Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design

Brian Lee, Director of Advanced Technology, ASAP Automation

For most of our lives we’ve heard that the planet’s ability to satisfy our insatiable appetite for energy and other natural resources and absorb the waste and pollution we generate are not infinite, but our collective “day of reckoning” always seemed to be a generation or two away.  Not any more. In the past decade, electricity prices have risen 33%, natural gas prices have doubled and oil prices have tripled; at the same time, deforestation rates have accelerated, quality hard woods and certain metals have become scarce and available land fill space has dwindled. 

As a consumer, each of us has been affected by these changes. Compare your current utility bill with one from two or three years ago or talk to a home builder about the cost and availability of wood, copper and concrete. For a company managing a sophisticated supply chain network consisting of warehouses, factories, distribution centers and retail outlets, the impact is much greater.

Rising construction costs, energy prices and disposal fees reduce a firm’s profitability and can force it to make some very unpopular decisions: raise prices; layoff workers; shutter facilities. For forward thinking managers, these market trends are the impetus for embracing a new way of approaching the design, construction, renovation and operation of facilities, a way that promises to help companies gain competitive advantage in challenging times.

What is a Green Building?

Towards the end of the last century, groups of architects, engineers and developers began to design, build and commission what have come to be known as high performance green buildings. While varied in size, purpose and technologies employed, these buildings were created by people that shared a common vision: deliver structures that reduce the negative impacts on the environment and human health by:

  • Efficiently using energy and natural resources
  • Creating healthy living/work spaces that improve human productivity
  • Reducing the amount of waste and pollution generated from construction and operations

High Performance green buildings have also been given the title “sustainable” because the designers take more than the first costs of construction into account: they consider all the costs the owner of the building may encounter during the entire life cycle of the building, from initial commissioning, operation and maintenance through renovation and, ultimately, demolition.

Why Get LEED Certified?

Owners need to be prepared for the fact that the initial cost to design and construct a building may be higher if the decision is made to pursue a LEED certification.  However, studies performed over the last decade have shown that LEED certification has generated significant economic benefits for the stakeholders.  Stakeholders can confidently assume that a LEED certified building will possess a higher net present value than a comparative building developed using traditional processes.
LEED certified buildings:

  • Consume less energy 
  • Generate less waste
  • Reduce cost of operations 
  • Tax breaks (state and local)
  • Increase in rents and sales prices (desirable place to work)

The Emergence of the US Green Building Council and LEED

In 1993, a not-for-profit group of leaders formed the US Green Building Council, or USGBC, with the intent to make high performance green buildings available to everyone throughout the United States. In less than two decades, the organization has grown to include some 15,000 member organizations from across the building industry and offers a wide range of programs and services.

The USGBC developed the LEED Green Building Rating System soon after its formation and, over the years, it has become its primary tool for promoting green building design, construction, operation and maintenance. For the USGBC, the LEED Rating System defines a “Green Building” by establishing a common standard of measurement, promotes an integrated, whole building approach to design and construction and raises consumer awareness of the benefits of green buildings.

Stakeholders can make the decision to pursue LEED certification for a building or set of buildings at any time during the building’s life cycle. Certification allows the USGBC and the stakeholders to objectively evaluate a facility and see if its meets the definition of a high performance green building. A set of performance criteria are used to conduct the evaluation: individual measures fall into one of six categories:

  • Sustainable Sites
  • Water Efficiency
  • Energy and Atmosphere
  • Materials and Resources
  • Indoor Environmental Quality
  • Innovation in Design

No specific design strategies or product/technologies are required. Instead, the USGBC looks at the project as a whole. Two different projects could employ completely different product/technologies and strategies and achieve the same level of certification.

Click here for more information on the US Green Building Council

The Future for LEED

LEED has become increasingly popular amongst government agencies and real estate development firms. There is a strong belief among many USGBC members that an ever increasing number of municipalities will adopt LEED certification requirements the way they embrace national safety codes today! Getting acquainted with LEED now can give you a leg up on your competitor today AND in the future.

 

For more information, please contact:
Brian Lee, Director of Advanced Technology, ASAP Automation

** Brian M. Lee is a licensed P.E. and has spent several years working in energy generation and energy management. He is heading up the effort at ASAP Automation (and its sister company, Bastian Material Handling) to offer energy solutions to clients in light manufacturing, warehousing and distribution.