Featured Sections:

Green Building

On-site energy production	Daylighting	Stormwater management	Reclaimed, recycled and rapidly renewable materials

What is green building and why is it important?

The term "green building" refers to buildings that are sited, designed and constructed to increase environmental performance and protect human health. Green buildings:

• use natural resources efficiently.
• conserve and reuse storm water.
• use energy-efficient systems and products.
• optimize climatic conditions (sun paths, prevailing winds, etc.) through site orientation and design.
• integrate natural daylight and ventilation to improve indoor air quality.
• encourage transit, bicycle and pedestrian activities.
• reduce, reuse, and recycle materials in all phases of construction and deconstruction.
• are designed for future flexibility, expansion and building demolition.
• consider the true costs of building and site impacts on the local, regional and global environment through lifecycle.
• costing and assessment.

Green building practices provide an opportunity to save money, conserve natural resources and protect the environment. Green building techniques are important to implement because they:

• provide long-term energy and water cost savings for building owners and occupants.
• improve the quality of indoor environments, where people spend upwards of 80 percent of their time.
• protect and enhance natural spaces.
• control on-site stormwater and construction-related erosion.
• reduce greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming pollution.

By promoting and applying green building practices, your government can help stimulate economic growth and build demand for innovative and efficient building materials, energy systems, and related services provided by local firms. Local governments can help by developing strong policies, political and business champions and effective technical support. A solid green building program is the cornerstone for advancing sustainable development in your community.

Jean Vollum Natural Capital Center Portland, OR The Jean Vollum Natural Capital Center is the country's first Historic LEED Gold renovation project. The renovation of this historic 1895 brick and timber warehouse respects the character of the original structure while incorporating environmentally innovative materials and techniques. Notable aspects include a 98% jobsite-recycling rate, integrated stormwater management and the extensive use of salvaged materials. Independence Station Independence, OR Independence Station is a 50,000 sq. ft. residential, office, retail, and warehouse space that is on track for LEED Platinum certification. Independence Station will feature on-site energy production using biofuel and the state's second largest solar photovoltaic array. Other strategies include extensive daylighting, radiant heating and cooling, rainwater collection, recycled and reclaimed building materials and low-toxicity materials.

The cost of green building

Green buildings will save money over the long run, and often can be built for the same costs as conventional facilities. The incremental costs of incorporating energy efficient, durable and healthy building practices have decreased dramatically over the past few years. Federal and state tax credits, rebates and grants offset higher initial costs of design and equipment. In a study commissioned by Multnomah County, researchers found that "…many green buildings with integrated design cost no more to build — or are even less costly than alternatives because resource efficient strategies often allow downsizing of more costly mechanical, electrical or structural systems.¹"

Projects can save more money by engaging architects and engineers with experience on LEED projects and fostering early collaboration between building design professionals. Using life-cycle cost assessments can also help projects realize shorter pay-back periods, reduced operational costs and minimized maintenance costs over the life of the building.

Additional information about the cost of green building can be found in the Capital E Study, "The Costs and Benefits of Green Building."

¹Multnomah County High Performance Green Building Policy

Green building policies

Formalized green building policies emerged in the late 1990s to foster durable, healthy and cost-effective development. Government institutions adopted policies to promote green building for public buildings including city halls, fire stations, libraries and community centers. Additionally, several cities throughout the country extend their policies to publicly supported building projects, tying funding to the achievement of specific green building strategies.

Most government agencies utilize the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system as the foundation for a green building policy. LEED is a point-based framework that addresses site selection, water and energy efficiency, indoor air quality, material choices and innovative design. There are four progressive levels of LEED certification — Certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum — that are based on the number of measures and points a building achieves.

LEED Statistics

According to the USGBC, as of October 2006 in the United States there are:

• 623 certified projects.
• 4,617 registered projects.
• 17 states with LEED policies.
• 56 local governments with LEED policies.

For more information on government-related LEED policies, click here.

Green building policies have been enacted by Resolution (Eugene, OR; Portland, OR; Bowie, MD); Executive Order (Albuquerque, NM; Salt Lake City, UT); Legislation (Baltimore County, MD; Washington State) and by Ordinance (Chapel Hill, NC; Cincinnati, OH; San Mateo County, CA)².

²LEED Initiatives in Government by Type, October 2006, USGBC Web site

What can you provide?

Technical assistance

Dedicated staff can answer phone and email inquiries, review plans, organize design input sessions, visit jobsites and recommend equipment and material alternatives. Creating a website with resources, strategies and case studies is an affordable and essential tool for providing technical assistance to residents and business owners. Finally, printed or on-line guidebooks can define technical terms, illustrate costs and benefits, and provide case studies of green building projects. For example, the Portland created a guidebook for commercial tenant improvements, while other cities such as Seattle offer project-specific guidelines on topics ranging from landscaping to kitchen remodeling.

Education, events and outreach

An important component of a green building program includes presentations to industry groups, schools and building associations. Additionally, developing and hosting educational events on green building can be both a source of revenue and a strategy to assist multiple residents in one setting. Examples include home tours, brown-bags, panel discussions and topic-based conferences. Partnerships with other local environmental or environmental organizations help offset the cost of renting space at tradeshows and other public events.

Incentives and financing

Select financing and incentive tools that support early adopters and foster compliance by additional program participants. Incentives can include:

• Floor area ratio bonuses tied to level of LEED certification (Acton, MA; Arlington County, VA) or ecoroof installation (Portland, OR).
• Expedited Permitting, "Fastrack" or streamlined turnaround time for LEED projects or other green building strategies such as renewable energy production (San Diego, CA).
• Permit or development fee reduction (Gainsville County, FL; San Antonio, TX).
• Tax abatement including full or partial easement on state and county property taxes (Chatham County, GA).
• Rebates from municipally-owned water and power companies (Pasadena, CA).
• State and federal tax credits.

For more information on incentives available in Oregon, visit Energy Trust and the Oregon Department of Energy, Business Energy Tax Credit Program.

What is Oregon doing?

State of Oregon
Through Executive Order, the State of Oregon Department of Administrative Services established criteria for sustainable facilities. The policy states that new and occupied buildings should be built or renovated to meet the point equivalent of LEED Silver. Other initiatives include sustainable operations and maintenance requirements for building and landscaping based on the use of life cycle costing / assessment for decision-making processes.

Ashland
Through its Conservation Division, the City of Ashland offers rebates for high-efficiency appliances and solar photovoltaics, cash incentives for turning in woodstoves and zero-interest loans for residential and commercial energy-saving projects. The City partners with third-party rating systems such as Super Good Cents, Earth Advantage and Energy Star to provide design criteria and incentives for new construction and remodeling projects.

Eugene
Eugene City Council adopted a green building policy for City facilities in July 2006, which sets LEED Silver as the standard for new construction of buildings 10,000 square feet and greater, LEED Silver equivalent for smaller buildings and LEED for Existing Buildings for operations and maintenance. Where LEED certification is impractical, LEED should be used to provide menu choices for design and construction.

Portland
Portland's Office of Sustainable Development offers a comprehensive green building program called "G/Rated." Services include technical assistance for both residential and commercial projects, educational programs, resource materials such as the case studies and project guidebooks, an annual tour of green homes and a partnership grant program designed to offset the incremental costs of green building. The City of Portland's multifaceted green building policy sets LEED certification thresholds for all City-owned facilities including LEED for New Construction Gold, LEED for Existing Buildings Silver and LEED for Commercial Interiors Silver or certification under G/Rated's TI Guide for all City tenant improvement projects.

Multnomah County
Multnomah County's "High Performance Green Building Policy" recommends energy and resource efficient building practices as well as practices that contribute to employee health and productivity. The County uses LEED as a foundation for its policy, but does not set a standard certification level. Instead, the County policy allows for project specific calculations and life cycle analysis to determine certification goals.

An overview of other national green building programs and policies can be found here:
http://www3.uwm.edu/Dept/shwec/publications/cabinet/pdf/615.SG.0409.pdf

Printable Version