertain.

“It is hard for owners to make the decision to add 10 percent to the cost of their building with the knowledge that their energy costs will be lower,” George said, but added that he is confident that through education and information, LEED building will continue to grow and the process will be come more efficient.

In fact, the greatest barrier, Newman said, is the time and cost associated with the certification process. The project must be registered with the U.S. Green Building Council during the design phase, typically by a LEED accredited professional. They must submit numerous forms, calculations and illustrations for certification review and approval by USGBC.

The contractor also is required to complete submittals and documentation as part of the documentation phase. Most of this documentation is not required as part of a non-LEED certified project.

“Many building owners are interested in LEED certification because it tells the world that they are concerned about the environment and are actively doing their part,” Newman said.

Additionally, some grants are available only for projects that are LEED certified, providing an additional financial incentive.

“In many cases, however, building owners find out about the cost and time to become certified and they forgo the certification process and just do those things that have a reasonable financial payback,” Newman said. “Interestingly, that is what most architects and building owners have been doing for years—long before LEED ever existed.”

Sherri Dauskurdas--Associate Editor

Posted on Tuesday, November 11, 2008 (Archive on Tuesday, November 18, 2008)
Posted by jstoltz Contributed by jstoltz

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