Basics
At its Research Triangle Park campus, the U.S. EPA constructed a multi-level parking garage instead of expanding its ground-level paved parking lot in order to minimize disruption to 15 acres of surrounding woodlands.
"Office workers cost $130 per square foot—72 times as much as the energy costs. Thus an increase of 1 percent in productivity can nearly offset a company's entire annual energy cost." Joseph J. Romm and William D. Browning, Greening the Building and the Bottom Line, Rocky Mountain Institute
"At the same price, I can design a building with high ceilings, abundant daylighting and fresh air. And guess what? My operating costs are less! The inhabitants of the building are comfortable, delighted by their surroundings, productive. So, you choose." William McDonough, Architect
A sustainable approach "meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs" (United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development (The "Brundtland Commission"), 1983). Sustainable building design and operation strategies demonstrate commitment to energy efficiency, environmental stewardship, and conservation. These approaches result in an optimal balance of energy, cost, environmental, and societal benefits, while still meeting the mission of the agency and the function of the facility or infrastructure. Two common synonyms for sustainable buildings include "green buildings" and "high-performance buildings."
Benefits
Benefits of sustainable design include the following:
(Links are provided to additional reference information in the Business Case for Sustainable Design in Federal Facilities. For the complete guide, visit this page. The following documents are available as Adobe Acrobat PDFs. Download Adobe Reader.)
- Lower energy costs. Sustainable design can reduce annual energy costs by 30-50%, with paybacks of 5-10 years. (PDF 865 KB, 34 pp)
- Reduced operating and maintenance costs. Water savings and sustainable landscaping measures, as well as building commissioning and use of longer-lasting materials, save much more over their lifetimes than their incremental first costs. (PDF 865 KB, 34 pp)
- Lower 'churn' costs. Some features, such as raised flooring, result in a more flexible space that can be easily reconfigured, thus reducing the cost of modifying space over the life of the building. (PDF 865 KB, 34 pp)
- Same or reduced first costs. When sustainable design integrates natural heating, cooling, lighting, recycled materials, efficient space planning, elimination of non-critical finishes and fixtures, and new technologies, it can in some cases reduce both environmental impacts and construction costs. (PDF 865 KB, 34 pp)
- Productivity. Studies show that organizations may lower absenteeism and increase productivity when buildings are healthier, more pleasant places to work. (PDF 865 KB, 34 pp)
- Better health and well-being. Scientific studies link health, psychological well-being, and task performance to sustainable features including good ventilation, personal controls, daylighting, low-emitting interior materials, etc. Liability associated with sick building syndrome may be reduced. (PDF 354 KB, 13 pp)
- Less Pollution. Lowering energy use will result in decreases in sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, and carbon dioxide emissions, making our cities cleaner, reducing the threat of climate change, and reducing costs to society. (PDF 507 KB, 11 pp)
- Reduced impacts on natural ecosystems. Sustainable design decreases the impact on wildlife, ecosystems, and other natural resources. (PDF 507 KB, 11 pp)
- Better image. Environmental stewardship in facilities fosters community acceptance, political support, better ability to attract and retain desirable employees, fewer complaints from surrounding communities, less time and cost to deal with negative issues, and easier siting of future facilities.
Key Steps for Sustainability Success
- Set your sustainability goals early in the planning stages;
- Set up a cross-functional, integrated design team;
- Pick a qualified architecture and engineering firm;
- Get upper management buy-in; and,
- Maintain commitment to integrate sustainability throughout the process (i.e., design, construction, and operation).