Where is Green Construction Going?
By Navina Waterman
While the construction industry in general has languished over the past few years, government and necessary institutional construction has continued. Other building also appears to be revving up. McGraw Hill recently came out with an interesting report on the state of ‘green’ construction.
It predicts green building will continue to be a positive in a less than stellar economy. It states that the value of green building has seen exponential growth from $10 billion in 2005 to an expected $85 billion in 2012. It also projects $98 - $106 billion in 2013 and over $200 billion by 2016.
The report predicts about 55% of all commercial and institutional construction will be green by 2016. Green office construction is already over 50%. 45% of new school construction is now green, up from 15% in 2008…and predicted to be 100% by 2025!
According to McGraw-Hill, 35% of construction jobs are now green.
Of course there are varying definitions of what constitutes ‘green’ building!
Under the LEED rating system, buildings are scored based on five major categories: (a) sustainable sites; (b) water efficiency; (c) energy and atmosphere; (d) materials and resources; and (e) indoor environmental quality.
Some serious questions have been raised about the actual results of green building. Everyone assumes LEED certification means energy efficiency, but because green ‘points’ can be gathered in a variety of ways, energy efficiency is not always the primary focus.
NYC’s new law requiring tracking and disclosure of energy use has also come up with interesting results. The six year old 7 World Trade Center with LEED gold has come in just below the minimum score of 75 set by the EPA’s Energy Star program. The newly renovated Chrysler Building and Empire State Building meanwhile scored 84 and 80. On the other hand, the 1958 Seagram Building received a 3. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/25/science/earth/new-york-citys-effort-to-track-energy-efficiency-yields-some-surprises.html?_r=0
A USA Today report could not find a link between ‘green’ schools and improved learning or energy use. In terms of energy efficiency - some do, and some don’t. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2012/12/10/green-schools-construction-leed/1753823/#
The bottom line is that ‘green’ means different things to different sectors. ‘Net Zero’ building, and other alternatives to LEED are gaining momentum for those who are truly looking for energy efficiency above all else.
Overall, some form of ‘green’ is becoming almost de rigueur both in new construction and the renovation market. And customer demands will undoubtedly trickle down to service providers. If you haven’t already done so, it might be time to consider how to meet those demands.