Published December 2003

Budget-, earth-friendly design is catching on

By Kimberly Hilden
SCBJ Assistant Editor

Thanks to skyrocketing electricity rates and a growing awareness of environmental issues, sustainable buildings are gaining ground across the country.

In places like Pittsburgh, Pa., where the David L. Lawrence Convention Center was designed so that its landscaping uses no potable water for irrigation and its daylighting features provide natural light to 75 percent of its exhibition space.

Or Portland, Ore., where the 90-year-old, renovated Balfour-Guthrie Building uses a zoned heating, ventilation and cooling system to maximize energy efficiency.

Or Seattle, where the new City Hall includes a planted, “garden roof” system to reduce heat absorption and increase water retention on site, leading to decreased pressure on the storm-water system.

According to the U.S. Green Building Council, membership in the group has grown more than 600 percent in the past three years to include more than 2,000 companies and organizations, including developers, architectural and engineering firms, educational institutions, contractors and product manufacturers.

And one of its members, Tim Twietmeyer, couldn’t be happier.

“I’m personally very excited about this,” said Twietmeyer, a principal with Everett-based architectural firm Dykeman. “My (1988) graduate thesis at the University of Oregon was on passive cooling. ... I’ve sort of been suffering through the whole excess of the ’90s, when nobody wanted to worry about passive strategies.”

But more of Twietmeyer’s clients are asking about sustainable design — design practices that are environmentally responsible and at the same time create cost efficiencies and healthy environments.

Part of the increased interest, Twietmeyer said, is due to higher electricity prices. Part is due to growing concern over indoor air quality, and part stems from a growing number of business operators who are owning their buildings over the long term — and seeing the economic benefits of investing in sustainable design.

According to a recent report by the Capital E group, Lawrence Berkley Laboratory and participating California state agencies, a minimal upfront investment of about 2 percent of construction costs for sustainable building practices typically yields life-cycle savings of more than 10 times the initial investment.

The report, “The Costs and Financial Benefits of Green Buildings,” said those savings come from lower energy, waste disposal and water costs; lower environmental and emission costs; lower operations and maintenance costs; and savings from increased productivity and health of those who live or work in the building.

“If we start looking at buildings as long-term investments, sustainable design really starts to make sense,” Twietmeyer said.

To get from preliminary design to finished product — with sustainable-building goals intact — takes coordination early on from the architect, the architect’s consultants and the general contractor, Twietmeyer said.

Helping that team focus on its sustainable goals are programs such as Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED), which is operated by the U.S. Green Building Council, and Built Green, operated by the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties.

Both programs use checklists in a process to score and certify a building’s environmental sustainability based on factors such as site development, water and energy efficiency, materials use and indoor environmental quality, with points awarded for meeting listed goals.

Built Green focuses on residential construction. LEED, which started with commercial buildings, has branched out to include residential as well.

“I’m currently working on my accreditation as a LEED professional; you get a point for that on the score card, too,” said Twietmeyer, a member of the Snohomish County Sustainable Development Task Force.

That group, which includes representatives of the public and private sector, is looking at ways to provide incentives for sustainable building within the county because they see its benefits, from less load on storm-water and sewage systems to less load on the power grid, Twietmeyer said.

And for those consumers who may be a little leery of “going green”?

“Baby steps. Maybe we work in some low-flow faucets,” Twietmeyer said with a grin.

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