Green Buildings Pay: design, productivity and ecology

Prof Brian W Edwards

Author of books : z Green Buildings Payz Rough Guide to

Sustainabilityz Sustainable Architecturez Green Architecture

RIBA sustainability advisor 2000-2

Questions addressed in research: Main Question :How do green buildings pay?

What measures of benefit should we use What is the mix of Social, Economic and

Environmental benefits What is the relationship between energy

use, wellbeing, health, ecology and staff productivity

Do green buildings produce image benefits for the company

What impact does environmnetal certification have upon design and client expectation

Research method

12 primary cases (6 in USA, 3 in Denmark, 3 in UK)

6 secondary cases (4 in USA, 2 in UK) Criteria for cases (POE, high BREEAM, LEED

score, architectural quality, client feedback) Technical (energy use) and social/user surveys,

interviews (clients, designers etc) Comparison of building types and within types

The main cases

Denmark Ramboll HQ, VKR Holding HQ, Green Lighthouse

UK- BDP offices, Wessex Water HQ, Woodlands Trust

USA- Hearst Tower, Bank of America Tower, New York Times HQ, San Francisco Federal Building, Genzyme HQ, US Census Bureau

Canada- Manitoba Hydro HQ

Examples 1 (Denmark)

Ramboll Head office High energy performce 79 kWh

(equivalent to BREEAM Excellent) (83kWh in use)

High level of staff satisfaction (8.5 out of 10)

Key satisfaction points were daylight quality, comfort and controls (80+%)

Lack of satisfaction were cold drafts, top floor and noise (20%)

Other key points noted- good communication, inspiring, motivating, democratic

Atrium, views and public transport highly valued

Examples 2 (UK)

Examples 3 USA

Context and Issues Growth in environmental

assessment and certification schemes

BREEAM (1990), LEED (1998), DGNB (2008)

Client drivers for accreditation (image, life cycle costing, market advantage)

Global standards or national standards (conflicts across frontiers)

Added value of green certification- real or perceived

Key Findings: Impact of BREEAM, LEED etc

On clients (business benefits, recruitment, productivity, image)

On architects and engineers (new design approaches, new digital tools, integration of design and technology)

On users (perception of health and well- being, commitment, retention, quality of life at work)

Key Findings (clients)

Different client types have different motives and objectives

Corporate HQ is main arena Private clients leading public clients Different business models in USA

compared to Europe and China Green clients are green across a broad

front (not just building)

Key findings (Architects) BREEAM, LEED etc has led to much innovation

in design Innovation is most marked in facade

engineering, atria design and roofs Practices now use a wide range of

environmental simulation tools Architects are expected to be green Renewable energy is big design driver in

emerging economies Move from passive to active systems

Key findings (users) High level of satisfaction with certified buildings

(8.7 out of 10) Users like natural design Users like views and green space Users acknowledge productivity benefits Users like social benefits of atria Users like simple controls and screen

knowledge Users think design affects communication and

ideas generation

Typical examples of working space

Problems

Clients- buildings do not perform as well as intended. Energy use often 3 times predicted consumption

Designers- risks and complexity of green design. Certification is driving design solutions

Users- noise is problem in open plan; ground floors and top floors are less attractive; lack of control

Future Trends 1 New workspace types require new sustainable

solutions (Google model) Environmental assessment is moving towards

sustainability assessment Certification matters more than assessment Growth in environmental assessment software Energy is driving built form (especially

renewable energy) Skill and accreditation migration into architects

offices Growth in green research in practice

Future Trends 2 China is catching up LEED has led to global awareness of business

benefits of sustainability. Growth in green marketing via LEED, BREEAM Regional patterns of green design are emerging

in spite of global accreditation Consumers (users) are a big driver for green

buildings especially in knowledge industries (media, banking, research)

Knowledge flows from new build to refurbishment (in recession)

Future Trends 3

Accreditation can erode national characteristics Cultural differences exist between Europe, USA

and Asia In Europe there are big differences Green buildings reflect cultural values as well as

environmental priorities Denmark has strong social democratic tradition

in architecture. Will it survive the techno-focus of DGNB

Future Issues

Should building environmental certification be for life

Should LEED, BREEAM, DGNB etc be incorporated into national legislation

Should there be EU standards for certification Can design variety exist in highly regulated and

certified green world Are the design professions moving fast enough Are our assumptions correct

LEED Images

BREEAM Images

Danish Green (but not DGNB) Offices

Conclusions 1- Does Green Building Pay?

Yes but... Green offices produce tangible business benefits. These

benefits are improved with certification The benefits are found mainly in increased business

performance and productivity Green offices have marketing and image appeal Energy savings are relatively small but good energy

design leads to factors enjoyed by users Life cycle model has to consider social, economic and

environmental factors, not just energy performance

Conclusions 2: Life Cycle models

Business benefits of enhanced productivity (2%- 5%) outweigh energy cost benefits of green design by a factor of about 4 to 1

Image (of building) and marketing (of company) through sustainable design brings secondary benefits (to company and community)

Energy is not the only impact (ecology and other environmental resources matter too)

Life cycle models must include users POE should be conditional on certification to

confirm LCA

New green model Research suggests the following model. Green Buildings Pay when:

En+Ec+Ev=