Green Buildings
What is a Green Building?
Green Buildings are about keeping costs down, promoting healthy living, and being conscious of the earth.
What's Been Happening?
The U.S. green building market value is expected to balloon to $163 billion by 2015, up from $71 billion in 2010.(1) Canada is seeing the same rate of growth. When a building’s value increases by almost 8%, and return on investment improves approximately 7%, it is not surprising that including the 'green' dimension in your building makes it easier to lease and sell.(2)
Governments are now mandating that new public developments be certified green and are increasing environmental requirements on all new builds. And, more and more, individuals want to live and work in buildings that are green.
Looking only at the LEED* building rating system in Canada, we see that in 2008 about 3 buildings were getting certified per month, 12 per month in 2010, and in 2012 that number has jumped to 22 buildings per month (as of July 31, 2012) and is expected to continue to increase. (3)
Getting Assistance
- Do you need help getting stakeholder buy-in on a controversial project?
- Are you looking to get a building formally certified?
- Or, are you simply trying to get started on a green construction initiative?
Your Options
As a sustainability consultant, I work with building professionals and owners to create buildings that meet their sustainability goals. This includes . . .
- Consulting on how to attain a green building certification
- Guiding a tricky or complex construction process
- Facilitating a varied group of stakeholders (including owners, architects, engineers, builders, users, and community members) to get a project completed quickly and with less risk
To avoid rework and unnecessary costs, involve your sustainability consultant early by contacting me for a free one-hour consultation.
References (1) & (2) McGraw-Hill Construction Data, (3) CaGBC
(*) LEED = Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
