Design Tips |
| August 13, 2008 |
A new study suggests that “green” office buildings are worth more than similar buildings without green features. Frequently, when considering if a building should have green design, developers and businesses have figured that a green building costs more to build, and sometimes to operate as well. Now for the first time, someone has compared the market value of green versus non-green buildings. A University of California-Berkeley professor and two professors from Netherlands compared the market value of about 700 green-certified buildings in seven major U.S. cities to that of about 7,500 other nearby office buildings. The findings are shocking: on average, the green-certified office buildings were worth about $5.1 million more than the other buildings. The survey considered buildings as green architecture if they had been certified by the federal government’s Energy Star program or the LEED standard. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and is a voluntary national standard for measuring and documenting a building’s sustainable characteristics developed by the U.S. Green Building Council. According to the study, green design office buildings also produce more rent for their owners. The average per square foot rent paid for space in the green buildings was 8.5% more than in other buildings. - Thomas O. Gray, DRS Architects, thomas_gray@drsarchitects.com |
Design Tips |
| May 28, 2008 |
More and more companies of all sizes are investing in master plans for their facilities. A master plan analyzes current and anticipated facility architecture and interior design needs and details the actions the organization will take over a period of time, typically five years, to meet those needs. A master plan should cover space reuse, building renovation, relocation, acquisition and financing. Hotels, colleges, senior care facilities and companies with more than one location all need master plans, yet a master plan can also be useful for other businesses. Without a master plan, organizations tend to build or renovate facilities to satisfy immediate needs. They often end up tearing things down when they identify what they think is a new need. For example, a company may put a parking lot in the wrong place on a property or have to replace electrical systems every few years because it did not plan for future growth. A master plan is usually developed by an architect, but the master planning process requires the input of all facets of the organization to develop: Getting input also leads to a more successful implementation of the master plan. Everyone needs to buy into the plan for it to succeed, and the best way to achieve buy-in is to promote involvement. - Phil Hundley, DRS Architects, phil_hundley@drsarchitects.com |
Design Tips |
| May 21, 2008 |
The value of green building construction will quadruple in two years, according to a recent study by McGraw-Hill Construction Analytics. The study projects that the value of green design construction will increase from $12 billion in 2008 to $60 billion by 2010. Studies show that green buildings are healthier work environments in which work productivity is often increased. When it comes to construction and renovation, “going green” usually involves seeking LEED certification. LEED means Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and is a voluntary national standard for measuring and documenting a building’s sustainable architecture developed by the US Green Building Council. A building’s green design can be certified on four levels, depending on how many points it accumulates in the LEED rating system. The federal General Services Administration and a growing number of major cities have begun to require that all new building projects and building renovation meet LEED criteria. Getting LEED certification has a dramatic impact on how a developer or company manages a building project: - Thomas O. Gray, DRS Architects, thomas_gray@drsarchitects.com |